04-03-03 Update |
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It’s early April, and peak bloom is upon us. This week’s best spots are north of Los Angeles—the Antelope Valley, the Ridgecrest area, and a scattering of other prime locations in Ventura, Kern, and San Luis Obispo counties. The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve continues to be at its peak. Not only the Reserve, but also the roads north of the Reserve, are bursting with poppies (Eschscholzia californica) and goldfields (Lasthenia californica). Sunday, April 6th, marks the poppy’s one hundredth anniversary as California’s state flower. The Reserve is open sunrise to sunset and costs $4.00 per vehicle. To hear the Reserve’s recorded information, call (661) 724-1180.
California poppies and globe gilia carpet a field in the Antelope Valley. (Photo by Dusty Brand) Photographer Spencer Westbrook is full of other Antelope Valley tips for you this week. He recommends visiting the Fairmont Buttes area of the Poppy Reserve for an excellent mix of poppies, goldfields, gilia, desert dandelion (Malacothrix glabrata), and phacelia. You can either park and walk in, or take the dirt road into the area. Another good poppy-viewing spot is the area at and around the intersection of 140th Street West and Highway 138 (directly north of the Reserve). For a slow (15 mph for an average family car) but scenic route into the Antelope Valley, Westbrook recommends taking Ridge Route/N2, which parallels Interstate 5 and winds through the Angeles National Forest. This road treats you to beautiful vistas of the San Gabriel Mountains, along with some excellent displays of Indian paintbrush (Castilleja sp.) and scarlet bugler (Penstemon centranthifolius). In the eastern Antelope Valley, meanwhile, Saddleback Butte State Park offers nice displays of dune primrose (Oenothera deltoides) in the campground area of the park and outstanding displays of gilia and coreopsis in the surrounding areas, all mixed in with yellow desert primrose (Oenothera primiveris), woolly daisy (Eriophylum wallacei), purple mat (Nama demissum), and desert dandelion. Now let’s cross into Kern county. Lupines, fiddlenecks (Amsinckia sp.), and California poppies are still blooming beautifully along the 10-mile stretch of Highway 223 between Highway 58 to the east and Arvin to the west. (See last week’s report for a photo.) To get there, take Highway 58 north out of Mojave, past Tehachapi, and turn west onto Highway 223. Northeast of here, another prime spot is Highway 178 east of Lake Isabella around Walker Pass (where the Pacific Coast Trail Crosses the highway). Look for masses of blooming Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) towering over carpets of wildflowers. The hillsides around Gorman are also starting to heat up (see photo). Cruise around Gorman Post Road and adjacent side roads to see the burgeoning hillsides of lupines, poppies, fiddlenecks, and other colorful annuals. Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area just south of Gorman off Interstate 5 reports that night temperatures are still low and the bloom season is only in its infancy. South-facing (warmer) slopes are starting to color up, however, with desert goldfields (Lasthenia chrysostoma), baby blue eyes (Nemophila menziesii), Bentham’s lupine (Lupinus benthamii), coreopsis (Coreopsis californica), checker fiddleneck (Amsinckia tessellata), and wild parsley (Lomatium mohavense). More blooms are expected as temperatures climb. At Placerita Canyon Park and Nature Center in Newhall, the bloom rating has risen from fair to good, although coverage is still sparse overall and strong winds are damaging the blooms. Suncups are faring well, however, with three species (Camissonia bistorta, C. ignota, and C. californica) coloring the Ecology Trail. Blue dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum), sticky monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus), purple nightshade (Solanum xanti), and wild sweet pea (Lathyrus vestitus) are coming into a strong bloom in various spots, and the black and purple sages (Salvia mellifera and S. leucophylla) are looking particularly robust this year. As reported last week, poppies are also abundance in western Riverside county along Highway 15 by Lake Elsinore (see photo). Take a drive up Lake Street north of Highway 15 into the Lake Matthews-Estelle Mountain Reserve, where you will find impressive hillsides of poppies, lupines, baby blue eyes, and more.
Flowers are still going strong on Bureau of Land Management land in the Ridgecrest area. While the lower canyons are dying up now, the higher elevations of the El Paso Mountains along Highway 14 from Red Rock Canyon past Short Canyon are seeing a new wave of bloom. Jawbone Canyon is also excellent, especially if you take Jawbone Canyon Road up into the hills and continue north along Kelso Valley Road. Here you’ll find acres and acres of baby blue eyes and popcorn flower—an unbelievable sight. In Jawbone Canyon itself, the best flower displays are on the upper dirt roads that require a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Here you’ll find poppies, lupines, Indian paintbrush (Castilleja spp.), and phacelia in profusion (see photo).
