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* Daytime hiking tours run 9-12 PM and 2-5 PM (timing is flexible, just ask!) *

* Tide pool tours are dependent on low tides *

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Peaking now! Wonders of Wildflowers Hike

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

From $52

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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 one…

From $52

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Experience SoCal's Rarest Ecosystem

One of the most threatened habitats in North America, California Sage Scrub is home to more than 5,000…

From $52

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Hike Through California's Heart and Soul

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

From $52

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(Sept - May) Explore Tidepools with a Marine Biologist

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

From $35

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Pick Your Own Trail

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

From $150

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(Dec - April) Seasonal Hike: Fungi Foray

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

From $52

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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 native…

From $52

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Who's ready for round two?! 🌼
I've got a second Wildflower Photography Workshop coming up on Sunday, June 29!

The last workshop was so much fun. We learned, we noticed, we appreciated, we captured, we workshopped! 📷

The flowers were gorgeous, the photos we captured were stunning, and we got to discover one of the city's best-kept secrets! I hope y'all can make it next weekend, I've got gifts for all who attend, plus15 years of photography experience to share with you. 🤭

Photos by @san_diego_field_poet, @beau.nito, and me from the last workshop!
#NorthStarNaturalist #SanDiegoNature #SanDiegoWildflowers #SanDiegoPhotographer #WildflowerPhotography #ThingsToDoSanDiego #PointLoma #OceanBeach #PacificBeach #SDNature

Last weekend, one of my dreams came true after 15 years!
I boarded THE Western Flyer. 🛥️
This boat carries more stories than anyone can count, but one in particular has had a massive impact on me and many other aspiring scientists and communicators since its telling. 🧭

It's the story of two friends, their kooky crew, their trusty boat, and a six-week journey around the Baja California Peninsula in search of intertidal wildlife. A.K.A., the ULTIMATE tide pooling road trip!!! 🐚

The friends were John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts.
The story is "The Log of the Sea of Cortez."
The Western Flyer was their sardine fishing boat-turned-research vessel, and since their expedition in 1940, the boat was sold, sold again, then it sat in a harbor and sank not once, but THREE times. It was underwater for months. It was, quite literally, a wreck. 🛟

But the good people of the @WesternFlyerFoundation have brought it back to life, restored every piece, installed a hybrid electric/diesel engine, and they just wrapped up the SAME expedition, 85 years later (this time with more education/community involvement). I got to see them on their final stop in Newport. 🫠

This was a real moment for me y'all. I don't idolize Steinbeck or Ricketts or the Western Flyer. But the gestaltic story that arose from their three souls brings me so much life.

I'll leave ya with perhaps the most well-known quote from the book:
"...It is a strange thing that most of the feeling we call religious, most of the mystical outcrying which is one of the most prized and used and desired reactions of our species, is really the understanding and the attempt to say that man is related to the whole thing, related inextricably to all reality, known and unknowable... all things are one thing and that one thing is all things — plankton, a shimmering phosphorescence on the sea and the spinning planets and an expanding universe, all bound together by the elastic string of time. It is advisable to look from the tide pool to the stars and then back to the tide pool again.” ✨

Swipe for before and after pics, plus an ORIGINAL, rare first print of "Sea of Cortez."
#NorthStarNaturalist

Just here to showcase some of the unique, bizarre, and beautiful pollinators we share our county with for #NationalPollinatorMonth.

These small beings are as close as we'll ever get to real fairies.🧚‍♀️ They're tiny, they work their magic when we're not looking, and they make the natural world go 'round.

Without 'em, to be honest I do not know what we would do. Be good to them. Think twice before you buy pesticides. Plant native. Get curious. Teach your kids to be curious. Continue cultivating your curiosity. It's the very thing that brought these fine photos to your little screen. 🦋

1. Boisduval's blue butterfly
2. Mason Bee getting absolutely lost in the sauce
3. Gold-hunter's hairstreak (I think)
4. Masked bee
5. California Hairstreak
6. Wide-striped sweat bee
7. Snake fly
8. Oval-headed sweat bee

(Approximate IDs! please correct me if you know better!)

