Page Revised: 4/7/05

 

Available Sites

Zuma/Trancas Canyons
Point Mugu State Park
Cheeseboro/Palo Comado
Circle X Ranch
Charmlee Wilderness Park
Nicholas Flat
Leo Carrillo State Beach
Cold Creek Area

Date of Review

4/3/05
3/31/05
3/30/05
3/27/05 & 3/23/05 3/21/05
3/17/05
3/17/05
3/17/05
3/14/05

See the photo gallery of What’s Blooming at: http://www.nps.gov/samo/bloom/bloom.htm

In the interest of keeping this  What’s Blooming  page brief, but simultaneously providing access to past reports, we have created an archive of previous reports

This season’s heavy rains have damaged some of the Rec Area’s trails. If you are not up to mud, stream crossings, and climbing into and out of washouts you might want to call the park office to check on trail conditions.

 

Zuma / Trancas Canyons

Zuma Loop Trail

 Date: 4/3/05

 

 

         About 25 species of wildflowers are in bloom in the lower canyon area. Dominant species include: bush and canyon sunflowers, scarlet pimpernel, black sage, and fiesta flower. Other species along the higher portion of the loop trail include Catalina mariposa lily, Indian paintbrush, bush lupine and blue-eyed grass. There is still a good amount of water flowing through Zuma Creek. All creek crossings are passable with some rock hopping. (KL)

 

Naturalist's rating: Good

 

Point Mugu State Park

La Jolla Canyon / Lower Loop Trails

 Date: 3/31/05

 

 

         Although the first mile is pretty dry and past its peak, the heat is really bringing out the deerweed, bush sunflower, yellow sweet clover, caterpillar phacelia, and coast paintbrush. Once past the waterfall however, the wide-open, sunny canyon becomes narrow and shady, and the plant life is more lush. The last of the coreopsis and wallflower are seen along with Indian pinks, eucrypta, fiesta flower, canyon sunflower, and wild rose. As you switch-back up the hill, you’ll come across good numbers of peninsular onion: clusters of purple, star-shaped flowers on single stems. Meandering along the upper canyon, look for the fruits of chaparral currant and lemonade berry plus some deep-purple Parry’s phacelia, greenbark ceanothus, and more paintbrush. If you take a left turn at the lower part of Loop Trail, you’ll quickly enter the valley’s famous grasslands dotted with mariposa lilies and blue-eyed grass. Look for the primary bunchgrass, Nassella pulchra (purple needlegrass), just coming into seed. Overall, about 60 species are blooming along the way.  (JG)

 

Naturalist's rating: Good to Very Good

 

Cheeseboro / Palo Comado canyons

China Flat Trail

 Date: 3/30/05

 

 

        On 3/30/05 we hiked the China Flat Trail in the Cheeseboro/Palo Comado canyon preserve. The trail was badly rutted by the recent rains, but dry. The flowers were out in large quantities with 82 species identified, warranting a very good rating. Starting immediately at the trail head just off Lindero Canyon Rd. we found a profusion of blooms starting with the mundane prickly sow thistle, sour clover, red stem filaree, hedge mustard, horehound, popcorn flower and bush sunflower. A large stand of Chilean clover and some windmill pinks, bur clover and scarlet pimpernel were scattered along the trail. Chamise, small evening primrose, black sage, hoary leaf ceanothus, bush monkey flower and wooly blue curl were also abundant. Yerba Santa was found all along the trail. The foliage was quite ragged, but many blooms were present. The lavender rock rose (Cistus), mule fat, blue dick, and masses of the long billed filaree were also seen. Annual cat's ear, owl's clover, dove lupine, purple nightshade, and wild cucumber had several representatives in bloom. Many small flowers were present in amongst the grasses including Chile lotus, Minute flowered popcorn flower, strigose lotus, silver puff and angel’s gilia.

        Proceeding further up the canyon we found Calif. buckwheat, mustard evening primrose, fern-leaf phacelia, morning glory, violet snapdragon and chia. Eucrypta, wishbone bush, stinging lupine, yellow monkey flower and common groundsel were also flowering. Deerweed was starting to bloom and many yellow pincushions were present.  We spotted slender bedstraw, tumbling mustard, two toned everlasting, and both the common Calif. poppy and the collarless poppy. Lace pod, Calif everlasting, fiddle neck, collared lupine and cobwebby thistle were plentiful. Several prickly phlox, black mustard, velvet leaf everlasting, sun cup and snake root were seen. The bright blue flowers of the hairy ceanothus and lots of miner's lettuce and some annual bedstraw were found. Fiesta flower, chickweed, spring vetch, pineapple weed, and dandelion were also found. Several elderberry were blooming as were small flowered fiddleneck, western ragweed, shepherd's purse,  and a single purple Clarkia.

