Overview

Warm weather means a wonderful but quick wildflower show in our desert areas.  Areas dampened by the February rains are drying out in a hurry, meaning annuals will burst with color and then quickly fade; the next two weeks will be the best time to view flowers in many areas.  High desert areas will begin peaking within the next two weeks.  Most of the snow is gone from our local mountains, so we should see some decent action by mid-April in the San Bernardino Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains.

Low Desert

Death Valley National Park is putting on its best wildflower show in many, many years.  At the south end of Scotty’s Castle Road the desert gold (Garaea canescens) is a solid sea of yellow as far as the eye can see.  Along Route 178, just inside the park boundary below Sallisberry Pass is another impressive carpet of desert gold.  Continuing on Route 178 to Ashford Mills you will find some nice displays of blue phacelia and sand verbena (Ambronia umbellata).

High Desert

Joshua Tree National Park is exhibiting vast carpets of flowers near the north and south entrances and also in Wilson Canyon.  Here you will find Arizona lupine (Lupinus arizonicus), chuperosa (Justicia californica), desert Indian paintbrush, desert mallow, spanish needle (Allium shevockii), chia, desert lavendar, brown-eyed evening primrose (Camissonia claviformis), California chicory (Rafinesquia californica), and checkered fiddleneck, among others.  The Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) and mojave yuccas (Yucca schidigera) are in bloom throughout the park.

Mojave Desert National Preserve  looks to be almost ready to break out.  Sufficient rainfall during February has the preserve “greened up” and we should see some nice wildflower shows by the first week of April.  The high desert areas around Barstow likewise are ready to burst out soon.  After a lot of skepticism throughout the winter, it looks like the Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve  will have a decent show after all, thanks to those February rains.  The hills are covered in green; expect the best poppy show to begin in about two weeks.  Right now they have pygmy lupine, filaree and fiddleneck in bloom.  The hills around Saddleback Butte  are showing goldfields and buckwheat.

San Diego County

Down south, the Anza Borrego Desert State Park wildflower show is at its peak in the north end of Borrego Valley.  Along DiGeorgio Road, Henderson Canyon Road, Borrego Valley Road and Highway S22 between Borrego Springs and Pegleg Road you will see sand verbena, dune evening primrose, dune sunflower, Arizona lupine, poppies, popcorn flowers and Fremont pincusion.  Many of the park’s shrubs are also in bloom, including ocotillo, chuperosa, creosote and brittlebush.  We’re finding many more buds on the cacti than usual, promising a nice show in two to four weeks.

At Torrey Pines State Park the ceanothus is in bloom.  Here you will also find Indian paintbrush, milkmaids, California groundsel, Douglas’ wallflowers, yerba santa, black sage, manzanita, fuscia-flowered gooseberry and shooting stars in color.

Orange County

In Orange County, Riley Wilderness Park has many flowers in bloom.  In the Butterfly Garden you can see bladderpod, California lilac, filaree, lemonade berry, mule fat, autumn sage, black sage, western redbud, and wooly blue curls.  Along the park’s trails you will find blue-eyed grass, fiddleneck, filaree, deerweed, miner’s lettuce, and shooting stars.

The Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach has fourteen representative California habitats, ranging from desert to oak woodlands to freshwater marsh to redwood forest.  Currently blooming plants include flannel bush (Fremontodendron californicum), several species of California lilac (Ceanothus ssp.) lemonade berry, golden poppies, desert mallow, baby blue eyes and yarrow.

Los Angeles

Closer to home, a drive up Little Tujunga Canyon road reveals the bloom of hoary-leaf California lilac (Ceanothus crassifolius) is at its peak.  Also found are some bush poppies (Dendremecon rigida), stinging lupine (Lupinus hirsutissimus) and arroyo lupine (Lupinus succulentus).  Along Big Tujunga Canyon road you will find tree tobacco, wild cucumber, sugar bush and lupine.  From 2000 to 4000 feet in elevation the California lilacs are in peak color, and higher up the mazanita is in bloom.

Out on Catalina Island there is Indian paintbrush (Castilleja affinis), wishbone (Mirabilis callifornica), bladderpod (Isomeris arborea), Catalina cherry (Prunus illicifolia), wild cucumber (Marah macrocarpus), lemonade berry (Rhus integrifolia), and miniature lupine (Lupinus bicolor).