#NorthStarNaturalist #SanDiegoNature #Pollinators #BugsRunTheWorld #NativeBees #NativeButterflies #MeetTheLocals

Did y'all know that I am also a professional writer? It's true!
Did you know North Star Naturalist has a little BLOG? It do!
And I just posted more fantastic photos from last week's photography workshop!

Other recent stories include...
🍃 City Nature Challenge results
🦀 A tale from the tidepools
🔥 On wildfires in Southern California
🪲 Lots of Creature Features, and more!

If you want to learn more about San Diego wildlife, or you like reading super short, easy stories with pretty pictures, go check it out! Link in Bio!

#NorthStarNaturalist #SanDiegoNature #SanDiegoWildlife #SoCalNature #HikeSD

Wow! Thanks to everyone who came out for the Wildflower Photography Workshop last weekend! 🌸
We learned some fun techniques, we gushed over the flowers, y'all took some bee-yootiful photos, and we had fun! 📷

How inspiring it is to hang outside in nature with people who love art and science. Stay tuned for more events this summer!

Select photos from the workshop by @san_diego_field_poet, @beau.nito, Jana McDonough, and me!

#NorthStarNaturalist #WildflowerPhotography #SanDiegoWorkshops #SanDiegoPhotographer #SanDiegoNature #HikeSD #SoCalWildflowers

We aren't the only ones enjoying wildflower season. 🥰
These creatures were all spotted in about 30 minutes at the park where I'm hosting my upcoming Wildflower Photography Workshop. A little patience goes a long way with photography!
Can't wait to see what else we find! 🐇

#NorthStarNaturalist #WildflowerSeason #SoCalWildflowers #SanDiegoEvents #WildflowerPhotography #NatureWorkshop #SanDiegoNature

🎶It's the most wonderful time of the year🎶
Move over Christmas, it's Wildflower Season!💮
To celebrate, I'll be leading a Wildflower Photography Workshop at a SUPER flower-filled park, right here in town.
🌼
We'll cover beginner, intermediate, and advanced techniques to turn regular flower pics into stunning shots that capture the delicate beauty of our native flowers (and their pollinators!)
🌸
You don't need a fancy camera to get good flower photos — bring your best camera (or phone) and be ready to slow down, compose your shots, make some friends, and leave with much more than a couple new skills.
🏵️
Only $15 for adults, half-price for kids. Link in bio! See you out there, San Diego!

#NorthStarNaturalist #WildflowerWorkshop #SanDiegoWorkshops #SDNature #SDPhotographers #SoCalWildflowers #SanDiegoNaturePhotographer #SanDiegoEvents

Who has ventured into San Diego's parks and wildlands recently and seen bright, white flames rising above the green scrub? 🙋‍♀️ It's Chaparral Candle season! 🕯️

When in bloom, these yuccas are a sight to behold. That flower stalk can reach over ten feet, bearing hundreds of large, white and purple flowers. (swipe!)

If your shins are feeling lucky, and you get close enough to peer inside their flowers, you might find tiny, white Chaparral Yucca Moths. (yes, these plants have their own special moth!)

Yucca Moths (swipe again) have a codependent, mutually beneficial relationship with yuccas: they carefully pollinate the flowers, while laying their eggs inside the plant's seed pods. The moth larvae eat through only a portion of the seeds, leaving the rest for the plant's reproduction.

If the yuccas disappear, the moths do too. Recent research on @iNaturalist data says that short, extreme weather events may seriously disrupt this perfect pair.

Come see some yuccas (and maybe their moths!) IRL on my Wildflower Walks on May 10 and May 31! (Link in bio)

#NorthStarNaturalist #SanDiegoNature #SoCalWildlife #Mutualism #Yucca #YuccaMoth #Moths #Symbiosis #Hesperoyuccawhipplei #WildflowerWednesday

Okay so this made me cryyyy 😭

Recently, a family from Texas booked a tidepool tour with me. The mother emailed beforehand to share that her son, Jackson, had never seen tidepools before, but he knew all about them and was super excited to explore together.

When the day finally came, we had a blast! We saw an octopus, sea hares, crabs, and more. A dream come true for Jackson. After we said our goodbyes, I left feeling inspired by Jackson and his sister, as I often do with curious kids.

