Friday, March 30, 2007

The Payne Foundation is proud to announce its fourth annual Native Plant Garden Tour to be held April 28 and 29. The tour this year features 30 native plant gardens in and around Los Angeles, including thirteen that are new to the tour. Admission is just twenty dollars per person for two days of native plant exploration. Come with us and learn how you, too, can use native plants in beautiful ways when landscaping your home. Call 818-768-1802 or go to this link http://www.theodorepayne.org/Tour/tour.html for more information.

In other news at the Theodore Payne Foundation, please join us in celebrating Poppy Day on April 7. For years, we have celebrated Poppy Day with a plant sale, wildflower tours and classes and demonstrations. Members receive a 15% discount and non-members receive a 10% discount on plant sales.

Also, make sure to visit the Theodore Payne Art Gallery, where we will display works by contemporary artists, as well as works by the great Henry Evans and Jane Pinheiro. Of particular note in our exhibit will be an extraorinary panorama landscape by Richard Dickey. The art gallery is open 8:30 to 4:30, Tuesday through Saturday. Our show of California golden poppy paintings, prints and photographs will be on display through June 30, 2007.

Southern California

The best place to view wildflowers right now might be on Figueroa Mountain in the Los Padres National Forest north of Santa Barbara. This is traditionally one of the most popular wildflower tours in Southern California. To reach Figueroa Mountain, take Highway 101 to the Los Olivos exit and proceed east to Figueroa Mountain Road. The tour begins at the bottom of the hill, just as you cross the first cattle guard.

On the hillside to your left, fiesta flowers (Pholistoma auritum) are in bloom. Other flowers seen in this stretch include buttercups (Ranunculus califonicus), popcorn flowers (Plagiobothrys nothofulvus), hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea), blue dicks, milkmaids (Cardamine californica), lomatium (Lomatium californicum), pygmy lupine (Lupinus bicolor), miners’ lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata) and Chinese houses (Collinsia heterophylla). Around the second bend Indian paintbrush (Castilleja affinis) joins the list in the rocky area to the right as well as Johnny jump-ups (Viola pedunculata) and lots of blue dicks (Dichelostemma pulchellum). Less than 1/8^th of a mile further shooting stars (Dodecatheon pulchellum) are enjoying a tremendous bloom along with popcorn flower, lomatium and miners’ lettuce in this flat area. As you approach the canopy area, look at the hillside on your left, where sky lupine (Lupinus nanus) and blue dicks are covering this hillside in purple. While going through the canopy, you will again find fiesta flowers (Pholistoma auritum), blue dicks, lupine, Johnny jump-ups, milkmaids (Cardamine californica), buttercups, fiddlenecks and popcorn flowers.

As you continue up the mountain the hillsides appear to be covered in snow with blooming Ceanothus. The Ceanothus (or California wild lilac) is in bloom throughout the entire mountain – this may be the best lilac bloom in years. Goldfields (Lasthenia californica) and California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) are appearing more and more throughout the mountain, with patches of yellow and orange already beginning to show.

Along the serpentine hillside on the right, you will see the beautiful pink prickly phlox (Leptodactylon californicum) in flower. While there are a few that can be seen within eye level, look up because larger bushes are growing higher up on the serpentine. Just beyond the serpentine, beautiful shiny yellow buttercups are in blooming throughout the hillside. Across from this hillside, on a downhill slope, buttercups fiddlenecks (Amsineckia tessellata) and pimpernel (Anagalis coccineus) are in bloom.

As you near 9.0 mile marker, on the left is a large patch of goldfields, giving the appearance of yellow carpet on the slope. In the field, also on the left, just past this goldfield covered slope, one can find chocolate lilies (Fritillaria biflora); however, you must walk to see them. Just past the 9.26 mile marker on the field on the right you will find beautiful orange wall flowers (Erysismum capitatum) along with shooting stars. About ½ mile further, look for the beautiful mariposa lily on the left side of the road. You will have to look past the tall grass to find it and although this is the first one we have seen this year, usually others follow suite shortly after. As you continue to climb, look on the rock formations for more poppies, shooting stars, blue dicks and buttercups.

At Vista Point, the beautiful brown bell shapes of the chocolate lilies are in bloom through out this area. Be careful not to step on them. Perhaps because of the shortage of rain, they are much more vertically challenged than usual. Shooting stars, lomatium and patches of goldfields are in bloom as well. Across the road from Vista Point you will find poppies, blue dicks, goldfields and coreopsis.

As you pass the Ranger Station, shooting stars and sky lupine are visible along the road. On the rocky hillside, right before Tunnell Ranch Road, buttercups, wallflowers and chocolate lilies are in bloom.

As you continue just past Catway, the hillside on the left is carpeted in purple and orange as the lupine and California poppies have prematurely bloomed. Because of the snow, this display never made it last year, but it sure is making up for it this year. Not only is the hillside incredibly magnificent to see, but the smell of the lupine is incredible as well. Again, the shortage or rain and the unseasonably warm weather must have encouraged them to blossom earlier than usual and the lupine are not as tall as when we have a wet year, but the display is still extraordinary

While this gorgeous display is currently in full bloom, the similar display that we usually get on the Lookout Road towards Cumbre Day Use area, has not began to bloom yet. The bush lupine (Lupinus albifrons), for the most part, has not bloomed either, with the exception of a couple of bushes.

As you continue onto Figueroa Mountain Road, other than a few California poppies and Shooting stars there really isn’t much more at this time. Remember that further up the mountain you go the longer it takes for the wildflowers to bloom.

