Orange County

A wonderful place to see a wide variety of native plants in Orange County is the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach.  Here you can find 14 representative California habitats packed into three-and-a-half beautiful acres.  Blooming now at the center are Channel Island bush poppy (Dendremecon harfordii), giant buckwheat (Eriogonum giganteum), desert prickly pear cacti (Opuntia erinecea), baby blue eyes (Nemophilia menziesii), canterbury bells (Phacelia campanularia), yarrow, blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum) and the huge purple flowers of hedgehog cactus (Echinocerus engellmanii) as well as the aromatic hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea).  For information you can call (949) 645-8489. 

This has been a great wildflower year in Orange County.  Riley Regional Wilderness Park  has a wide variety of native plants on display.  In the park’s Butterfly Garden you can see bladderpod (Isomeris arborea), California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), bush sunflower or brittlebush (Encelia californica), greenbark ceanothus (Ceanothus spinosus), fiddleneck (Amsinckia menziesii), filaree (Erodium botrys), coral bells, Shasta daisy, Mexican elderberry (Sambucus mexicana), pearly everlasting (Anaphalus margaritacea), fucshia-flowered gooseberry (Ribes speciosum), Douglas’ iris (Iris douglasiana), giant lupine, mule fat (Baccharis salisifolia), purple nightshade (Solanum parishii), showy penstemon (Penstemon speciosus), golden poppy (Eschscholzia californica), scarlet bugler (Penstemon centranthifolius), lilac verbena, woolly blue curls (Trichostema lanatum) and several varieties of sage including purple sage (Salvia leucophylla) and black sage (Salvia mellifera).

A walk along one of the area’s many trails will yield a nice reward of blooming wildflowers.  Along the Mule Deer Trail you can see blue dicks, blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum), California buckwheat, deerweed (Lotus scoparius), fringed lace-pod, lupine (Lupinus bicolor), miner’s lettuce, bush monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus), purple vetch (Vicia benghalensis), sharp-toothed sanicle, southern sun cups and windmill pink.  The Vista Ridge Trail adds white nightshade (Solanum douglasii) and flax-flowered linanthus.  Other wilderness parks in Orange County worth visiting right now include O’Neill Regional Park  and Casper’s Regional Park.

Los Angeles

In the San Gabriel Mountains, along Big Tujunga and Little Tujunga Canyon Roads, Arroyo Seco Road and Chantry Flats Road you can see filaree, mountain mahogony (Cercocarpus betuloides), mule fat, morning glories, prickly phlox (Leptodactylon californicum), and lupines in bloom at elevations from 2000 to 4000 feet.  Higher up the California lilacs (Ceanothus ssp.) are still showing off their best bloom in years, and the manzanitas (Arctostaphylos ssp.) are also in flower.  A hike up the East Fork San Gabriel River reveals a strong bloom of Douglas’ wallflowers (Erisymum capitatum), along with a smattering of Indian paintbrush (Castilleja exserta).

The El Dorado Nature Center  El Dorado Nature Center on Spring Street in Long Beach has dozens of species in bloom, including acacia, baby blue eyes, California buckwheat, coast sunflower, coral bells, flannel bush (Fremontodenron californicum), Hooker’s evening primrose (Oenthera elata), lilac verbena, western redbud (Cercis occidentalis), and monkey flowers.  For information call (562) 570-1745.

Central Valley

In the Kern River Valley, the baby blue eyes have erupted on northeast-facing hills south of Sawmill Road on Highway 155.  This is an area that burned last year; most burn areas in the Kern River drainage are alive with wildflowers this season.  The Keyesville area boasts a sea of goldfields (Lasthenia californica), with popcorn flowers interspersed amongst them. 

The hills of Carrizo Plain National Monument have turned brown and it appears this year’s bloom is over.

