Witness Wildlife Through
The Eyes of an Expert Naturalist.

About
Cypress

Hi! I'm Cypress, owner and operator of North Star Naturalist.

I guide fun, outdoor excursions in San Diego County for people of all ages and skill levels.

Join me on a tour to learn about California's world-class wildlife, gain confidence exploring the outdoors, and change how you experience nature forever.

Recent Explorers Are Saying...

Upcoming Community Events

Each month I try to plan a free or low-cost guided event that corresponds to local happenings in nature.

These events have limited space and a waitlist, so sign up and stay tuned for future happenings!

Community Hike: Fungi Foray
Sat, Apr 05
Lakeside (location shared at registration)
Register Now
Community Hike: Fungi Foray
Sun, Apr 13
Lakeside (location shared at registration)
Register Now
Community Hike: Wildflower Wander
Sun, Apr 27
Near Solana Beach
Register Now
Community Hike: Wildflower Wander
Sun, May 04
Near Solana Beach
Register Now
Free Pollinator Hike with Ranger Nancy at the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge
Sat, Jun 21
Par 4 Trail, SD National Wildlife Refuge
Register Now

Tours Happening Now
in San Diego

* Hiking/walking tours run 9-12 PM and 2-5 PM. Timing is flexible, just ask! *

* Tide pool tours are dependent on low tides *

View Public Tour Calendar

View Private Tour Calendar

Winter Only Seasonal Hike: Fungi Foray

San Diego County has a surprising abundance of mushrooms! Learn how to find, identify, and appreciate fungi's…

From $52

Book Now

Photos and Details

Back in Season! Wonders of Wildflowers Hike

Wildflowers are alluring, creative, and clever—and San Diego County has more than 3,500 different kinds! Take a…

From $52

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Photos and Details

Time Travel Through San Diego's Wild Past

Explore 7,000 years of San Diego's history in one hike! Visit natural springs, a grave site, and…

From $52

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Photos and Details

Experience SoCal's Rarest Ecosystem

One of the most threatened habitats in North America, California Sage Scrub is home to more than…

From $52

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Photos and Details

Hike Through California's Heart and Soul

If California had an official ecosystem, it would be Chaparral. From grizzlies and ancient Romans to wildfire…

From $52

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Photos and Details

(Sept - Mar) Explore Tidepools with a Marine Biologist

The daytime tide pooling season is over until fall 2025! If you would like to book an…

From $35

Book Now

Photos and Details

Pick Your Own Trail

Bring me along on your next hike to learn about the wildlife, geology, or history you've always…

From $150

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Photos and Details

Take a Night Hike Above the City

By the light of the stars and our flashlights, breathe in San Diego's fragrant sage, listen for…

From $52

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Photos and Details

Gift Cards
Now Available

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North Star Naturalist

Made the News! Twice!

Read the April 11 story and the February 14 story in Beach and Bay Press and La Jolla Village News.

April 2024 Story

Feb 2025 Story

Stay Connected

Follow and tag @northstarnaturalist on Instagram

So many Community Events happening this spring! 👇

🍄 While the rains continue, I'll be leading fungi forays in one of the best parks to find mushrooms in San Diego. Learn how to find, identify, and appreciate all sorts of mushrooms, lichens, and molds.

🌻 As wildflower season picks up, we'll learn about why flowers are so alluring, who pollinates them, and how they shape the rest of the living world. You may even get inspired to plant your own native flowers!

🪲 During the weekend of the #CityNatureChallenge2025 (April 25-28), I'll be hosting at least one bug blacklighting party. Location and exact dates TBD - Stay tuned!

🐝 For #PollinatorWeek in June, I'm teaming up with San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Ranger Nancy to lead a free pollinator hike at the refuge!

Space is limited for all of these events. As always, kids/youth are half-price. Head over to my link in bio to learn more and snag your spots!

NorthStarNaturalist.com

#NorthStarNaturalist #SpringInSanDiego #FungiForay #MushroomHunting #SoCalFungi #WildflowerWander #SanDiegoWildFlowers #CaliforniaNativePlants #CityNatureChallenge #Blacklighting #Pollinators #HikeSanDiego #SanDiegoNature

When most people think about wild mushrooms, they don't think of San Diego. They think of the Pacific Northwest, wet forests, or places like Santa Cruz. 🌲

But San Diego has thousands of species of fungi scattered across our entire county. And man oh man are they wild. And the craziest part? Because San Diego isn't "on the map" for fungi research, it's likely that more than half of the fungi growing here aren't even described species. 🍄

Join me on a mushroom foray March 22 to find and learn about our local fungi. Who knows, maybe we'll find a species new to science! 🤷‍♀️ Tickets are $18, $9 for kids. (Link in bio)

#NorthStarNaturalist #FungiForay #SanDiegoMushrooms #SoCalFungi #Mycology #MagicMushrooms #MushroomMedicine #HikeSanDiego #NatureGuide

Can confirm: our desert is lookin' fiiiinneeee. ☀️

PSA: Full lunar eclipse tonight! 🌒🌕🌘

Around midnight PST, we will get our first full lunar eclipse in two years! It will be visible all across the United States!

Fun fact: if you turned the moon into a flat sticker, and put it on the Earth, it would be about as wide as the U.S. 🤔

Clouds... PLEASE go away?!?