But a week later, Jackson's mom sent me these photos. Jackson had to give a presentation about something nature related, and he educated his class about tidepools! I think he knocked it out of the park! I mean!? Look at that tidepool diorama!! And the pictures from our tour?? Yes, I cried. 🥹

To be able to provide meaningful experiences to youngsters and their families is... fulfilling to say the least. Thank you for trusting me with your kids' curious, open, and absorbent minds! 😍

Happy Earth Day! This week one year ago, I led my first North Star Naturalist tour ever! ✨
The last year has been a wild ride! I started a business! I watched it grow. I invited people young and old, from near and far, to slow down and join me in noticing our fellow Earthlings. I made new friends. I made new failures. I leaned on experts for help. I figured a lot out on my own.

My mission is to spark curiosity, care, and reverence for nature through immersive, guided experiences. I hope I've accomplished this during the past year. I'll let you all be the judge.

THANK YOU, everyone, for your support. If we are to continue thriving on this Earth, we must commune with its many more-than-human residents — and with each other. See you out there! 🥳🌎

#NothStarNaturalist #EarthDay2025 #SanDiegoSmallBusiness

Happy Easter! 🐇
Here are three recent photos of the most commonly seen wascally wabbits in San Diego!

📷 Desert Cottontail by Dax London (notice the ticks in its ear!)
📷 Black-tailed Jackrabbit by Craig Chaddock (technically a hare, not a rabbit!)
📷 Bush rabbit by Sanam (is there a borb equivalent for rabbits??)

#NorthStarNaturalist #SanDiegoWildlife #SanDiegoEaster #CaliforniaEasterBunny #Easter2025
#Lagomorphs

Friendly reminder that the Ceanothus are blooming. 😌

#NorthStarNaturalist #HikeSanDiego #Ceanothus #SanDiegoNativePlants #SoCalNatives #Chaparral #SanDiegoNature

This week I joined Ranger Nancy from @Sandiegorefuges and our favorite local poet Angie Vorhies to prepare for our upcoming pollinator hike on June 21. (Link in bio if you wanna come for free!)

It's still a bit early for most flowers but we still saw some good ones! June will be poppin'! Swipe for bugz n bloomz! 🐛

#NorthStarNaturalist #PollinatorHike #HikeSanDiego #SouthCountySanDiego #SanDiegoEvents #VisitYourParks #WildlifeRefuges #SoCalButterflies #SoCalWildflowers

This must be the place to find mushrooms! 🍄

If you're curious to learn how to find and identify local mushrooms, join my next foray THIS SUNDAY! Link in bio!

#NorthStarNaturalist #HikeSanDiego #LocalNaturalist #FungiForay #SoCalFungi #CaliforniaMushrooms #familyfriendlysandiego #SanDiegoSmallBusiness #sandiegoevents

One of these mushrooms makes your mouth go numb. Another glows in the dark. Another might be edible. One has a nutty taste but could make you vomit. 🤔

Found all these beauties and more on our last community fungi foray. Join me this Saturday at 2pm for the next one! 🍄 (Link in bio)

📷 Beautiful pics thanks to @marianardsouza!

#NorthStarNaturalist #FungiForay #CaliforniaMushrooms #SocalMushrooms #SanDiegoNature #HikeSanDiego #SanDiegoWildlife #SanDiegoEcoTours

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

🪲 A poem for the figeaters:
Clumsily colliding with human heads,
We claw their hair, while they flee with dread.
Shining and armored, we're the smallest of knights,
But grace is for someone with far stronger flight.
All we seek is the sweet stuff, a nice fruity treat.
We're as harmless as butterflies, just give us a few feet.

Maybe poetry isn't for me, but I LOVE these beetles, and I hope someday everyone else will see them as clumsy jewels worth admiring instead of scary bugs worth swatting. 🥹

#northstarnaturalist #figeater #scarab #desertbugs #entomology #junebeetle #sandiegonature @sandiegomag

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In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.
– John Muir

Tours and Events

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In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. – John Muir

Gift Cards
Now Available

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.
– John Muir