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Page Revised: 4/3/09 |
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Available Site Reviews Circle X Ranch Cold Creek Preserve Rancho Sierra Vista / Satwiwa Point Mugu State Park Malibu Creek State Park Solstice Canyon Newton/Zuma Canyons Rocky Oaks Peter Strauss Ranch Cheeseboro Canyon Triunfo Creek Park Newton Canyon Backbone Trail Caballero Canyon Trancas Canyon Las Virgenes Canyon
Open Space Escondido Canyon |
Date of Reviews 4/1 & 3/14 & 3/12
& 3/7. 3/29 & 3/6 & 2/22. 3/28 & 3/3. 3/28 & 3/18. 3/28 & 3/1. 3/21 & 3/1 & 2/28. 3/21. 3/20. 3/20 & 3/1. 3/15. 3/15. 3/14. 3/7. 3/3. 2/28. 2/27. 2/25. |
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What's Blooming photo gallery: http://www.researchlearningcenter.com/bloom/bloom.htm |
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Circle X Ranch |
Canyon
View Trail |
Date: 4/1 |
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When time is short and we only have
half an hour for a quick evening hike we often turn to the trail which offers
the most: The Canyon View Trail. A short walk down the hill to the campground
and then through the beautiful riparian area below and we quickly come to the
first waterfall, still running despite another fairly dry season. We pass a few hundred yards beyond to take
in the many flowers on and below the stony walls above the creek. We turn
around before rising up into the chaparral and retrace our steps to fork in
the trail just before the waterfall.
The beginning of the canyon view trail rises up from the grotto trail
into the more open vegetation of sage scrub and chaparral. Walking only a few
tenths of a mile we take in slopes dramatically covered with lovely
trail-side flowers. Our half hour is up by the time we reach the north-bound
curve in the trail and we head back the way we came in the gathering dusk.
I've done this walk so many time I can't begin to count but it is always
worth the quick break it provides. We counted a little over fifty
species in bloom with many now in good abundance. Highlights included three
different lupines, wild cucumber, several different native mustards, black
sage, popcorn flowers, clovers, both white and purple nightshades,
sunflowers, elderberry, fiddleneck, greenbark ceanothus, hairy-leaved
ceanothus, blue dicks, eucrypta, a couple of different bedstraws, blue
larkspur, california saxifrage, miners lettuce, chinese houses, fiesta
flower, Parry's and caterpillar phacelias contrasting very nicely with masses
of wishbone bush, windmill pink, several representatives of the wooly-head
tribe, twining snapdragon, yellow monkey flower, mustard evening primrose,
california collarless poppy, and a whole hillside of globe gilia. Finally, if
you have keen eyes you will notice several different trees in bloom now with
their small green flowers (they make no attempt to attract pollinators but
instead rely on wind to disperse their pollens.) Rating: Good. – ed. |
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Cold Creek Preserve |
Stunt
High Trail |
Date: 3/29 |
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(Note:
this pertains to the trail BELOW Stunt Rd.) Just to hit some highlights: blue-eyed grass is starting to bloom along
with fiesta flowers and baby blue eyes along the trail that parallels Cold
Creek. I walked down to the creek bed
itself and along the creek and ran into three western wallflower plants
growing in a steep, grassy section of the creek bank. There were also 3-4 woodland star plants
upslope of them, below the trail itself.
– S.L. Dickey. |
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Rancho Sierra Vista |
Overflow
Parking Lot |
Date: 3/28 |
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The Chocolate Lilies are about to
open. The Shooting Stars are just about over. Perennial Lupines are in bloom
and gold fields are also (I’m only guessing that they are gold fields;
the little yellow daisy like flower). Blue-eyed Grass is in bloom. The Ground
Pinks aren’t as abundant this year.