Let's unpack this.
Join me for a fungi foray on March 22 @ 9AM to find wild mushrooms and learn all about them! (including the ways they are more like animals than plants)
I can't wait to see what we'll find! 🍄

#NorthStarNaturalist #FungiForay #MushroomHunting #SanDiegoNature #HikeSanDiego #SanDiegoFungi #SoCalFungi #MushroomSeason

The rains are finally happening! Let's find some fungi together!! And learn all about them!!! See you out there!!!! (I'm really excited for fungi season y'all) 🍄

#NorthStarNaturalist #FungiForay #SanDiegoFungi #SoCalFungi #SoCalMushrooms #HikeSanDiego #SDNature

Is fungi season here yet? 🍄
Not quite. But the SD Fungus Fair is!!!

Follow @sdmyco for more info!

This weekend! 🔥 Explore the good, the bad, and the nuance of wildfire from inside an old burn scar.

We'll learn about fire adaptations, indigenous burn practices, fire-following flowers, wild animal responses, water and wind, and the many myths that swirl around fire in SoCal.

These walks are short and come with gorgeous views of San Diego's unique landscape!

Link in bio!

#NorthStarNaturalist #CaliforniaWildfire #CaliforniaWildlife #SanDiegoNature #Chamise #FireFollowers #OtayMountain #Border2Fire #SanDiego #SouthernCalifornia #SoCal #FireWise #FriarsFire #GilmanFire #CedarFire #Chaparral

Gosh, my first year as the North Star Naturalist went by fast!

Turns out I'm pretty bad at taking photos of me and my guests during tours, but if you've been outside with me, you know I get carried away by nature's splendor! So here are some nature highlights from 2024. 🤓

Thank you all for making this year fun, fulfilling, and downright fascinating! 🪲

Can't wait for what the next year brings. Nature never fails to disappoint, especially when you have other nature nerds at your side. ❤️

#NorthStarNaturalist #SanDiegoNature #SmallBusinessSD #YearInReview

Thanks to the good people at the Point Loma Native Plant Garden, @sandiegoriver and the @plnativeseedlibrary, I was able to gather some festive native plants for a homemade wreath! 🎄

I was dreaming of making one all month, but had nowhere to legally harvest plants. I'm so happy with how it turned out out! And it smells AMAZING.

If you want to make your own native plant wreath for the holidays, head over to the San Diego River Park Foundation's website and look for their wreath-making event on Dec 22!

#NorthStarNaturalist #ChristmasInSanDiego #sandiegowildlife #sandiegonature #socal #toyon #CaliforniaHolly #DIYHolidays #SustainableDecor #tecatecypress #CaliforniaNativePlants

Nature is the greatest gift of all. 😍 🎁
Give your loved ones an unforgettable experience in nature, while supporting small local business. Gift cards are now available for guided tours (link in bio), and if you buy before December 31st, you get 20% off with the code TISTHESEASON !

I looking forward to making your spirits bright. ✨

📷 Becky Matsubara
#NorthStarNaturalist #ShopSmall #TisTheSeason #GiftOfNature #SanDiegoNature #SupportSanDiegoBusiness #Toyon #CedarWaxwing #CaliforniaChristmasBerry

Halloween is coming! 🎃 Did you know San Diego has its own native pumpkin? It's called coyote melon 🐺 🍈 and it's a close relative of the classic orange pumpkins we like to carve, bake, and decorate with.

🤢 Buuutttt, coyote melons taste terrible and are mostly seeds inside. Their flesh is way too hard for carving, and they're usually no bigger than a softball. So what are they good for?

🐝 Well, bees love their gigantic flowers, many animals eat their seeds, and they make for a lush ground cover in spring and summer. Coyote melon plants are extremely hardy—often preferring hot, dry conditions and gravelly, nutrient-poor soil. In other words, make a great garden addition that provides free Halloween decor! Score!

As for the plant's name... there are dozens of competing stories. Some say it's because coyotes do occasionally eat them, or maybe it's because the fruit *looks* edible, but is actually quite bitter, like a trickster...like a coyote. 🤔

In any case, the coyote melon is yet another strange, beautiful plant that is perfectly adapted to our unique environment. And so festive, too!

📷 Ryan Strother and Lonny Holmes

#NorthStarNaturalist #SDNature #NativePlants #SpookySeason #HalloweenDecor #NativePumpkin #FallHarvest #CoyoteMelon

Happy #NationalMushroomDay! 🍄 Most people think San Diego is too dry for fungi, but we have thousannddsss of species here! You just have to know where and when to look, and you're in luck! Cuz I know some great spots.

I'll be starting my fungi forays up again in a month or so (once the rains return). These fun, easy hikes are a great way to learn about local mushrooms, molds, and lichens, their roles in our ecosystem, as well as how to identify them.

I hope to see y'all on some forays soon!
Mush love,
-C

#NorthStarNaturalist #SDNature #SoCalFungi #CaliforniaFungi #MushroomHunting #CaliforniaMushrooms

Join me in the tidepools for a beautiful sunset tour on October 20! Only $15 and everyone under 18 is half-price! 🌅

Let's kick-off the tidepooling season the right way! With friends, fellow nature nerds, and curiosity! 🐚😎🦀

#NorthStarNaturalist #SanDiegoThingsToDo #LaJolla #Tidepooling #SoCal #SanDiegoNature #SanDiegoFamilies

Me dancing for joy knowing that it's officially DAYTIME TIDEPOOLING SEASON! 🤩
Join me Sunday, Oct. 20 for Tidepools at Twilight and see more animals than you ever thought possible. Can't make the 20th? Check my tour calendar for more tidepooling dates! Link in bio. 🐚

#northstarnaturalist #tidepool #sandiegotidepools #sandiegobeaches #sdnature #nudibranchs #spanishshawlnudibranch

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Caring for nature is a priority for many San Diegans. North Star Naturalist is pleased to support and partner with local organizations that prioritize nature, science, and education.