Page Revised: 02/18/2011
Available Site Reviews Circle X Ranch Zuma/Trancas Canyons Rancho Sierra Vista / Satwiwa Triunfo Canyon Park Point Mugu State Park Solstice Canyon	Date of Reviews 02/12 02/06 01/29 01/28 01/22 01/19
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Everything is green and growing although some plants are showing the effect of lack of water. We had a great start this year with many of our winter flowers appearing as early as December. The warm weather we have had has made for pleasant hiking but has also shortened the season for some of our early flowers. I can’t remember a shorter Bigpod Ceanothus bloom up here at Circle X Ranch. The warm weather has also been tricking me into thinking that there should be more flowing now but it’s still early for many things. In addition, the extended dry spell has been hard on a lot of the plants. Hopefully the rain this weekend has not arrived too late and will keep the flower season alive. I recently went down to the Grotto but there really wasn’t anything new to report. This probably explains why this web site, which depends on volunteer submissions, has not had much to report so far this year.

As always, if you want to contact me or submit a flower report my email address is at the at the bottom of this page. See you on the trails.

– ed.

Circle X Ranch  – Point Mugu State Park		Backbone Trail	Date: 02/12/2011
	Today’s hike was the second leg of the 2011 Backbone Trail series cosponsored by the National Park Service and the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council.  We are hiking west to east covering one segment every two weeks. This time descending from Sandstone Peak (3,111’) through dense chaparral and riparian environments to the Danielson Multi-use Area (300’) The following native species were noted in bloom: deerweed, chamise, buckwheat, black sage, wild cucumber, big pod ceanothus, two tone everlasting, sugar bush, purple nightshade, shiny lomatium, chaparral current, prickly phlox, hairy-leaf ceanothus, hoary-leaf ceanothus, eastwood manzanita, saxifrage, popcorn, shooting star, lace pod, gold fields, peony, greenbark ceanothus, blue dicks, morning glory, rock rose, lotus (species ?), canyon sunflower, gooseberry fuchsia, miner's lettuce, hedge nettle, woodland star, bedstraw - prostrate, bush sunflower, skull caps, golden yarrow, common yellow monkey, wishbone, lupine - stinging, rattlesnake weed - spurge, wooly aster, wild sweet pea, poison oak, Indian paintbrush, oxalis, virgin's bower, blackberry, mule fat. A good flower day.  – N. Cusworth (and others)

Zuma/Trancas Canyons		Zuma Loop Trail	Date: 02/06/2011
	With a few weeks of warm weather to hasten the bloom, 30 species were sighted on this easy 2-mile hike. Though many were just starting to bloom, a few species had numerous flowers, such as wild cucumber, bush sunflower, coast paintbrush, bigpod ceanothus, fuschia-flowered gooseberry, willow, and black walnut. Other notables were foothill lupine, chaparral pea, canyon sunflower, both white and purple nightshades, California everlasting, coffeeberry, mountain mahogany, blackberry, and holly-leaf redberry – many of them unexpectedly early. The non-native grasses were thick and green, giving an overall lush appearance, but much of it is already going to seed. The trail earned a “Fair” rating, with good portents of things to come – and hopes for rain to prolong the season. – Jack Gillooly

Rancho Sierra Vista / Satwiwa		Native Plant Garden	Date: 01/29/2011
	The recent warm weather has increased the blooming plants at the Satwiwa native plant garden. Golden currant and fuchsia-flowered gooseberry both are loaded with blossoms. The Manzanita (native to California, but not southern California) is covered with showy blossoms. The hummingbird sages and big pod ceanothus are just starting to bloom. Also enjoyable are the bush sunflowers and the alder tree with it’s new cones showing. – Sheila Braden

Triunfo Canyon Park		Pentachaeta Trail	Date: 01/28/2011
	We had a good showing for so early in the season. Golden top, blue dicks, blue larkspur, tauschia, woolly blue curls, Indian warrior, buck brush, deerweed, California peony, purple nightshade, red maids, shooting stars, lace pod, coyote bush, prickly phlox, two-tone everlasting, red stemmed , popcorn flowers, mustards. – Fred and Nellie

Point Mugu State Park		Backbone Trail	Date: 01/22/2011
	Today’s hike was the first leg of the 2011 Backbone Trail series cosponsored by the National Park Service and the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council.  We are hiking west to east covering one segment every two weeks. Walking through Coastal Sage Scrub and Sycamore Savannah environments of Pt. Mugu St. Park the following species were noted in bloom: bind weed, lemonade berry, deer weed, rattlesnake weed, wild cucumber, locoweed, Indian paint brush, wishbone, black mustard, bladderpod, bush sunflower, purple nightshade, big pod ceanothus, coast wallflower, fiddleneck, popcorn, hedge nettle, canyon sunflower, wooly blue curls, prickly phlox, prickly pear, shooting star, chaparral currant, greenbark ceanothus, gooseberry fuchsia, two tone everlasting, miner's lettuce, Sheppard’s purse, golden top - grass, lomatium - quite small, oxalis, parry’s phacelia. All in all it was a good flower day for January! – N. Cusworth (and others)

Solstice Canyon		Date: 01/19/2011
	With a few weeks of warm weather to hasten the bloom, 30 species were sighted on this easy 2-mile hike. Though many were just starting to bloom, a few species had numerous flowers, such as wild cucumber, bush sunflower, coast paintbrush, bigpod ceanothus, fuschia-flowered gooseberry, willow, and black walnut. Other notables were foothill lupine, chaparral pea, canyon sunflower, both white and purple nightshades, California everlasting, coffeeberry, mountain mahogany, blackberry, and holly-leaf redberry – many of them unexpectedly early. The non-native grasses were thick and green, giving an overall lush appearance, but much of it is already going to seed. The trail earned a “Fair” rating, with good portents of things to come – and hopes for rain to prolong the season. – Sheila Braden

Contact Information: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area 401 West Hillcrest Drive Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 805-370-2301 www.nps.gov/samo	If you would like to contribute to the wildflower report you can e-mail the editor at: Tony_Valois@partner.nps.gov or phone Tony at 310-457-6408
What’s Blooming on the web at www.researchlearningcenter.com/bloom or go to www.nps.gov/samo and click on “What’s Blooming”