        Grasses in bloom include soft brome, wild oats, hare barley, golden top, slender oats, rip-gut brome, Madrid brome, and red brome.  (RWM)

 

Naturalist's rating: Very Good

 

Rancho Sierra Vista

Satwiwa Loop / Hidden Valley Overlook

 Date: 3/29/05

 

 

         As the meadow grasses go to seed, the hills and canyons are coming into peak bloom with nearly 60 wildflower species seen. The high part of the loop—a half-mile stretch between the windmill and Upper Sycamore Canyon Trail—continues to show the best variety. Notables included hedge nettle, snake root, the last shooting stars, dove lupine, blue-eyed grass, continuing ceanothus, Indian pinks, black sage, fiesta flower, and miner’s lettuce. Better yet, the Hidden Valley Overlook Trail—often “overlooked,” but with great ocean views—turned up a profusion of mariposa lilies and golden yarrow, with lots of bush sunflowers, wishbone bush, and the first CA buckwheat and bush mallow. With this much on the lip of Upper Sycamore Canyon, the trail to the stream, waterfall, and down-canyon should be overflowing with flowers.  (JG)

 

Naturalist's rating: Good to Very Good

 

Circle X Ranch

Canyon View Trail

 Date: 3/27/05

 

 

        The Canyon View Trail is really one of the best for flowers.  Right off the bat there is chamise, blue dicks, California buckwheat and black sage in bloom.  In the frequent exposed rocky places there is an array of yellow monkey flower, larkspur, parry's phacelia, mustard evening primrose, popcorn flower and chia.  There are big patches of globe gilia along the trail.  In one spot there are caterpillar, big flower and parry's phacelia all growing together.  There is golden yarrow, sticky monkey flower, deerweed, stinging lupine, purple nightshade and woolly blue curls. There are more star lilies this year than I have ever seen before.  There are several lovely groups of mariposa lilies.  There are creeks which are frequently dry that are now flowing with water.  By these creeks red-skinned onion and annual paintbrush are blooming.  There are many clumps of rock rose.  . (DS)

 

Naturalist's rating: Very Good

 

Circle X Ranch

Grotto Trail

 Date: 3/27/05

 

 

        This easy-to-moderate trail goes downhill about 1.5 miles through riparian, grassland, and chaparral habitats, in shade and sun, with dramatic views of Boney Ridge and a few waterfalls. This time of year, the wildflowers are always good and over 60 species were viewed—though it’s not yet peaking. The standouts included Parry’s phacelia, golden yarrow, microseris, stinging lupine, mariposa lilies, spring vetch, canyon sunflower, blue-eyed grass, and mustard evening primrose. Just past the first waterfall, look for the rocky seep with moss, ferns, blue larkspur, California saxifrage, creek monkey flowers, and bunches of Chinese houses. After crossing the creek at the bottom of the hill, you’ll find a late-blooming fuchsia-flowered gooseberry, lots of blue dicks, and some giant star lilies. With spring in full swing, you might also notice the singing birds: purple finches, ruby-crowned kinglets, thrashers, house and canyon wrens, Hutton’s vireos, wrentits, woodpeckers, orange-crowned warblers, flycatchers—even an oriole and black-headed grosbeak near the trailhead. Birds, blooms, and lots of water for another month or two—catch it while you can. (JG)

 

Naturalist's rating: Good to Very Good

 

Circle X Ranch

Backbone Trail below Triunfo Peak

 Date: 3/23/05

 

 

        This trail is one of the newest sections of the Backbone Trail has been crafted with much care (when the trail was new someone did a good chunk of it in a wheelchair). As the trail has aged grass is taking over in places and displacing the pioneering wildflowers. The recent heavy rains have exposed rocks and caused several slides including one place were it is necessary to leave the trail to get around several massive boulders.  The gentle slope of the trail encourages water to pool on the trail making mud a frequent acquaintance after a rain.  The trail itself runs about six miles from the Mishe Mokwa trailhead to Yerba Buena Road at about mile 9.10.  I decided to come back on Yerba Buena and make a loop of it, adding another two miles (and about ten flowers to the count).  Be careful if you choose to do this since Yerba Buena has very little shoulder in some places.  On the weekends the heavier, often fast traffic might make this not a good idea.  Including the road, 96 different flowers were seen blooming.  However, much of the trail is not heavily flowered so I have only given this trail a “good” rating.

        Highlights include many Hollyleaf Cherry, the deep blue Hairy-leaved Ceanothus, several different species of Lupines, Prickly Phlox, Wild Morning Glory, masses of Blue Dicks, many Star Lilies, Chia, frequent encounters with Parry's Phacelia, a beautiful Fuchsia-flowered Gooseberry, several areas with Twining Snapdragon, Catalina Mariposa Lily (along the road), some Blue Larkspur, Chocolate Lily, Chinese Houses, Bush Monkey Flower, and a small creek surrounded by Red-skinned Onion.

