Grow Your Curiosity

I employ many tools (both physical and digital) to explore and understand the natural world.

Below are my favorite apps, gadgets, and books for curious minds.

*I do not make money from these resources, nor have I necessarily tested them against competitors.

iNaturalist - Wildlife Observation, Identification, and Citizen Science App

Audubon - Bird ID App

Rockd - Geology App

Star Walk2 - Star-gazing App

Foldable California Field Guides

San Diego County Bird Atlas

My Favorite Fungi Field Guide

Laws Guide to Nature Journaling

Beginner's Astronomy Book

Olympus TG6 - Field Camera

Pentax Papilio Close-Range Binoculars

Nikon Monarch Binoculars

Seek - Wildlife ID App

Merlin - Bird Call ID App

AllTrails - Trail-Finding App

Tide Now CA - Tidal Charts for California

San Diego County Mammal Atlas

Foldable Field Guide for SD Birds

My Favorite Beginner's Book on the Fungi Kingdom

Coast to Cactus Trail Guide

Gardening with Native Plants

Echo Meter Touch 2 Bat Detector

Celestron 80mm Travelscope

Entoquip Bug Blacklight

The greatest virtue of man is perhaps his curiosity.
-Anatole France

Tours Happening Now

Winter Only 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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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 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 - Mar) Explore Tidepools with a Marine Biologist

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

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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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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Photos and Details

Stay Connected

Follow and tag @northstarnaturalist on Instagram

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

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and interesting nature info delivered to your inbox once a month.

Grow Your Curiosity

iNaturalist - Wildlife Observation, Identification, and Citizen Science App

Audubon - Bird ID App

Rockd - Geology App

Star Walk2 - Star-gazing App

Foldable California Field Guides

San Diego County Bird Atlas

My Favorite Fungi Field Guide

Laws Guide to Nature Journaling

Beginner's Astronomy Book

Olympus TG6 - Field Camera

Pentax Papilio Close-Range Binoculars

Nikon Monarch Binoculars

Seek - Wildlife ID App

Merlin - Bird Call ID App

AllTrails - Trail-Finding App

Tide Now CA - Tidal Charts for California

San Diego County Mammal Atlas

Foldable Field Guide for SD Birds

My Favorite Beginner's Book on the Fungi Kingdom

Coast to Cactus Trail Guide

Gardening with Native Plants

Echo Meter Touch 2 Bat Detector

Celestron 80mm Travelscope

Entoquip Bug Blacklight

Tours Happening Now

Stay Connected

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Sign Up for My Monthly Newsletter!