– S. Braden. |
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Point Mugu State Park |
Backbone
Trail |
Date: 3/28 |
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Today’s hike was the seventh of
the NPS sponsored Backbone Trail hikes in the 2008 – 2009 series. We
are hiking west to east, one section of the Backbone Trail each month. The
weather was glorious. The roadside flora on the drive up to
Castro Crest through the Corral Canyon burn area of 2007, where we concluded
#6, is just getting better and better. We walked east along Mesa Peak Motorway to
our destination, the BBT parking lot near Tapia Park in Malibu Canyon. The breathtaking flora on display was a
pleasure for all, as was the humbling geology. At least 65 native species were in
flower. The more impressive displays
included: paint brush, lupine (dove, foothill, stinging, and bush), phacelia
(Parry’s, large flowering, sticky, and caterpillar), popcorn, eucrypta,
morning glory, mustard evening primrose, windmill pink, tree poppy, greenbark
ceanothus, and fiesta flower to name a few
While rare treats were: Brewer’s red maids, summer holly, 4
lotus in close proximity: deer weed, coast, silver, and large flowering. Rating: Get Out There Now! – R. Waycott. |
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Malibu Creek State Park |
Various
Trails |
Date: 3/28 |
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Malibu Creek State Park includes
chaparral, valley grassland and oak woodland environments so, depending on
what trails you follow you will see different things. Grasslands Trail, Crag's Road, Mott Road
These trails are in the valley grassland areas and I noted many of the
"regulars": bur clover,
fiddleneck, filaree, pineapple weed, blue dicks, winter vetch, popcorn
flowers, hog fennel and in the shaded areas along Mott Road: wild cucumber, wild sweet peas, common
eucrypta, miner's lettuce, lacepod, bedstraw, and California blackberry. There was quite a bit of Bajada lupine
along the Grasslands Trail and a second type of lupine nestled in an
"S" curve of Crag's Rd. -- tiny like the Bajada, but almost all
white with deep purple tips -- that I can't identify. Chaparral Trail In addition to "regulars"
listed above there was chia sage, purple owl's clover, parry's phacelia and
sugar bush - blooming. Cage Creek - Yearling - Lookout Trails
(looping out and back from Crag's Road) In addition to
"regulars" which are everywhere, caterpillar phacelia, fiesta
flowers, redmaids, scarlet pimpernel, skullcap, sticky phacelia, purple owl's
clover, California Poppy, California peony, greenbark ceanothus, bush
monkeyflower, wishbone bush, common phacelia, woolly paintbrush and a single
woodland star. – S.L. Dickey. |
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Solstice Canyon |
Sostomo
and Deer Valley |
Date: 3/21 |
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The weather was overcast in the
canyon. The higher elevations were
misting with dense fog revealing occasional vistas. The canyon floor is beginning to embrace
springtime. Many of the trees and
larger shrubs are leafing and blooming.
These include walnut, willow, greenbark ceanothus, sycamore,
elderberry, laurel, and oak. The under
story is enjoying lupine (dove, Coulter’s and stinging), morning glory,
canyon sunflower, purple and white nightshades, wild cucumber, blackberry,
beggar ticks, phacelias (Parry’s, large flowering and sticky), popcorn
flower, blue dick, and vetch. Many of these same species follow one
on the Sistomo ascent. While new
species include: wishbone, poppy (collarless), windmill pink, wooly aster,
pink hedge nettle, monkey flower, fig wort, holly leaved cherry, coast lotus,
holly leaved red berry, and caterpillar phacelia. At the top of the Deer Valley Loop the
flowers are a thick carpet of a half dozen species competing for real estate
and making it impossible to avoid damaging some. From here I took, but do not
recommend the old motorway on the western ridge. It has been unmentioned since the NPS
acquired the property, is unmarked, hard to follow, and has poor
footing. However, it provided more of
the same displays and encounters with slender sunflower, paint brush, loco
wee, fuchsia flowering gooseberry, and chia.
In all I counted 3 dozen species in
bloom. Rating: Very Good
(Sostomo.) – R. Waycott. |
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Newton/Zuma Canyons |
Backbone
Trail |
Date: 3/21 |
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Big-pod ceanothus ??, Hairy-leaved
ceanothus ??, Telegraph weed ?, Red-skinned onion (at Upper Zuma waterfall),
Star lily, Death camas, Fremont's star lily (soon), Bajada lupine (at the top
of the Backbone trail where it meets Encinal Cyn. Road), Bicolored
everlasting [Two-toned everlasting], Bird's-foot fern [Cliff brake], Black
sage, Blue dicks, Blue Larkspur, Bur clover, California Maiden-hair fern,
California peony, California polypody, California poppy, California
saxifrage, Canyon sunflower, Chalk live-forever, Coastal wood fern
[California wood fern], Coffee fern, Common eucrypta, Common groundsel,
Deerweed, Fennel, Fiddleneck (Common), Goldback fern, Goldfields, Henbit,
Indian warrior, Lupines (not identified), Milkmaids, Miner's lettuce, Mule
fat, Parry's phacelia, Periwinkle, Popcorn flower, Prickly phlox, Purple
nightshade, Red-stemmed filaree, Shepherd's purse, Spanish broom, Stream
monkeyflower (at Upper Zuma waterfall), Sugar bush, Virgin's bower,
White-stemmed filaree, Wild cucumber, Wild morning glory, Windmill pink,
Wishbone plant [Wishbone bush].