Central Coast

North of Santa Barbara on Figueroa Mountain the lupines and poppies are beginning to show.  The areas surrounding Figueroa Mountain Road also have chinese houses (Collinsia heterophylla), hummingbird sage, shooting stars (Dodecatheon pulchellum), fiesta flowers (Philistoma auritum), blue-eyed grass and blue dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum).  Near Happy Canyon Road we have prickly phlox, sky lupine (Lupinus nanus), fiddlenecks, bush poppies, shooting stars and purple nightshade.

The hills above the town of Ojai along Highway 33 continue with their best bloom of California lilac (Ceanothus ssp.) in years.  The hillsides are carpeted with the sublime blues and pale whites of these handsome shrubs.  Along the roadway you will also find lupines, chia, Indian paintbrush, golden poppies and phacelia in bloom.

The ceanothus could easily be considered the State Shrub of California.  Our state is home to forty-three species of this genus, most of which do not occur elsewhere in North America.  Dozens of cultivars of the species have been adapted to a number of horticultural uses, from prostate ground covers to hedges to towering specimen shrubs as the centerpiece of a garden.  Ceanothus shrubs are found in almost all parts of the state, but most species are found in the chaparral slopes of the coastal mountains and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.  An extremely hardy shrub, the California lilac requires little water and likes well-draining soil.

At the seldom-visited Channel Islands National Park, the blue dicks are in full flower on both East Anacapa and Middle Anacapa Islands.  You can also find yarrow, goldfields, giant coreopsis (Coreopsis gigantea) and island morning glory (Calystegia macrostegia) in bloom.  This wonderful national park consists of almost 250,000 acres (half of which is underwater) yet receives fewer than 30,000 visitors per year.  The islands have primitive campgrounds and miles of trails and are home to more than 145 species of plants and animals found nowhere else in the world.

Desert

In the desert, the show has finally started at Mojave Desert National Preserve.  The beavertail are blooming along Kelso-Cima road about four miles east of Kelso, along with desert dune primrose (Oenothera deltoides), desert mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua), canterbury bells, lupine, brittlebush, desert dandelion (Malacothrix californica) and chicory (Rafinesquia neomexicana).  Along Black Canyon Road you can see a rare sight:  the showy bright red blooms of the Mojave mound cacti (Echinocactus polycephalus), flowering much earlier than usual.

The preserve is another resource vastly underutilized by Southern Californians.  Encompassing 1.6 million acres, and within easy reach of a day trip, it offers plenty of room in which to stretch out.  The preserve is home to an astonishing variety of plant life, including the most dense Joshua tree forest in the world on Cima Dome.  It includes elements of three of the four types of deserts found in North America: the Mojave, the Great Basin and the Sonoran.  Add to this the extreme ranges of elevation (from 880 feet to 7,492 feet) and it is easy to understand why this special place offers so much in terms of floral variety.

Joshua Tree National Park continues to report great wildflower action.  Along Cottonwood Springs Road to the south entrance you will find golden poppies, bladderpod, brown-eyed evening primrose (Camissonia claviformis), ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens), chuperosa (Justicia californica) and desert stars (Monoptilon bellioides).  The Wilson Canyon area is also a good place to visit, with dozens of species in bloom. 

Probably the best hike for wildflowers right now in Joshua Tree is the 49 Palms Trail.  Along this route you should see bladderpod (Isomeris arborea), brittlebush (Encelia farinosa), brown-eyed primrose (Camissonia claviformis), canterbury bells (Phacelia campanularia), checker fiddleneck (Amsinckia tessellata), chia (Salvia calumbaraie), desert chicory (Rafinesquina neomexicana), desert dandelion (Malacothrix glabrana), desert lavender (Hyptis amoryi), desert mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua), desert star (Monoptilon beltioides), ground cherry (Physalis crassifolia), wild heliotrope (Phacelia distans), Arizona lupine (Lupinus arizonicus), Mojave yucca (Yucca schidigera), narrow-leafed suncup (Camissonia refacta), notch-leafed phacelia (Phacelia crenulata), sand blazing star (Mentzelia involucrata), specter phacelia (Phacelia pedicellata) and whispering bells (Emmenanthe peduliflora).