        Also seen blooming were Annual Cat's Ear, Popcorn Flower, California Buckwheat, Wild Cucumber Golden Yarrow, Red-stem Filaree, White-stem Filaree, Annual Bedstraw, Narrow-leaved Bedstraw, California Filago, Eucrypta, Mountain Mahogany, Hollyleaf Redberry, Miner's Lettuce, Black Sage, Black Mustard (and three other unidentified mustards), Elderberry, Scrub Oak, Coast Live Oak, Purple Nightshade, Sow Thistle, Prickly Sow Thistle, Common Groundsel, Chamise, Greenbark Ceanothus, Bigpod Ceanothus, Hedge Nettle, Fiesta Flower, Two-tone Everlasting, California Everlasting, Canyon Sunflower, Bush Sunflower, Pacific Sanicle, Southern Tauschia, Yellow Monkey Flower, Creek Monkey Flower, Narrow-leaved Fringe-Pod, Pigmy Weed, Deerweed, Strigose Lotus, Coastal Lotus, Coulter's Lupine, Stinging Lupine, Bush Lupine, Collar Lupine, Henbit, Windmill Pink, Silver Puffs, Rock rose, Mustard Evening Primrose, Small Evening Primrose, Woolly Blue-curls, Bleeding Heart, Wishbone Bush, Horehound, Spanish Broom, Bigberry Manzanita, Bur Clover, Virgin's Bower, Skullcap, Rattlesnake Weed (Daucus pusillus), Owl Clover, Shooting Stars, Yellow Pincushion, Coast Goldfields, Poison Oak, Pineapple Weed, California Plantain, Woolly Lomatium, Field Clover, California Poppy, Chaparral Current, Turkey pea, Wild Radish, Cheeseweed, White Sweet Clover, Yellow Sweet Clover, and Blow Wives.  (TV)

 

Naturalist's rating: Good

 

Circle X Ranch

Mishe Mokwa and Sandstone Peak Trails

 Date: 3/21/05

 

 

        This six mile loop is quite popular, and while it often lags the nearby Canyon View trail in flower diversity, it more than makes up for it in grandeur of views. If you don't want to do the whole six mile loop and are mostly interested in flowers then the section from the trailhead to split rock usually shows three-quarters of the flowers of the whole loop. The trail is still muddy in places because of persistent springs along the trail, but most of the mud is shallow or avoidable.

        On 3/21/05 we hiked the Mishe Mokwa Trail primarily to view the chocolate lilies before they were done for the season. We were not disappointed, perhaps a dozen were blooming in the usual section along the trail. I noticed that quite a few of the plants exhibited the cut stems where a lily should have been. The trail was muddy is places, but readily traversed. Including the grasses some 69 species were found in bloom almost all in good quantities. A rating of good is assigned for this display.

        White and yellow flowers made up two thirds of the blooms. The whites included chamise, Calif. buckwheat, Catalina Mariposa lily, big pod ceanothus and lots of popcorn flower. A single cliff aster but a fair amount of wooly lomatium and miner's lettuce was seen. The usual morning glory, holly leaf red berry, eucrypta, wild cucumber, and two-tone everlasting were also present. A very unusual white bloom was found among a stand of Parry's phacelia, exhibiting the same leaves and large exserted white anthers of the typical deep purple Parry's phacelia. Perhaps this was Parry's ghost. Lace pod, holly leaf cherry, virgin's bower, poison oak, Calif. saxifrage, Calif. everlasting, and sandbar willow made up the rest of the white shaded blooms.

        The yellow/golden colors were represented by bur clover, deerweed, golden yarrow, sow thistle, strigose lotus, silver puff and a small evening primrose tentatively identified as yellow sun cup. Also in this group were common groundsel, yellow monkey flower, slender bedstraw, southern tauschia, snakeroot, Calif. collarless poppy and bush monkey flower. Rounding off this list were both mustard and miniature evening primrose, canyon sunflower, coast goldfield, and American winter cress. The red tinged colors were represented only by wild sweet pea, owl's clover and chaparral current.

        The violet/blue/purple color group contributed red stem filaree, black sage, blue dick, wooly blue curl and chia. Also seen were stinging lupine, purple night shade, chocolate lily, Parry's phacelia, and both dove and collar lupines. A violet snapdragon, some globe gilia, hairy leaf ceanothus and blue larkspur were also contributors. A strange green gall was found in several locations on a hoary leaf ceanothus. Also an unusual sight was the mass of what is believed to be spore cells rising above the thick moss with their little round green capsule supported on a 1/4 to 1/2 inch stalk.

