Page Revised: 3/13/09

 

Available Site Reviews

Circle X Ranch

Backbone Trail

Cold Creek Preserve

Rancho Sierra Vista / Satwiwa

Caballero Canyon

Malibu Creek State Park

Peter Strauss Ranch

Solstice Canyon

Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space

Escondido Canyon

Backbone Trail

Rocky Oaks

Date of Reviews

3/12 & 3/7.

3/7.

3/6 & 2/22.

3/3.

3/3

3/1.

3/1.

3/1 & 2/28.

2/27.

2/25.

2/14.

2/1.

 

What's Blooming photo gallery: http://www.researchlearningcenter.com/bloom/bloom.htm
What's Blooming archive:
http://www.researchlearningcenter.com/bloom/archive/index.htm
Calendar of Events:
http://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/outdooractivities.htm

 

        The beginning of March is often the true beginning of the wildflower season and this year seems to be no exception. A lot has popped out in the last week or so.  This is the time of year when the longer days and warmer weather rapidly increase the displays of flowers.  Up here at Circle X Ranch both of the blue chaparral lilacs (greenbark ceanothus and hairy-leaved ceanothus) and the white hoary-leaved ceanothus are beginning to bloom well now.  –ed.

 


 

 

Circle X Ranch

Rancho Sierra Vista

Point Mugu State Park

Backbone and other misc. Trails

          Date: 3/13

 

 

        We started at Rancho Sierra Vista and hiked a series of trails through Rancho Sierra Vista and Point Mugu State Park until we ended up back at the CXR contact station on Yerba Buena Road.  On the way we passed through the Tri-Peaks area and the popular Sandstone Peak area.  Ironically, some of the best flower displays of the day were seen along the shoulder of Yerba Buena Road.  This is not so surprising since most of these trails pass through dense chaparral which is not noted for grand flower displays (unless some of the chaparral shrubs are themselves in bloom.)  In addition, the shoulder of Yerba Buena Road gets a lot of warmth from the sun so things are farther along than they are on the trails of the north-facing slopes of the range.  We did encounter both hairy-leaved ceanothus and hoary-leaved ceanothus in bloom at the top, but both are not at their peak yet.  Some of the open rocky areas on the Mishe Mokwa Trail are still thick with shooting stars – another indication of how late our blooming season is this year.  If you are looking for flowers the lower elevations and open south facing areas will probably be a better choice until the season moves along a bit more.  For example, people often overlook the Canyon View Trail at CXR, probably because it does not have the sweeping vistas and exotic appeal of Sandstone Peak, or the beautiful riparian areas and waterfalls of the Grotto Trail.  Yet the Canyon View Trail usually offers the flower watcher a lot more in the way of species diversity than either of these other better known trails.   –ed.

 

Circle X Ranch

Canyon View Trail

            Date: 3/7

 

 

        While not as dramatic as the Grotto Trail or the Sandstone Peak Trail, the Canyon View Trail is often one of the best flower trails at CXR. The cool sunny weather and lush greens of the new growth made for pleasant hiking. There are a large number of young plants suggesting that if the remainder of the Spring weather cooperates we should have a very good bloom this year. About forty five species in bloom, although most are not appearing in great numbers yet. Highlights include greenbark ceanothus, both white and purple nightshades, blue dicks, fiddleneck, eucrypta, a couple of blue larkspur (with many plants in evidence), a few wishbone bush, several California collarless poppy, a good crop of lace pod, a couple of different lotus, some lupines (doing best along the shoulders of the roads where it has been the warmest), several different plants in the celery family all displaying their umbellate clusters of very tiny flowers, skullcap, one owl's clover, pygmy weed, California peony, shooting stars still doing well, henbit, and virgins bower. I would give this display a "Fair" rating with expectations that it will rise quickly.   –ed.