– S.L. Dickey. |
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Rocky Oaks |
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Date: 3/20 |
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Long-beaked filaree ??, Big-pod ceanothus
??, Spanish broom (soon), Bajada lupine [Elegant Lupine], Bicolored
everlasting [Two-toned everlasting], Black sage, Blue-eyed grass, Bur clover,
California buckwheat, California poppy, Cheeseweed, Common eucrypta, Common
Fiddleneck, Goldfields, Henbit, Lace pod, Miner's lettuce, Parry's phacelia,
Pineapple weed, Prickly phlox, Purple nightshade, Shepherd's purse,
Small-flowered popcorn flower, Snakeroot, Southern tauschia, Spring vetch,
Star lily, [aka Death camas aka Fremont's star lily], Sugar bush, Wild
cucumber. – S.L. Dickey. |
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Peter Strauss
Ranch |
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Date: 3/20 |
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I saw chocolate lilies at Peter
Strauss Ranch during this week in 2008 but they haven't bloomed yet this
year. However I did see the
following: Bedstraw, Buck brush, Bur
clover, California Maiden-hair fern, Chickweed, Coastal wood fern [California
wood fern], Common eucrypta, Fiddleneck (Common), Fuschia-flowered
gooseberry, Goldback fern, Henbit, Lace pod, Milkmaids, Miner's lettuce,
Pineapple weed, Shepherd's purse, Skullcap, Spring vetch, Wild cucumber. – S.L. Dickey. |
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Point Mugu State Park |
Backbone
Trail |
Date: 3/18 |
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Today our volunteer trail maintenance
team worked on the section of the Backbone Trail known as Boney Trail between
the Blue Canyon junction and the Chamberlain Trail junction. This is a report
of the significant flowers seen along the route starting from Danielson Ranch
Campground and up Blue Canyon to the beginning of the Chamberlain Trail. A
medium sized Coast Live Oak along the trail was in bloom and covered with
working bees. At first I thought their sound was a swarm and stopped to see
what was going on. There is a special Chocolate Lily garden about 1/2 miles
up the trail that did not disappoint. There must be over a hundred plants
mixed in the grass with Shooting Stars, Indian Paintbrush and Snake Root.
Further up the trail was a patch of Skullcap and still further Stinging
Lupine, Spurge, Mustard Evening Primrose and Parry’s Phacelia on
hillsides of decomposing shale. It is going to be a good year for Poison Oak
and some is already in bloom. Back at Danielson there is a lot of Persian
Speedwell, Henbit and Chickweed in the shade of the oak trees. – B. Elliott. |
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Cheeseboro Canyon |
Cheeseboro
Canyon Trail |
Date: 3/15 |
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The Cheeseboro Canyon trail is 4.5
miles one way and travels essentially north/south from Coastal woodlands (the
first 3 miles) into Chaparral (the last 1.5 mile). Consequently you will see different flowers
in each section. It's always worth
traveling to the top of the trail because that last 1.5 miles has greatest
variety of flowers. In fact, aside
from some species with very tiny flowers, you won't see much blooming until
you've traveled around 1.5 miles from the parking lot. Bedstraw, Bedstraw narrow, Bicolored
everlasting [Two-toned everlasting], Bird's-foot fern [Cliff brake],
California plantain, Chickweed, Common groundsel, Fiddleneck (Common), Lace
pod, Miner's lettuce, Pineapple weed, Popcorn flower, Purple nightshade,
Red-stemmed filaree, Woolly paintbrush, Bird's-foot trefoil, Bull thistle,
Bur clover, California Blackberry, California poppy, California suncup
[Mustard evening primrose], Chaparral currant, Chia; Chia sage, Common
eucrypta, Fuschia-flowered gooseberry, Hog fennel, Indian warrior, London
rocket, Long-beaked filaree, Prickly phlox, Redmaids, Scarlet bugler,
Shepherd's purse, Small-flowered popcorn flower, Sugar bush, Tree Poppy [Bush
Poppy], Wild cucumber, Wishbone plant [Wishbone bush]. – S.L. Dickey. |
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Triunfo Creek Park |
Pentachaeta
Trail |
Date: 3/15 |
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The Pentachaeta Trail is known for
great flower displays. This report includes flowers seen along that trail and
an unofficial trail that goes up and along the high ridge above the
Pentachaeta Trail. The trail is located at the south end of Lindero Canyon Road