Central Coast

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden has a wonderful selection of wildflowers in bloom.  Here you can see baby blue-eyes (Nemophilia menziesii), blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum), many species of monkeyflower (Mimulus ssp.), California buttercup, golden poppy (Eschscholzia californica), many species of wild lilac (Ceanothus ssp.), desert mallow, five spot, flannel bush (Fremontodenron californicum), flowering ash, foothill penstemon (Penstemon heterophylus), island bush snapdragon, several species of manzanita (Arctostaphylos ssp.), purple sage (Salvia leucophylla), royal penstemon (Penstemon speciosus), wild heliotrope, and yarrow in bloom.

Central Valley

One of the best places to view wildflowers right now is the Kern River Valley.  Sierra Way from Weldon to just north of the Kern County line is a hotspot, with poppies, lupines, chia, globe gilia (Gilia capitata), white fiesta flower (Pholistoma membranaceum), Bigelow’s coreopsis (Coreopsis bigelovii), popcorn flower, filaree and caterpillar phacelia (Phacelia cicutaria) all showing their colors.  Between South Lake and Mountain Mesa the California lilacs are in peak bloom.  Between Mountain Mesa and Lake Isabella popcorn flower, poppies, goldfields and fillaree dot the hillside.  At the Lake Isabella Visitor Center on Highway 155 you will see some baby blue eyes interspersed amongst the profuse displays of filaree, popcorn flower and goldfields.

The Kern River Preserve from Sierra Way to the overlook of the South Fork has a nice showing of coreopsis and golden poppies, and high on the hillsides above Fay Creek Road and Sierra Way large areas are blooming with poppies.  A wonderful display of goldfields can be found above the town of Kernville.

Carrizo Plain National Preserve is still showing a lot of goldfields toward the north end of the area, with hillside daisies and fiddleneck interspersed.

Northern California

The Sierra foothills are just beginning to see some flower action.  With the weather warming up we should have some good information to report within the next two weeks.

The Mount Burdell County Open Space Preserve in Marin County is a great place to see wildflowers in bloom.

Little Blennosperma (Blennosperma nanum var. nanum), Tiny Yellow Gentian (Cicendia quadrangularis), Royal Larkspur (Delphinium variegatum), Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum ssp. capitatum), Shooting Star (Dodecatheon hendersonii), California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), Bluecup (Githopsis specularioides), Bitter Root (Lewisia rediviva), Meadowfoam (Limnanthes douglasii ssp. douglasii) Fern Phacelia (Phacelia distans) Purple Sanicle (Sanicula bipinnatifida), Checkerbloom (Sidalcea malviflora ssp. malviflora), Balloon Clover (Trifolium depauperatum var. truncatum Involucrate), and Johnny-Jump-Up

(Viola pedunculata) are all on display.

Henry Coe State Park near San Jose has many wildflowers in bloom.  Here you will see common fiddleneck (Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia), red maids (Calandrinia ciliata), milkmaids (Cardamine californica), hill sun cup (Camissonia graciliflora), hound’s tongue (Cynoglossum grande), blue dicks, red-stemmed filaree (Erodium cicutarium), California poppy, California gilia (Gilia achilleifolia ssp. achilleifolia), ground iris (Iris macrosiphon), goldfields, miniature lupine (Lupinus bicolor), white baby blue-eyes (Nemophilia menziesii ssp. atomaria), slender phlox (Phlox gracilis), blue-eyed grass, giant trillium (Trillium chloropetalum), spring vetch (Vicia sativa) and dozens of other species.

Golden poppies are beginning to bloom along Highway 152 to Pacheco Pass and should peak within the next two weeks.  Edgewood County Park in Redwood City has a decent showing.  Purple sanicle, bush lupine, blue eyed grass, giant trillium, Fremont's star lily, sun cups, California poppy,cream cup, Henderson shooting star, California buttercup, woodland star, hound's tongue, and wild cucumber.

...And don't forget, an excellent way to see California Native Plants in bloom is on the Theodore Payne Native Garden Tour on Sunday, March 28th. Gardens on the tour are reporting that ceanothus, penstemon, ribes, mimulus, heuchera and many wildflowers will be in full bloom for the tour.