North of Highway 62 between the towns of Joshua Tree and 29 Palms is a spectacular display of desert lilies (Hesperocallis undulata).  Also in this area, the desert surrounding the town of Landers is putting on an exciting show.  Reche Road off of Highway 247 has desert sand verbena (Abronia villosa), dune primroses, lupines and desert dandelions in bloom.

In Death Valley National Park, the southern end of the Badwater Road including the area between Jubilee Pass and Salsberry Pass has desert dandelions, chicory, Fremont’s pincushion (Chaenactis fremontii), gravel-ghost (Atrichoseris platyphylla), golden evening primrose (Camissonia brevipes) and Fremont’s phacelia (Phacelia fremontii).  High temperatures have about ended the show on the valley floor, however.

In the Gorman area we have very few poppies yet, although the goldfields have started to bloom.  Likewise for the Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve.  Pray for rain!  A good early-April shower could set us up for a nice poppy display towards the end of the month in both of these areas.

San Diego County

In San Diego County the show of annuals at Anza Borrego Desert State Park is about over, but many of the park’s cacti are now in full bloom.  Coyote Canyon and Collins Valley also have ocotillo, chuperosa, pincushion, brittlebush, creosote (Larrea tridentata) and desert marigolds (Baileya multiradiata) still in color.

Agua Caliente Regional Park in Pleasant Valley has a nice showing of apricot mallow, sand verbena, creosote, chuperosa and brittlebush.  The park’s cacti are also in bloom, including hedgehog cactus (Echinocerus engelmanni), teddy bear cholla (Opuntia bigelovii), beavertail cactus (Opuntia basilaris), fish hook cactus (Mammillaria tetransistra), and barrel cactus (Echinocactus ssp).  In addition, the century plant (Agave parryii) and desert agave (Agave deserti) are flowering.

Northern California

Great Valley Grasslands State Park near the town of Gustine encompasses over 2,600 acres and represents one the few intact examples of central valley grassland remaining.  Several rare plant species inhabit the park, including the Delta button celery (erynium racemosum) and alkali sacaton, a native bunch grass.

Henry Coe State Park  has experienced some hot weather which has advanced the bloom considerably.  A light rain shower last week should help some.  Currently blooming, among many other species, are cream cups (Platystemon californicus), Indian warrior (Pedicularis densiflora), white baby blue-eyes (Nemophilia menziesii ssp. atomaria), bush monkeyflower (mimulus aurantiacus), ground iris (Iris macrosiphon), wooly Indian paintbrush (Castilleja foliolosa), hill sun cups (Camissonia graciliflora), scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis), chaparral clematis (Clematis lasiantha), royal larkspur (Delphinium variegatum), miniature lupine (Lupinus bicolor) and arroyo lupine (Lupinus succulentus).

At Pinnacles National Monument the warm weather has brought about a profusion of wildflowers.  In bloom right now are woodland star (Lithophragma heterophyllum), purple owl’s clover (Castilleja exserta), hedge nettle (Stachys bullata), Johnny jump-up (Viola pedunculata), bush monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus), common fiddleneck (Amsinckia menziesii), golden poppy (Eschscholzia californica), bush poppy (Dendremecon rigida), bush lupine (Lupinus albifrons), black sage (Salfia mellifera) and buckbrush (Ceanothus cuneatus).

The Sierra foothills aren’t putting on much of a show this year, but the western redbuds (Cercis occidentalis) are in full bloom along Highway 140 east of Mariposa.  Continuing up Merced Canyon on 140 the redbuds are joined by blooming lupines.  Mount Diablo State Park in the Bay Area has greened up nicely and should have a good show for us in about two weeks.

Links

Cal Berkeley site accesses over 43,000 plant images by either scientific name or common name.  http://elib.cs.berkeley.edu/photos/flora

CalFlora allows searches by county as well as scientific or common name. http://www.calflora.org/species/index.html

California Academy of Sciences allows searches by flower color, common or scientific names, plant family and location. http://www.calacademy.org/research/botany/wildflow