Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Logo

Updated April 10, 2016
Available Reviews
Circle X Ranch
Triunfo Creek Park
Malibu Creek State Park
Point Mugu State Park
Topanga State park
Date of Review
3/28.
3/24, 3/20.
3/23.
3/19.
2/17.

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.
Outdoors - The Calendar of Events for the Santa Monica Mountains NRA.
Wildflowers Facebook - A place where people can share about flowers.
SMM WildFlowers - The Park's popular wildflower app for the iPhone/iPad.

Not very many reports have been submitted so far this year. Part of that may have been due to a technical problem with my Park email account. In general it is faster to try to connect with me using the gmail account listed below rather than the dot-GOV account.

This site performs a public service that anyone can participate in. Let me know what you are seeing. If you are new to submitting a report be sure and read the short How To Submit a Flower Report
 ‑ ed.





Circle X Ranch
Mishe Mokwa Trail
3/28/16
         The Mishe Makwa is incredibly rewarding as far as flowers right now. We hiked the loop, starting at the Mishe Makwa trailhead and going clockwise toward Sandstone Peak first.
         Just immediately at the beginning of the trailhead we were greeted by the only Catalina mariposa lily that we would see on the entire hike. It was lovely and elegant and presaged beauty to come. There was also golden yarrow,blue dicks, wooly blue curls, bush lupine, twining snapdragon, shiny lomatium, small evening primroses, fiddleneck and yellow monkey flowers. When we approached Sandstone Peak there were sticky monkey flowers and, surprisingly, prickly phlox, a showy flower that usually blooms much earlier in the year. After visiting Sandstone Peak we made the long downhill to Split Rock and saw lots of virgin's blower, blue larkspur, padres shooting stars, yellow pincushion, collarless poppies, goldfields, owl's clover and popcorn flower. It was almost overwhelming. Just before Split Rock we encountered ground pinks, sweet peas and peonies. Heading up from Split Rock we saw milkmaids, flowers that usually bloom much earlier in the year, chia, parry's phacelia and chocolate lilies. It was a very special hike.  ‑ Dorothy Steinicke
Contributer Supplied Photo


Triunfo Creek Park
Pentachaeta Trail
3/24/16
         I feel a bit late to the Triunfo Park bloom but it turns out a lot of species are in peak right now, with others still to come. The annual show of goldfields (L. gracilis) is as bright as usual. This year the show is, in places, intermingled with the fairly uncommon grasslands silverpuffs which provide a pale yellow speckling about midway along the trail. The other goldfields (L. coronaria) is also out, but solitary and rarely seen. Other plants well in bloom along this trail include purple owl's clover (near the start), purple nightshade, Indian warrior, Miner's lettuce, wide-throated monkeyflower, black sage, red-skinned onion (haven't seen this here before!), California saxifrage, longspur seablush, and fuchsia-flowered gooseberry. Shooting stars are in flower near the end of the trail, but most are long past their best.
         PS. Don't overlook the dotseed plantain! This may be a grass, but its 5-petalled blooms are very unique. It is common all over.
         The hike itself is fair going but reasonably simple. There are some minor slopes but they can take your breath if you rush, and be careful not to trip because there are lots of rocks about. There is no parking or entry fee here.  ‑ James Bailey


Malibu Creek State Park
Phantom Trail
3/23/16
         Walked the Phantom Trail in Malibu Creek State Park on 3/23/16. Many flowers are starting to bloom! I saw Filaree, Eucrypta,Morning Glories,Purple Nightshade,Bush Sunflower, Stick Phacelia, Popcorn Flower,Wishbone Bush,Indian Paintbrush,Owls' Clover, Fiddleheads, and Caterpillar Phacelia. Further up the trail there are California Golden poppy's and Red Maids. The signed trail is about a mile and a half west on the intersection of Mullholand Hwy and Las Virgenes Road on the North side of the street.  ‑ Jim Garafalo
Contributer Supplied Photo


Triunfo Creek Park
Pentachaeta Trail
3/20/16
         Verdant Green everywhere! And the wildflowers are starting to pop:
         Goldfields, Linanthus (Ground Pink), Fiddlenecks, Popcorn Flowers, Chocolate Lilies, Yellow Pansies, Wild Cucumber. California Poppy, Blue Dicks  ‑ Jeri Edwards


Point Mugu State Park
Sycamore Canyon Trail
3/19/16
         Along the sycamore canyon trail Pitcher Sage, Padre Shooting Stars (both pink and white), California poppies, Phacelia, Nightshade, Blue Dicks,Wishbone Bush, Bleeding Hearts, Monkey Flower,Elderberry is in bloom, Ceanothus is in bloom, poison hemlock, Indian Paintbrush, Morning Glories, Cliff Aster, Wild Sweet Pea, Wild Cucumber, California Poppy, Bush Sunflower.  ‑ Jeri Edwards


Topanga State Park
Topanga Nature Trail
2/17/16
         Spring has arrived in Topanga Canyon. This week, for the first time, the live oaks are covered in their catkin flowers. On the Topanga Nature Trail flowers are starting to burst out. Things are just starting. There are a lot of wild cucumber flowers and even some soft young cucumbers. As you turn to walk out on the chaparral loop portion of the nature trail there is an impressive chaparral current bush. There is a little green bark ceanothus, some mule fat, bush sunflowers, California everlasting, California buckwheat, wild morning glory and purple nightshade on the Nature Trail. It is a beginning and hopefully there will be much more soon.  ‑ Dorothy Steinicke
Contributer Supplied Photo




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:
Tony[underscore]Valois@nps.gov
Or, for faster response use the
gmail account SMMWildFlowers


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

or go to

www.nps.gov/samo
click on "Things to Do"
and "Look for Wildflowers"


experience your America

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