in Westlake Village. There is a kiosk at the trailhead picturing the flowers
you might see. Today we started up the trail, keeping left at the first fork
and climbing a short hill. Just before the trail starts down there is a very
steep trail to the left which climbs to the ridge above. After topping out on
the ridge we kept left at each of two trail junctions and eventually
descended near the far end of the Pentachaeta Trail. The flower display as
you gain height is stunning with at least 48 species in bloom over the 4 mile
loop. Dominating were Fiddleneck, Coast Goldfields, Angles Gilia, Shooting
Stars, and Popcorn Flower. Especially striking were patches of Blue Larkspur
and a large grouping of Chocolate Lilies. On otherwise bare ground under
Ceanothus were quite a few Indian Warriors. Star Lily, Yellow Pincushion,
Virgin’s Bower, several species of Lupine, Wooly Blue-Curl, and
Collarless Poppy are in the early stages of blooming. I would rate the
display very good. NOTE: The trail to
the ridge and along the ridge is very steep and loose in places and should
not be attempted unless you are comfortable with these trail conditions. – B. Elliott. |
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Circle X Ranch |
Mishe
Mokwa Trail |
Date: 3/14 |
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Thanks to direction from a park
volunteer I located two patches of Chocolate lilies on the Mishe Mokwa
trail. One patch was located .4 miles
from the Backbone/Mishe Mokwa trailhead marker [on the north side of Yerba
Buena, east of the parking lot for Sandstone Peak.] The second was .5 miles further down the
Mishe Mokwa trail. In addition to the
lilies I saw: Bur clover, Coffee fern,
Deerweed, Goldback fern, Sugar bush, Wild cucumber, Bird's-foot fern [Cliff
brake], Chalk live-forever, Coastal Wood Fern [California wood fern],
Collarless California poppy, Hairy-leaved ceanothus, Skullcap, Woolly
lomatium. – S.L. Dickey. |
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Circle X Ranch |
Grotto
Trail |
Date: 3/14 |
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Bedstraw, Bicolored everlasting
[Two-toned everlasting], Bindweed, Bird's-foot trefoil, California buckwheat,
California Maiden-hair fern, California suncup [Mustard evening primrose],
California sunflower; Bush sunflower, Canyon sunflower, Ceanothus (species
??), Miner's lettuce, Red-stemmed filaree, Southern tauschia, Blue Larkspur,
Virgin's bower, White nightshade [Douglas' Nightshade], Wishbone plant
[Wishbone bush], Greenbark ceanothus, Lace pod, Purple nightshade, Bur
clover, Coffee fern, Deerweed, Goldback fern, Sugar bush, Wild cucumber. – S.L. Dickey. |
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Circle X Ranch |
Backbone
Trail |
Date: 3/14 |
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This trail starts at the parking area
on the south side of Yerba Buena, across the street from the trailhead for
Mishe Mokwa. I walked only about the
first half mile of this trail but it's well worth it for the abundant
Shooting Stars on the slopes about one quarter mile down the trail. There is a tiny spring that starts near the
trail and drips along a rock stripe in
the meadow. Along it I found
Red-skinned onion and Stream monkeyflowers.
Also seen along this trail:
small-flowered popcorn flower,
Wild radish, Woolly blue curls, Lace pod, Purple nightshade, Blue
Dicks, Popcorn flower, California plantain, Goldfields, [Shiny]
Peppergrass. – S.L. Dickey. |
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Newton Canyon |
Backbone
Trail |
Date: 3/14 |
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Today’s hike was the sixth of
the NPS sponsored Backbone Trail hikes in the 2008 – 2009 series. We
are hiking west to east, one section of the Backbone Trail each month. The
weather was overcast and cool. The walk began where we concluded the
last hike, at the overflow parking for the trailhead at Kanan’s
southern most tunnel. One is quickly
transported into a more primordial environment as the trail hugs the
north-facing slope of Newton Canyon, passing in and out of a series of serene
oak woodlands. The first interruption
is Latigo Canyon Road from which one climbs to Newton Canyon Motorway beneath
Castro Peak. Lunch was enjoyed here
and straddling the saddle between Newton and Solstice Canyons we had vistas
of our morning’s efforts to the west and our imminent meanderings
through upper Solstice Canyon to the east.