 

 

Backbone Trail between Piuma Rd. & Stunt Rd

            Date: 3/7

 

 

        Bicolored everlasting [Two-toned everlasting], Bird's-foot fern, Blue dicks, Buck brush, Bur clover, Tree Poppy [Bush Poppy], California Maiden-hair fern, California polypody, California poppy, Catalina mariposa lily (only one), Chickweed, Coastal wood fern [California wood fern], Coffee fern, Common eucrypta, Eastwood manzanita, Greenbark ceanothus, Big pod ceanothus?, Indian warrior, Miner's lettuce, Popcorn flower, Prickly phlox, Purple nightshade, Red-stemmed filaree, Snakeroot ?, Southern tauschia, Sugar bush, Wild cucumber, Wild sweet pea, Wishbone bush, Lupines (not identified), Brewer's red maids ?  I'd be happy to share photos and have any mis-identifications corrected:  socalwildflowers@earthlink.net.  –S.L. Dickey.

 

Calabasas Peak

 

            Date: 3/6

 

 

        California sunflower [Bush sunflower] ??, Golden yarrow ??, Succulent lupine [Arroyo Lupine]?, Bicolored everlasting [Two-toned everlasting], Blue dicks, Bur clover, Common eucrypta, Popcorn flower, Prickly phlox, Red-stemmed filaree, Sugar bush, Wild cucumber, Wishbone bush, Bindweed, Black sage, Bush monkeyflower, California buckwheat, Chia sage, Collarless California poppy, Coulter's lupine [Mohave Lupine]  Fiddleneck (Common), Fiesta flower, Greenbark ceanothus?, Stinging lupine, Woolly paintbrush.  –S.L. Dickey.

 

Cold Creek Preserve

 

            Date: 3/6

 

 

        White chaparral currant ??, Bicolored everlasting [Two-toned everlasting], Bur clover, Common eucrypta, Sugar bush, Wild cucumber, Greenbark ceanothus ?, Buck brush, Tree Poppy [Bush Poppy], California Maiden-hair fern, California polypody, Coastal wood fern [California wood fern], Coffee fern, Eastwood manzanita, Purple nightshade, Southern tauschia, Giant chain fern, Giant horsetail (sterile stem), Milkmaids.   –S.L. Dickey.

 

Rancho Sierra Vista / Satwiwa

  

            Date: 3/3

 

 

        The Overflow parking area is a pretty good area to see wildflowers right now. There are lots of Shooting Stars, especially in broad patches on the north side of the road. There was also a fair quality of red-stem filaree.  If you walk along the small path towards the ravine, there is a fairly good cluster of Indian Paintbrush that is just about to reach peak bloom. In this area there are a lot of John Jump-ups throughout. Most can be found next to other large plants and not as much in the open grasslands. The popcorn flower population is fair but can be easily missed because it is in only small patches. We even found a California Poppy in bloom and two Chocolate Lilly flowers with full and partial blooms. Along the road there was plenty of mustard weed and some telegraph weed. Quite a bit of soap root was seen (not in bloom at this time but gives hope to later on.)  – M. Theune, L. Okazaki, & R. Cromwell

 

Caballero Canyon

Woodland and Main Canyon Trail

            Date: 3/3

 

 

        Moderate rise, 800 foot elevation gain, interior canyon, view of coastline of Palos Verdes and Catalina from top of Mulholland, great view of S.F. Valley; early bloomers of shrubs and trees, few annuals and perennials yet.  Salvia columbariae -  Chia, Encelia californica - CA Encelia, Bush Sunflower, Amsinckia menziesii - Common Fiddleneck (also seen walking in the main canyon), Ceanothus spinosus - Greenbark C., C. megacarpus - Bigpod C., Marah macrocarpus - Wild Cucumber, Chillicothe, Cryptantha sp. and Plagiobothrys sp. - Popcorn Flowers, Ribes sp R. aureum -, R.  malvaceum, R.  indecorum (?) it's the white-flowering one, Golden Currant, pink Chaparral Currant, White-flowering Currant, Dichelostemma capitatum - Blue Dicks     – H. Mason.