         Grasses are plentiful and they included slender oats, Madrid brome, foxtail barley, golden top, red brome, blue grass, soft brome, and broom sedge grass. Some less frequently seen bird's foot fern was also seen.  (RWM)

 

Naturalist's rating: Good

 

Charmlee Wilderness Park

Fire Trail

 Date: 3/17/05

 

 

         Good wildflowers are blooming here, but you’ll need to find your own way around the park. There are no maps available and signage is very poor. As you cross from the bathrooms into the picnic area, take the trail to the left. This trail takes you into the area where the burn was two years ago. While flowers are fair at first, once you get into the burn area, you’ll find patches ranging from good to very good. We counted more than 50 species in bloom. There are lots of variety and good coverage. Highlights are fields of long beaked storks bill (non native, but very nice), along with fire followers like violet (twining) snapdragon, branching, caterpillar and Parry’s phacelias. We went to the cistern, then retraced our steps.  (SB)

 

Naturalist's rating: Good to very good

 

Nicholas Flat

Decker School Rd Trail to Pond

 Date: 3/17/05

 

 

         In a rainy year, this short, shady trail reminds you more of central and northern California with its dense greenery and profusion of miner’s lettuce, canyon sunflower, bedstraw, hummingbird sage, and snakeroot. But most was yet to bloom—give it a few more weeks. Once the trail opened out into hillside meadows, blue-eyed grass was hiding in the tall annual grass, and a few chocolate lilies and shooting stars lingered. Other notables among the 25 flowering species included clumps of coast paintbrush, fiddlenecks, golden yarrow, greenbark ceanothus, cucumber, and windmill pinks. With the pond brimming, two pairs of sharp ring-necked ducks dabbled among the water plants, soon to be heading north. (JG)

 

Naturalist's rating:  Fair

 

Leo Carrillo State Beach

Loop Trail to Ocean Overlook

 Date: 3/17/05

 

 

     This 2-mile trail is always a surprise especially if you hit it at peak season—which is starting right now. 60 species were counted with many profuse, yet often  seen in just small pockets over a short distance. Since the trail provides good elevation gain and slopes face many sun angles, micro-habitats are provided for plants with special needs. Of particular note was the high percentage of native bunch grasses along the whole trail, mostly nassella pulchra (needlegrass). Also continuous were bush sunflowers, morning glory, deerweed, mustard evening primrose, popcorn, sticky monkey flower, black sage, narrow-leaved bedstraw, wishbone bush, Parry’s phacelia, blue dicks, coast paintbrush, and locoweed. Those seen in pockets included mariposa lilies (along the first half-mile), scarlet buglers (middle-mile), 5 lupines—bush, bajada, collar, foothill, and stinging (in pockets), chia sage, bladder pod, prostrate spurge, coast lotus, Indian pinks, and CA plantain. A GREAT mix—get on out there. It should be good through early April. (JG)

 

Naturalist's rating: Very Good-Excellent

 

Cold Creek Area

Upper Stunt High Trail

 Date: 3/14/05

 

 

         Watch for the trailhead for this obscure trail on Stunt Road at the equestrian crossing road sign. Views of surrounding rocks are excellent as you descend the one mile trail. Although the manzanitas blooms are just about finished, there are still some in bloom plus about a dozen other species such as chamise and wooly blue curls which make the walk worthwhile. As you finish, cross Stunt Road and continue down the road a short distance to the Stunt Ranch area to continue your walk onto the Stunt High Trail.  (SB)

 

Naturalist's rating:  Good

 

Cold Creek Area

Stunt High Trail

 Date: 3/14/05

 

 

         Parking for this trailhead is on Stunt Road about 1 mile in from Mulholland Highway. Across the street is the entrance to the Calabasas Fire Road. We parked here and drove another car up Stunt Road where this trailhead starts at the telephone pole at the upper end of Stunt Ranch, UCLA Reserve parking. The two mile trail descends through the Stunt Ranch property to the creek where we turned right to continue along the creek back to the lower parking lot. Lots of flowers are in bloom here. We counted 35 species spaced along the trail with a good variety, blue dicks, eucrypta, wild cucumber, nightshade and mariposa lilies.   By far the highlights of this walk were the masses of red maids, fiddleneck and owl’s clover blooming in the meadow in the center of the walk and the baby blue eyes blooming along the bottom portion of the trail along the creek.    (SB)

 

Naturalist's rating:  Good

 


 

 

Contact Information:

 

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

 

401 West Hillcrest Drive
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

 

Ph. 805-370-2301

 

web. www.nps.gov/samo

 

Thank you

 

for your contributions:

 

Sheila Braden
Jack Gillooly
Ken Low
Robert W. Maughmer
Dorothy Steinicke
Tony Valois

If you would like to contribute to the wildflower report:

 

e-mail:
Tony_Valois@partner.nps.gov

 

or phone him at 310-457-6408