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Available Reviews
Topanga State Park Corral Canyon Zuma Canyon |
Date of Review
03/17 & 02/08 & 01/03. 03/11. 01/26. |
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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 |
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03/17/21 |
We came in through the entrance at Vereda de la Montura in Pacific Palisades. The canyon floor is cool and green with lots of new plants emerging. But Santa Ynez Creek is entirely dry and there is very little in flower. We saw some purple nightshade and a single blooming sweet pea. Climbing up into the chaparral we saw more in bloom. There were quite a few big pod ceanothus, California everlasting, wishbone flower, wild cucumber and a few blue dicks. Not really very much for the middle of March, but still a lovely and refreshing hike.
— Dorothy Steinicke
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| Corral Canyon |
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03/11/21 |
The Sara Wan Trail is still showing the impact of the Woolsey Fire of November 2018 and now also showing the impact of this year’s drought. I went the day after a half inch of rain fell, hopeful that some blooms might have been spurred. But they really haven’t. I was shocked at how few flowers were present and even at how little green there was on the hillsides. The creek at the canyon bottom was completely dry. The lower portion of the loop trail has representatives of nine species in bloom; bush sunflower, deer weed, purple nightshade, morning glory, hubby’s phacelia, canyon sunflower, Indian paintbrush, wishbone flower and wild cucumber but none of it was profuse. Still, it is a lovely hike with ocean views. While I was walking I watched red tail hawks and a northern harrier swooping over the landscape.
— Dorothy Steinicke
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| Topanga State Park |
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02/08/21 |
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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 
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| Zuma Canyon |
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01/26/21 |
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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 
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| Topanga State Park |
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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:
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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 |
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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"
