Welcome to the 21st anniversary season of the Wildflower Hotline!

The Hotline brings you weekly updates on flowers from more than 40 sites across Southern California. Our goal is to help you come to know and appreciate the beautiful diversity of California's native plants.

 Please note: Wildflower displays change constantly. To avoid disappointment, contact your chosen destination to check flower conditions. Also check weather reports on the morning of your trip.

Pictured right: Owl's clover glows a deep maroon in the eastern Antelope Valley. Notice this variety's distinctive yellow tips. (Photo by Paul David Numer)

Welcome to the May 15, 2003 update of the Wildflower Hotline

It’s mid-May, and wildflower peak is a few weeks behind us. Thanks to unseasonably cool temperatures and consistent rain, however, many wildflower spots still merit a visit at this late date. Figueroa Mountain in the Los Padres National Forest (see below, near the bottom of this report) is still the most spectacular spot in southern California, but there are lots of other places to explore as well.

The Gorman area, which has been stunning for at least four weeks, is seeing its glory slowly fade. Poppies, lupines, and coreopsis are still present but are no longer as fresh as they were toward the end of April.

West of Lancaster at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, poppies are on the downward slope as well, although there are still patches of color here and there. To make the most of a flower trip to the Antelope Valley, you’ll want to drive around and scout on your own. Milt Stark reports that although there are still a great many poppies blooming in Quartz Hill and on the far west side of the Valley, they are past their peak and rapidly going to seed. At the southwest corner of 40th Street West and Avenue K, you’ll find a field of mixed desert wildflowers dominated by yellow desert dandelion (Malacothrix glabrata) and white layia (or desert tidy tips, Layia glandulosa). Along Fort Tejon Road between Littlerock and St. Andrews Abby can be found three species of blazing star (Mentzelia spp.) along with thistle sage (Salvia carduacea), winterfat (Ceratoides lanata), some Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) still in bloom (which is extremely unusual), chia, blue or desert sage (Salvia dorrii), desert dandelion, plus many others. Lacy phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia) is covering large areas on Big Pines Road. A great amount of blue sage is also adorning 165th Street between Bob's Gap and Highway 138. Along 165th Street north of Highway 138 and extending all the way to Lake Los Angeles, look for large fields of desert dandelion. In Lake Los Angeles itself you’ll also find large fields of beautiful blue gilia, and near the Indian Museum are small patches of leafy-stemmed coreopsis (Coreopsis calliopsidea) as well. 

Stark also reports that at Saddleback Butte State Park you’ll find some small dune primroses (Oenothera deltoides) and coreopsis (Coreopsis californica) interspersed amongst the mature fiddlenecks (Amsinckia sp.), which, alas, do not make a particularly pretty picture at this late-season date.

As we reported last week, Devil’s Punchbowl Natural Area is at peak show. Some of the early-season species such as layia and phacelia are wrapping up for the year, but many other species are lovely now, including chia (Salvia columbariae), scarlet bugler (Penstemon centranthifolius), flannel bush (Fremontodendron spp.), lupines, blazing stars, mariposa lilies (Calochortus sp.), blue dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum), desert sage, coreopsis, and the last flurry of linear-leaf goldenbush (Ericameria linearifolia).

The delicate petals of Parry's linanthus up close. (Photo by Paul David Numer)

Snow in May! Low growing linanthus lights up the ground beneath a Joshua tree in the Antelope Valley. A lupine shows off in the foreground. (Photo by Paul David Numer)

Spencer primrose, purple mat, and Parry's linanthus carpet the ground in the eastern Antelope Valley. (Photo by Paul David Numer)

Joshua Tree National Park reports that annual wildflowers at the park’s higher elevations still haven’t dried up. Entering the park from the west near the town of Joshua Tree, you’ll find chia, desert dandelion, and a variety of blooming shrubs along the roadsides. Barker Dam Nature Trail and Hidden Valley Nature Trail have a variety of blooming cacti and phacelia. The Skull Rock Nature Trail has a variety of colors including the flame red of Indian paintbrush and the yellow of desert poppies, rock goldenbush, and more. At the Oasis Visitor Center, look for bright pink buds of arrow weed, the acid yellow of bladderpod, and the golden wands of mesquite. The High View Nature Trail near Black Rock Campground in Yucca Valley sports desert verbena, purple mat, gilia, forget-me-nots, desert dandelion, and desert mallow.

Surprisingly, Death Valley National Park still has some modest wildflower displays at this late date as well. Vast fields of desert gold (Geraea canescens) can still be seen on roadsides along Highway 190 around Furnace Creek. The stretch of Highway 190 at the east entrance to the park offers a nice show of beavertail cactus and brittlebush (Encelia farinosa). Dante’s View Road and the northern end of Greenwater Valley are also good places to scout for wildflowers, particularly desert dandelion and desert gold poppy (Eschscholzia glyptosperma). Other places in the park reported to have good blooms include Echo Canyon, Towne Pass on Highway 190, and southern Saline Valley. Be sure to visit the demonstration wildflower garden at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center. It is still in bloom with many desert annuals and shrubs labeled.