Along Happy Canyon and Sunset Valley, beautiful yellow bush poppies and pink prickly phlox are beginning to show. California poppies and lupine can be seen here as well. On Happy Canyon Road, as you go down the hill, past the Chicken Springs Shooting area, the cacti are getting ready to bloom as well.

The El Dorado Nature Center in Long Beach is a great place to visit right now for a wide variety of blooming natives. Here you can see baby blue-eyes (Nemophila menziesii), coastal sunflower, blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchim bellum), golden poppy, tidy tips (Layia platyglossa), canterbury bells (Phacelia campanularia), pygmy lupine, western redbud (Cercis occidentalis), Cleveland’s sage (Salvia clevelandii) and bladder pod (Isomeris arborea) among the many species in bloom. The El Dorado Nature Center features over two miles of trails winding around two lakes and a stream. Its 102.5 acres exist as an island of true nature amidst our sprawling urban core. In addition to the amazing examples of native flore the center is home to skunks, coyotes, ground squirrels, hawks and migratory birds. The center is located at 7550 Spring Street in Long Beach, just west of I605.

Very little rain fell on Carrizo Plain National Monument this year, so we don’t have the spectacular carpets of goldfields we’ve had the past couple of years. Still, if you spend some time looking, there are some sporadic patches of goldfields and some scattered bush lupines in bloom in the northern end of the monument. Even without the outstanding wildflower show of years past Carrizo Plain is a worthwhile visit. Its 250,000 acres represent the largest remaining tract of the San Joaquin Valley biogeographic province and provide extensive habitat to many endangered, threatened and rare species such as the San Joaquin kit fox, the blunt-nosed leopard lizard, the San Joaqin antelope squirrel and the giant kangaroo rat. Also found here are many listed plant species, including the California jewelflower, Hoover’s wooly star and the San Joaquin woolythread. Carrizo Plains is reached off Highway 58 west of the town of Taft.

In the Gorman area we have reports of some scattered fields of goldfields and golden poppies, mostly north of the Highway 138 interchange.

The Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve won’t have many, if any, poppies in bloom this spring, but other wildflowers are beginning to show; look for lupine, goldfields, blue dicks and other annuals to begin blooming in the next couple of weeks. For now the best bet is the preserve’s Kitanemuk Trail, where there is a good showing of bush lupine in flower.

The bigpod ceanothus (Ceanothus megacarpus) bloom in the Santa Monica Mountains is winding down, but a walk up the Sandstone Peak Trail yields great views of hairy-leaf ceanothus (C. oligantus) in bloom at lower elevations, while higher up you’ll find hoary-leaf ceanothus (C. crassifolius) in flower.

Point Mugu State Park is featuring an outstanding wildflower explosion right now. A hike in La Jolla Canyon from the Ray Miller trailhead reveals the giant coreopsis (Coreopsis giganteum) are now in full bloom, along with lots of blue dicks and Indian paintbrush. Also in evidence are scarlet pimpernel, fuchsia-flowered gooseberry (Ribes speciosum), shooting stars, lemonade berry (Rhus integrifolia), California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), collarless California poppy (Eschscholzia caespitosa), deerweed (Lotus scoparius), fiesta flower and Parry’s phacelia (Phacelia parryi). Point Mugu State Park is at 9000 West Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.

The short desert bloom this year is all but over. About the only place of note is Echo Canyon in Death Valley National Park, where the brittlebushes (Encelia californica) cover the canyon bottom in a sea of yellow. In Joshua Tree National Park the park’s namesakes (Yucca brevifolia) are in full bloom.

Northern California

The Merced River Canyon appears to be on fire, so vivid is the western redbud bloom. Also, a hike on the Hite’s Cove Trail, which starts at the Savage Trading Post on Highway 140, is quite rewarding right now. Look for golden poppies painting the hillsides, along with bird’s eye gilia (Gilia bicolor), popcorn flower, goldfields, shooting stars, pretty faces (Triteleia ixioides) and cream cups (Platystemon californicus).

All the Sierra Foothill highways seem to have a good showing right now. Of particular note is Highway 49 near New Melones Reservoir, south of Angel’s Camp, where an outstanding golden poppy bloom is under way.

A drive through the Bear Valley in Colusa County is worthwhile right now. Among the many species in bloom are Douglas’ iris (Iris douglasiana), tidy tips, cream cups, lupine, purple owl’s clover (Castilleja exserta), Indian paintbrush, bird’s eye gilia and blue dicks.

Pacheco State Park is still enjoying a beautiful wildflower bloom. Expect to find, among the dozens of species in flower, Johnny jump-up, blue dicks, popcorn flower, pygmy lupine, butter and eggs (Linaria vulgaris), bird’s eye gilia (Gilia bicolor), goldfields, fiddleneck and Indian warrior (Pedicularis densiflora). Over 2600 acres of the park are open to visitors, and 28 miles of trails traverse the area. Pacheco State Park is located off of Highway 152 about midway between the towns of Los Banos and Gilroy.

Henry Coe State Park just southeast of Morgan Hill, in in peak form right now. Along the parks many miles of trails you should see fiddleneck, lowland shooting star (Dodecatheon clevelandii ssp. patulum), scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis), golden poppy, hound’s tongue (Cynoglossum grande), red maids (Calandrinia ciliata), bird’s-eye gilia, mosquito bills (Dodecatheon hendersonii), popcorn flower, purple mouse ears (Mimulus douglasii), interior goldenbush (Ericameria linearfolia), blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum), California buttercup (Ranunculus californicus), goosegrass (Balium aparine), purple sanicle (Sanicula bipinnatifada), chia and spring vetch (Vicia sativa) among the dozens of species in bloom. Probably the best place to try in the park is between Manzanita Point Road and the Springs Trail, about one mile east of park headquarters.