 

Malibu Creek State Park

   Misc. West-end Trails

            Date: 3/1

 

 

        We parked at Cornell & Mulholland and then hiked past the Regan Ranch Ranger Station.  Yearling Trail : Buck brush, Cheeseweed, Fiddleneck (Common), Henbit, Lupines (soon -- 10 days?), Miner's lettuce, Peppergrass, Red-stemmed filaree, Redmaids, Wild radish (white & Pink), Winter vetch ?? (the meadow areas were crammed with what will be either Winter vetch or Spring vetch -- no blooms yet but there will be soon - perhaps 10 days or so ??)  Deer Leg Trail : Chickweed, Fennel, Wild cucumber, Wild sweet pea (soon - 10 days?).  – S.L. Dickey.

 

Peter Strauss Ranch

  

            Date: 3/1

 

 

        Buck brush, California Maiden-hair fern, Canyon sunflower (soon - 2 wks?), Chickweed, Coastal wood-fern, [California wood fern], Fiddleneck (Common), Henbit, Milkmaids, Miner's lettuce, Wild sweet pea (soon - 2 wks?), Wild cucumber.  – S.L. Dickey.

 

Solstice Canyon

Sunrise Trail

            Date: 3/1

 

 

        1600 foot elevation gain, fairly strenuous but good trail.  Gorgeous

coastal views.  Rich Canyon history.  Good showing of flowering plants. Clematis ligusticifolia - Virgin Bower, Castilleja affinis - Indian Paintbrush, Phacelia cicutaria - Caterpillar Phacelia, P. distans - Common P., P. parryi  - Parry's P., Dichelostemma capitatum - Blue Dicks, Wild Hyacinth, Popcorn flower, Lupinus longifolius - Bush Lupine, L. succulentus - Succulent L., Vicia sativa -  Spring Vetch   – H. Mason.

 

Solstice Canyon

   Misc. Trails

          Date: 2/28

 

 

        Since I hiked three trails in the park I tried to keep track of where I saw what. If a flower name is followed by the abbreviation of a specific trail then I saw it on that trail only. Rising Sun Trail (RS), Solstice Canyon Trail (SC), Dry Canyon Trail (DC.) Bermuda buttercup, Bicolored everlasting, [Two-toned everlasting], Bindweed, Blue dicks (RS), Bur clover, California sunflower, [ Bush sunflower] (RS), California poppy (SC), California Blackberry, Canyon sunflower (DC, SC), Castor bean, [Castor plant] -- right at Tropical Terrace, Common eucrypta, Deerweed, Giant horsetail (sterile stem), Greenbark ceanothus (RS), Henbit (SC), London rocket (SC), Parry's phacelia, Periwinkle, Popcorn flower (RS), Purple nightshade, Red-stemmed filaree, Sticky phacelia, Stinging lupine (RS), Succulent lupine ?, Terracina Spurge (SC) Virgin's bower (RS), White nightshade, Wild cucumber (RS) (DC), Wild sweet pea, Woolly paintbrush (RS)  – S.L. Dickey.

 

Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space

  

          Date: 2/27

 

 

        Bicolor everlasting [Two-toned everlasting], Bindweed, Buck brush, Bur clover, California sunflower [Bush sunflower], Chia sage, London rocket, Fiddleneck, Miner's lettuce, Mule fat, Peppergrass, Popcorn flower, Purple nightshade, Red-stemmed filaree, Wild cucumber, Wishbone bush.  – S.L. Dickey.

 

Escondido Canyon Natural Area

   Escondido Falls Trail

          Date: 2/25

 

 

        Bermuda buttercup, Bicolored everlasting [Two-toned everlasting], Blue dicks, Bur clover, California buckwheat, California Maiden-hair fern, Canyon sunflower, Castor bean [Castor plant], Coastal wood-fern [California wood fern], Coffee fern, Common sunflower, Fennel, Fleabane aster, Greenbark ceanothus, Hummingbird sage, Periwinkle, Popcorn flower, Red-stemmed filaree, Succulent lupine [Arroyo Lupine] ?, Sugar bush, Terracina Spurge, Weedy oxalis, White nightshade, Wild sweet pea, Wild morning glory, Wild radish, Wild cucumber, Wishbone plant [Wishbone bush], Woolly paintbrush.  – S.L. Dickey.