Phacelia blooms in abundance in upper Jawbone Canyon. (Photo by Dan Blackburn) Flowers at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in the low desert may be past their peak, but the San Felipe Hills area of the park is still beautiful. In fact, all of Highway S2/San Felipe Road between Highway S22 and Highway 78 is terrific with lupines, goldfields, phacelia, thistle sage (Salvia carduacea), and more. The Park reports that Plum Canyon also continues to be a “must-see site” with ample chia (Salvia columbariae), chuparosa (Justicia californica), brittlebush (Encelia farinosa), California poppies, fiddleneck (Amsinckia sp.), hedgehog cactus (Echinocereus engelmannii), desert lavender (Hyptis emoryi), and desert monkey flower. Desert jujube (or greythorn, Ziziphus parryi) is just beginning to bloom as well. This thorny yellow-flowered shrub is a desert relative of the popular Asian jujube (Ziziphus jujuba). Click here to access Anza-Borrego’s own detailed online flower update. Local botanist Rick Burgess tells the Hotline that Highway 33 between Ventura and Ojai is rich with the blue-purple arroyo lupine (Lupinus succulentus), along with a fairly good display of California poppies. In a few places you’ll also find the light lavender of tansy-leaf phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia). Continuing up Highway 33 between Ojai and Pine Mountain Summit, look for the purples and pinks of bush lupine, silver bush lupine, and stinging lupine (Lupinus longifolius, L. excubitus, and L. hirsutissimus), the bright yellow of Bigelow’s coreopsis (Coreopsis bigelovii), the purple of chia (Salvia columbariae), and a couple of patches of pinkish violet Douglas’ phacelia (Phacelia douglasii). From Pine Mountain summit, you can look down the hillsides and see nice patches of gold, purple, and blue. Flowers are truly excellent off Highway 33 in Cuyama Valley, which is within the Los Padres National Forest. Explore any or all of the three main canyons off the highway: Apache Canyon, Quatal Canyon, and Ballinger Canyon. (Ballinger Canyon is an off-road vehicle area but doesn’t get that much traffic, particularly on weekdays.) Apache Canyon has acres of goldfields, cream cups (Platystemon californicus), and checker fiddleneck (Amsinckia tessellata), huge displays of Douglas’ phacelia, beautiful swaths of thistle sage (Salvia carduacea) and goldfields, and impressive carpets of bright yellow Mojave suncups (Camissonia campestris). Ballinger Canyon, the furthest north of the canyons, boasts gorgeous displays of hillside daisy (Monolopia sp.) and Great Valley phacelia (Phacelia ciliata), along with absolute rivers of Lemmon’s poppy (Eschscholzia lemmonii spp. lemmonii). Lemmon’s poppy looks very similar to the California poppy, but it has slightly darker orange petals. Look also for the beautiful and odd jewelflower (Caulanthus coulteri ssp. lemonii), which is coming up all over the slopes. Finally, don’t miss the aptly named stinkbells (Fritillaria agrestis)—they are the plants emanating a petrochemical odor. Though stinky, these pendulous yellow-purple-brown bell-shaped flowers are gorgeous. Some of the stalks are amazing, with six or seven blooms on a single plant. For those willing to drive to northern San Luis Obispo county, state of California botanist Steve Schoenig has discovered a fabulous spot along Shell Creek Road, which runs for ten miles between Highway 58 to the south and the small town of Shandon to the north. The first few miles north of Highway 58 are positively carpeted with mixed wildflowers, the best Schoenig has seen since the El Niño year of 1998. Look for tidy tips (Layia platyglossa), goldfields (Lasthenia californica), three species of lupine, owl’s clover (Castilleja exserta), fiddlenecks, poppies, bird’s-eye gilia (Gilia tricolor), woolly sunflower (Eriophyllum lanatum), popcorn flower, and many more. Alas, flowers are on the wane in Carrizo Plain National Monument in inland San Luis Obispo county. Goldfields, fiddlenecks, hillside daisies, and phacelia continue to bloom, but they are drying up quickly. Baby blue eyes are gone altogether. The north end of the valley continues to be the nicest spot, but do not expect stunning displays. There hasn’t been any recent rain, and this weekend is probably the last good time to see the Monument before summer hits. On the east side of the valley near the Carrizo Plain National Monument, west-facing mountain slopes are putting on good displays of poppies and fiddlenecks. Take Elkhorn Road, a dirt road that runs parallel to Soda Lake Road (the main northwest/southeast-tending road through the Monument). Coming from the south, access Elkhorn Road via Soda Lake Road off Highway 166. Coming from the north, access Elkhorn Road from Seven Mile Road, which intersects Soda Lake Road at the northern tip of the Monument. Stop in at the Carrizo Plain visitor center for a map and directions. The drizzle we had along the coast this week will probably keep the flowers in the Santa Monica Mountains going for a tad longer. At Franklin Canyon Park, for example, the number