From San Diego come reports that Cabrillo National Monument and Torrey Pines State Reserve are still in brilliant bloom. At Cabrillo National Monument, the California bush sunflowers (Encelia californica) are drying out for the season, but there are many other flowers blooming throughout the park, including wishbone bush (Mirabilis californica), purple nightshade, Indian paintbrush, bush mallow (Malacothamnus fascicularis), three species of dudleya, locoweed (Astragalus sp.) chia, black sage, deerweed (Lotus scoparius), bladderpod, cacti, California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), red-flowered sticky monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus), golden yarrow (Eriophyllum confertiflorum), tarweed, toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), and many other chaparral and coastal sage scrub plants.

Just north of San Diego at Torrey Pines State Reserve you’ll find many beautiful plants as well including bush poppies, California bush sunflowers, phacelia, locoweed, sea dahlia (Coreopsis maritima), scarlet larkspur (Delphinium cardinale), goldenasters (Heterotheca sessiliflora ssp. sessiliflora), and snapdragons galore.

If you are the more adventurous type, take a tip from naturalist Suzanne Swedo and hike the Pacific Crest Trail from Warner Springs toward Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. This section of the trail goes through lots of chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum) and beautiful redshanks (A. sparsifolium). Every single open space is covered in masses of flowers—owl’s clover (Castilleja exserta) in the grassy places, along with four or more different species of gilia and a few prickly poppies (Argemone munita). Bright blue delphiniums are out, too, along with intense red scarlet bugler (Penstemon centranthifolius). There are also some exquisite displays of showy twining pea (Lathyrus splendens), a vine endemic to San Diego county. 

Upstate, higher elevations of the Sierras are also coming into bloom now. Alison Sheehey of natureali.com reports that the road to Blackrock Ranger Station in the northeast section of the Sequoia National Forest is now open, and the wildflowers leading up to the station are spectacular. Several miles east of the station, the hillsides are covered with fragrant silver bush lupines (Lupinus excubitus) plus dozens of varieties of wildflowers in shades of gold, yellow, orange, purple, white, and blue.

For a pleasant weekend outing close to home, consider a visit to Franklin Canyon Park in the Santa Monica Mountains. Here the canyon hillsides are awash in yellows and oranges from California bush sunflowers (Encelia californica) and sticky monkeyflowers (Mimulus aurantiacus).  Also to be seen are canyon sunflowers (Venegasia carpesioides), caterpillar phacelia, golden yarrow (Eriophyllum confertiflorum), golden stars (Bloomeria crocea), purple clarkia (Clarkia purpurea), star lily (Zigadenus fremontii), arroyo lupine (Lupinus succulentus), common eucrypta (Eucrypta chrysanthemifolia), datura (Datura meteloides), hedge-nettle (Stachys bullata), deerweed (Lotus scoparius), California wild rose (Rosa californica), hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea), and Matilija poppy (Romneya coulteri).

Another popular spot, Eaton Canyon Park at the base of the San Gabriels, continues to boast showy penstemon (Penstemon spectabilis), matilija poppies (Romneya coulteri), yerba santa, black and white sage (Salvia apiana), suncups (Camissonia spp.), canyon sunflower (Venegasia carpesioides), deerweed (Lotus scoparius), and patches of chia. Other attention-getters this week include lush bladderpods in the demonstration garden, along with golden yarrow and wishbone bush. The season’s first yucca is also in bloom, right along the driveway leading to the nature center. In the San Gabriels proper, a flower-spotter reports seeing the San Gabriel linanthus (Linanthus concinnus) along the trail on the southwest side of Mt. Waterman, about a mile or two in from Three Points. This linanthus, a federally listed species of concern, has a small white flower with two tiny dark maroon bee guides on each of its five petals.

Chinese houses (photo by Helen Talbert)

Globe gilia and lupines (photo by Helen Talbert)