 

Cold Creek Preserve

Stunt High Trail

   Dates: 2/15, 18, & 22

 

 

        Greetings flower lovers!  It's a great time to explore the local creeks and waterfalls before the outburst of spring foliage makes them nearly impassable.  I'm guessing that the Cold Creek Valley Preserve, (located below Stunt Road) is one of the few places in the Agoura / Calabasas area which is always open to the public and where you can see a nice display of ferns along the creek bed.  (Note Cold Creek Preserve -- above Stunt Road -- is open to the public during docent tours and by reservation.)  Here's what I saw about 10 days ago: Blue dicks, Buck brush, California peony, California everlasting, California polypody, California buckwheat, California Maiden-hair fern, Chalk live-forever, Chaparral currant, Cliff aster, Coastal wood-fern [California wood fern], Coffee fern, Greenbark ceanothus, Lupines (Arroyo ?), Milkmaids, Miner's lettuce, Periwinkle, Prickly phlox, Purple nightshade, Red-stemmed filaree, Sugar bush, Tree tobacco, Wild cucumber.  – S.L. Dickey.

 

Backbone Trail

 

          Date: 2/14

 

 

        Today’s hike is the fourth of the NPS sponsored Backbone Trail hikes in the 2008 – 2009 series. We will be hiking west to east, one section of the Backbone Trail each month. The weather was partly cloudy and cool.

        We started our hike where the Backbone Trail crosses Encinal Canyon Road. We hiked the trail to the west (really pretty much a northerly direction for this section), crossing Mulholland Highway within 1.2 miles and continuing another 2.6 miles to the Etz Meloy Motorway. This section of trail is entirely on NPS property and the property ends about a half mile up the Etz Meloy Motorway, at which point we have to turn around because NPS has not yet acquired the necessary property to continue. The trail was moist from recent rains and views from the top were spectacular, enhanced by snow topped mountains to the north and east.

        Most of the flower activity was just beginning. There were some left-over Chaparral Current, Wild Cucumber and Big Pod Ceanothus. Last year we had a second bloom of the Big Pod and I expect that will happen this year as well. We had to check the veins in the leaves to be sure the purple flowering Ceanothus was the Greenbark species. Mule Fat, California Everlasting, Two-Tone Everlasting, Deerweed, Wishbone Bush, Tree Tobacco and Morning Glory were scattered along the trail. Counting the “weeds’ like Black Mustard we counted 19 species in bloom. The section of trail above Mulholland was constructed fairly recently and many of the flowers that like disturbed soil are beginning to appear. We saw a single Parry’s Phacelia and young Bleeding Heart plants. Young Cliff Asters are wide spread. We had two sunflower examples close enough to compare differences between the Slim Sunflower and Canyon Sunflower.  A couple California Fuschia, covered with newly forming galls looked very strange.  Rating: poor.  – B. Elliott & R. Waycott

 

Rocky Oaks

 

            Date: 2/1

 

 

        Blooms are only fair here now, but many plants are in bud. This small site is worth seeing now and returning again to watch the progress of the blooming season. We saw a few big berry Manzanita with blooms going to berries, lots of red berries on the toyon. In the pond were coots and ducks (shovelers). Tree frogs were croaking. Many different types of lichen are visible.

        The only masses of blooms were on the three species of white flowered ceanothus just about everywhere. It’s worth going to practice your identification skills on the ceanothus.  All their white flowers are similar. Big pod ceanothus (megacarpus) has alternate leaves. Hoary-leaved ceanothus (crassifolius) and buck-brush ceanothus (cuneatus) both have opposite leaves. Both have thicker leaves then big pod. Both have corky stipules near the leaf stems. Hoary-leaved has rounder leaves with occasional jagged teeth. These leaves are very white (hoary) wooly on the underside. Buck-brush (cuneatus) has wedge-shaped (cuneate) leaves with the narrow part near the stem. Buck-brush can also be finely wooly on the underside.

        Trails on the western side of the site have more flowers.

 – S. Braden & J. Gillooly

 


 

Contact Information:

 

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

 

401 West Hillcrest Drive
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

 

805-370-2301

 

 

 

If you would like to contribute to the wildflower report:

 

e-mail:
Tony_Valois@partner.nps.gov

 

or phone Tony at 310-457-6408