Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Logo

Updated February 20th, 2021
Available Reviews
Topanga State Park
Zuma Canyon
Date of Review
02/08 & 01/03.
01/26.

Quick Links:
How To Submit a Flower Report - Anyone can participate!
Wildflowers of the Santa Monica Mountains - Photos of 1000 SMM plants.
Archive - Previous “What's Blooming” reports.
Calendar - Schedule of Events for the Santa Monica Mountains NRA.
SMM WildFlowers - The Park's popular wildflower app for the iPhone.
SMM WildFlowers - The Park's popular wildflower app for Android smartphones (Pre-Release Beta Version).




This site performs a public service that anyone can participate in. Let us all know what you are seeing! If you are new to submitting a report (or maybe even an old hand at it) be sure and read How To Submit a Flower Report
  — ed.





Topanga State Park
Musch Trail
02/08/21
         I started out of the Trippet Ranch parking lot and walked up the trail to the fire road and then back down to the parking lot.
         The Trippet pond is still entirely dry. The meadows are starting to show a little green. However there is not much in bloom yet. Nothing is blooming in profusion and the only blooming plants that are present in any quantity are wild cucumber and big pod ceanothus. Those are coming into bloom and will probably be profuse in a week or two. Otherwise it is a treasure hunt. There is some big berry manzanita, sagebrush, chaparral currant, California everlasting, purple nightshade and the very start of fuchsia flowering gooseberry in bloom. There is a little cliff aster, California buckwheat and telegraph weed still hanging on. Returning on the fireroad there were a few more treasures. A small spot of bright yellow turned out to be our native rockrose. A spot of bright pink was prickly phlox.   — Dorothy Steinicke
  Contributer Supplied Photo


Zuma Canyon
01/26/21
         The impact of the Woolsey Fire is still very apparent in Zuma Canyon. The fact that we are way behind in winter rain isn't helping either. Still, it is a lovely place to hike. I took the trail up the north shoulder and then hiked on the creek trail as far as one can easily walk.
         The flowers are very sparse. There are a very few autumn blooms; cliff aster, sawtooth goldenbush, and ashy leaf buckwheat. The spring flowers are just barely started; bush sunflower, purple nightshade, deerweed, wild cucumber, mulefat, telegraph weed and morning glory. There is not much of anything.
         The creek has no water until you get about a mile east of the parking lot. Still, it is quiet and peaceful, and if you are able to come on a weekday you will pretty much have the place to yourself.   — Dorothy Steinicke
  Contributer Supplied Photo


Topanga State Park
Backbone Trail between Topanga Canyon and Will Rogers State Parks
01/01/21
         A New Year's Day hike from Trippet Ranch to Will Rogers. Not too much in bloom despite the inch and a half of rain a few days earlier. The most impressive blooms were the chaparral current in both its usual pink and less common white variety. It wasn't abundant but the occasional bushes were filled with flowers. The other surprise were the blooming tree poppies around Eagle Springs. I was also surprised to find blooming white and purple nightshades. Otherwise there were the expected California and ashy buckwheats, California everlasting, cliff aster, telegraph weed and twiggy wreath plant. I good start to a new year.   — Dorothy Steinicke




Contact Information:

Santa Monica Mountains NRA
401 West Hillcrest Drive
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
805-370-2301
www.nps.gov/samo

If you would like to contribute a wildflower
report you can e-mail the editor at:
SMMWildFlowers@gmail.com


What's Blooming
on the web at
www.smmflowers.org/whatsblooming

or go to

www.nps.gov/samo
click on
"Plan Your Visit" > "Things to Do" > "Look for Wildflowers"


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