The many potential water crossings through Newton and Solstice proved
on the dry side, but the flowers were improving. Approximately 45 or twice as many
native species were in bloom than we found in the last section. Several: virgin’s bower, wishbone,
milkmaids, paintbrush, hummingbird sage, peony, and ceanothus (hoary-leafed
and greenbark) were dazzling.
Accompanying the ceanothus were other flowering trees and shrubs: oak,
walnut, holly-leafed red berry, willow, tree poppy, sugar bush, elderberry,
mule fat and laurel. More than enough
reason to lift our gaze from the trail tread.
Many of the prolific species of past hikes were still ablaze, but we
were also treated to: carpets of minors lettuce, drapery of wild cucumber,
eucrypta, popcorn, vetch, chocolate lily, morning glory, bedstraw, lupine
(var. species) snake root, purple larkspur, California saxifrage, fiddleneck,
blue dick, prickly phlox and Eastwood manzanita. Rating: good. – R. Waycott. |
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Circle X Ranch Rancho Sierra Vista Point Mugu State Park |
Backbone
and other misc. Trails |
Date: 3/13 |
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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 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 neither are 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. |
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Circle X Ranch |
Canyon
View Trail |
Date: 3/7 |
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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. |
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Backbone
Trail between Piuma Rd. & Stunt Rd |
Date: 3/7 |
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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. |
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Calabasas Peak |
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Date: 3/6 |
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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. |
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Cold Creek Preserve |
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Date: 3/6 |
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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. |
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Rancho Sierra Vista /
Satwiwa |
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Date: 3/3 |
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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 |
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Caballero Canyon |
Woodland
and Main Canyon Trail |
Date: 3/3 |
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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. |
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Malibu Creek State Park |
Misc. West-end
Trails |
Date: 3/1 |
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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. |
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Peter Strauss Ranch |
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Date: 3/1 |
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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. |
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Solstice Canyon |
Sunrise
Trail |
Date: 3/1 |
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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. |
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Solstice Canyon |
Misc.
Trails |
Date: 2/28 |
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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. |
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Trancas Canyon |
Backbone
Trail |
Date: 2/28 |
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Today’s hike was the fifth of
the NPS sponsored Backbone Trail hikes in the 2008 – 2009 series. We
are hiking west to east, one section of the Backbone Trail each month. The
weather was again partly cloudy and cool. We started from the same location as our
previous hike, and headed east into Trancas Canyon. The NPS has elected to keep the Trancas
Canyon watershed “quiet”.
This is the only official trail in the area, hence the plants and
animals have a less disturbed habitat.
Dropping quickly into Trancas we paused to consider the riparian
environment and specifically the Coast Live Oak species, (Quercus
agrifolia). The climb out of Trancas
to Zuma Motorway was eased by alluring vistas and varying plant communities. We were pleased to first hear, and then see
(from a distance), the waterfall near the motorway. It was a harbinger of a tranquil creek side
lunch at the bridge. This section
concludes at the overflow parking for the trailhead at Kanan’s western
most tunnel. At least 24 native species were in
flower. As usual the wild cucumber,
ceanothus (greenbark, hoary-leafed and big-pod), purple nightshade, two-toned
everlasting, deer weed, and morning glory were in abundance. There were a number of species at the end
of their bloom, while others were the first of the season. Examples include: chaparral currant,
willow, milkmaids, wishbone, Parry's phacelia, sun-cup, small-flowering
popcorn, collarless poppy, blue dick, minor’s lettuce, peone, prickly
phlox and Indian warrior to name a few. Rating: better. – R. Waycott. |
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Las Virgenes Canyon Open
Space |
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Date: 2/27 |
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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. |
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Escondido Canyon Natural
Area |
Escondido
Falls Trail |
Date: 2/25 |
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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. |
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Cold Creek Preserve |
Stunt High Trail |
Dates:
2/15, 18, & 22 |
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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. |
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Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area 401 West
Hillcrest Drive 805-370-2301 |
If you
would like to contribute to the wildflower report: e-mail: or phone
Tony at 310-457-6408 |
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