of species continues to be very good. In the area of the Nature Center you’ll find black and purple sage (Salvia mellifera and S. leucophylla), blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum), canyon sunflower (Venegasia carpesioides), California poppy, soap plant (Chlorogalum pomeridianum), golden yarrow (Eriophyllum confertiflorum), deerweed (Lotus scoparius), and arroyo lupine (Lupinus succulentus). Along the Blinderman Trail look for elderberry (Sambucus mexicana), blue-eyed grass, greenbark ceanothus (Ceanothus spinosus), purple nightshade (Solanum xanti), eucrypta, and sticky monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus). Along the fire road at the end of the Blinderman Trail you’ll stumble on verbena (Verbena lasiostachys), datura (Datura wrightii), sage, monkeyflower, California blackberry, and California buckwheat. In the San Gabriel Valley, naturalist Suzanne Swedo reports that the burn areas on the Burbank/Glendale side of the Verdugo Mountains are growing quite colorful. There are several types of suncups (Camissonia spp.) and lots of popcorn flower (Cryptantha spp.). Toward the creek bed near Brand Park, look for blooms of all the usual hillside chaparral shrubs, including some pretty holly-leaf cherries (Prunus ilicifolia). The burnt hills offer colorful masses of caterpillar phacelia (Phacelia cicutaria) and Canterbury bells (Phacelia minor) blooming among the nonnative mustards. Other species to look for here include collar lupine (Lupinus truncatus), miniature lupine (L. bicolor), and stinging lupine (L. hirsutissimus), along with wishbone bush (Mirabilis californica), California poppies, chia (Salvia columbariae), eucrypta (Eucrypta chrysanthemifolia), blue dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum), and an occasional gilia. So far there is one solitary large-flowered phacelia, (Phacelia grandiflora) in bloom, with more soon to come. South of here, it’s a strong flowering season in south Orange county’s Aliso and Wood Canyon Wilderness Park, reports Michael Butler. The lilac-tinted white of Catalina mariposa lily (Calochortus catalinae), a CNPS List 4 (limited distribution) species, dots the grassy slopes of upper Meadows Trail, along with blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum), golden stars (Bloomeria crocea), wild hyacinth (Phacelia minor) and California buttercups (Ranunculus californicus). Ground pinks (Linanthus dianthiflorus), owl’s clover (Castilleja exserta), valley clover (Trifolium willdenovii), coast goldfields (Lasthenia californica), and the clinging stems and leaves and violet blossoms of fiesta flower (Pholistoma auritum) are to be found along the Cave Rock Trail. Under oaks on Coyote Run Trail are a few Johnny jump-ups (Viola pedunculata) along with the delicate toothed petals of woodland star (Lithophragma affine). The royal purple of Parry’s phacelia (Phacelia parryi) and the hot pink of wishbone bush (Mirabilis californica) can be seen on lower Mathis Canyon Trail. The Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve in Riverside county is yet another beautiful spot to visit, especially if you have never explored a natural area with a vernal pool (seasonal pool). For detailed information, visit Tom Chester’s complete lists of all the species blooming along the Vernal Pool Trail and the Granite Loop Trail. Exciting news! The Catalina Island Conservancy has inaugurated a wildflower hotline on its Web site. Click here to see the latest report, complete with photos and specific locations. The Conservancy expects to update this page every few days as new information comes in. Finally, from island botanist Steve Junak comes part two of our Channel Islands update. On Santa Cruz Island, flowers are lush and the grasses are still green. Giant coreopsis (Coreopsis gigantea) is still blooming on the north side, and native clover species are showy in many spots (including T. albopurpureum, T. macraei, T. willdenovii, T. depauperatum, T. microcephalum, and T. ciliolatum—wow!). Miniature lupine and Bajada lupine (Lupinus concinnus) are also plentiful and showy in spots throughout the island. The insular endemics Santa Cruz Island lotus (Lotus argophyllus niveus) and island deerweed (L. dendroideus dendroideus) are in full bloom in many areas. Fringepod species, including the rare Santa Cruz Island fringepod (Thysanocarpus conchuliferus), have showy fruits. Junak reports seeing many other species in flower as well, including poppies, gilia, goldfields, silver bush lupine (Lupinus albifrons), mission star (Lithophragma cymbalaria), popcorn flower (Cryptantha spp./Plagiobothrys spp.), miner’s lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata mexicana), blue dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum), yarrow (Achillea millefolium), feltleaf ceanothus (Ceanothus arboreus), island manzanita (Arctostaphylos insularis), island bush monkeyflower (Mimulus flemingii), morning glory (Calystegia macrostegia macrostegia), and white fiesta flower (Pholistoma racemosum).
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