Last but not at all least, Figueroa Mountain in the Los Padres National Forest remains gloriously green, although the grasses are beginning to turn golden in the sunniest areas. Most of the flowers mentioned in last week’s report are still coming up and looking beautiful, although the purple nightshades (Solanum xanti) and fiesta flowers (Pholistoma auritum) are beginning to diminish. Lupines and poppies still carpet the fields going up Lookout Road toward the Cumbre Day Use Area. Tall grasses are making the poppies harder to see, but the fields are still gorgeous thanks to the blue puffballs of globe gilia (Gilia capitata) rising up above the grasses. The rest of the mountain continues to be decorated by chia (Salvia columbariae), sky lupine and silver bush lupine (Lupinus nanus and L. excubitus), wallflowers (Erysimum capitatum), fiddlenecks (Amsinckia sp.), bush poppies (Dendromecon rigida), woolly blue curls (Trichostema lanatum), Indian paintbrush (Castilleja spp.), scarlet bugler (Penstemon centranthifolius), mariposa lilies (Calochortus spp.), black sage and hummingbird sage (Salvia mellifera and S. spathacea), Chinese houses (Collinsia heterophylla), sticky monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus), creek monkeyflowers (M. guttatus), Nuttall’s larkspur (Delphinium nuttallii), popcorn flowers (Plagiobothrys/Cryptantha spp.), blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum) and pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea). White fairy lanterns (Calochortus albus) are still blooming strong on the Happy Canyon side of the mountain, and a wide variety of farewell-to-spring (Clarkia spp.) are draping the hills in pink and violet. A couple of fields of late-blooming baby blue eyes (Nemophila menziesii) were also recently spotted in a shaded area on Figueroa Mountain Road.

Baby Blue Eyes (photo by Helen Talbert)

Yellow Yarrow (photo by Helen Talbert)

Field of Clarkia dudleyana (photo by Helen Talbert)

If you visit Figueroa Mountain, make a weekend of it and stop by the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden,  which has dozens of species in bloom, from delicate coral bells and meadow rue lounging in the shade to desert lavender and bladder sage basking in the blasting sun. (Scroll down the page to see the full list.) This all-native botanic garden has plants from all the main California ecosystems, allowing you to increase your knowledge and appreciation of our state’s amazing flora.

That’s it for this week. Don’t forget to visit us here at the Theodore Payne Foundation in Sun Valley, Tuesday through Saturday, to see our extensive native plant nursery and wander our grounds filled with blooming native plants. Want to talk to us? Call (818) 768-1802.

• arrow weed (Pluchea sericea)
• arroyo lupine (Lupinus succulentus)
• baby blue eyes, five-spot (Nemophila menziesii, N. maculata)
• bladder sage (Salazaria mexicana)
• bladderpod (Isomeris arborea)
• blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum)
• buckwheat (Eriogonum grande var. rubescens, E. crocatum, E. fasciculatum)
• bush anemone (Carpenteria californica)
• bush poppy (Dendromecon rigida, D. harfordii)
• California buckeye (Aesculus californica)
• California bush sunflower (Encelia californica, E. asperifolia, E. actonii)
• California buttercup (Ranunculus californicus)
• California fescue (Festuca californica)
• California goldenrod (Solidago californica)
• California lilac (Ceanothus spp. and cultivars)
• California matchweed (Gutierrezia californica)
• California melic grass (Melica imperfecta)
• California poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
• cane bluestem (Bothriochloa barbinodis)
• canyon sunflower (Venegasia carpesioides)
• Chinese houses (Collinsia heterophylla)
• coral bells (Heuchera spp. and cultivars)
• desert lavender (Hyptis emoryi)
• desert mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua)
• dudleya, live-forever (Dudleya spp.)
• dune tansy (Tanacetum camphoratum)
• fairy duster (Calliandra eriophylla)
• farewell-to-spring (Clarkia spp.)
• flannel bush (Fremontodendron spp. and cultivars)
• globe gilia (Gilia capitata)
• golden lupine (Lupinus densiflorus)
• goldfields (Lasthenia sp.)
• gumplant (Grindelia spp.)
• hedge-nettle (Stachys bullata)
• Hooker’s evening primrose (Oenothera hookeri/elata)
• iris (Iris douglasiana, Iris x 'Pacific Coast Hybrids')
• island bush snapdragon (Galvezia speciosa, G. juncea)
• lemonadeberry (Rhus integrifolia)
• lilac verbena (Verbena lilacina)
• many-flowered linanthus (Linanthus floribundus nuttallii)
• Matilija poppy (Romneya trichocalyx)
• meadow rue (Thalictrum polycarpum fendleri)
• monkeyflower (Mimulus spp. and cultivars)
• needlegrass (Nassella pulchra, N. lepida, N. cernua)
• our lord’s candle (Yucca whipplei)
• penstemon (Penstemon spectabilis, P. heterophyllus, P. centranthifolius, P. x parishii)
• phacelia (Phacelia spp.)
• prickly pear cactus (Opuntia littoralis, O. phaecantha)
• purple three-awn (Aristida purpurea var. neallyi)
• sage (Salvia apiana, S. columbariae, S. spathacea, S. clevelandii, S. brandegeei, S. leucophylla, S. mellifera, and cultivars)
• San Diego sunflower (Viguiera laciniata)
• seaside daisy (Erigeron glaucus and cultivars)
• strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis, F. vesca)
• trixis (Trixis californica)
• twining pea (Lathyrus laetifolius)
• wild onion (Allium unifolium)
• woolly aster (Lessingia filaginifolia and cultivars)
• yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
• yerba mansa (Anemopsis californica)