Page Revised: 05/27/2011

 

Available Site Reviews

Los Robles Open Space

Escondido Canyon Park

Rancho Sierra Vista

Point Mugu State park

Topanga Canyon State Park

Paramount Ranch

Malibu Creek State Park

Castro Crest

Red Rock Canyon Park

Triunfo Canyon Park

Circle X Ranch

Los Robles Open Space

Wildwood park

Oakbrook Regional Park

Cold Creek Canyon

Date of Reviews

05/26.

05/22.

05/21.

05/21.

05/19.

05/19 & 04/29.

05/18 & 05/15.

05/15 & 04/23.

05/15.

05/10.

05/02 & 04/21.

05/02.

04/26.

04/19.

04/19.

Quick Links:

Wildflowers of the Santa Monica Mountains - Photos of 850 SMM species.

Archive - Previous “What's Blooming” reports.

Outdoors - The Calendar of Events for the Santa Monica Mountains NRA.

Wildfowers Facebook - A place where people can share about flowers.

SMM WildFlowers - The Park's popular wildflower app for the iPhone/iPad.

 

        We had a great start this year with many of our winter flowers appearing as early as December.  The warm, dry weather we had early in the season made for pleasant hiking but shortened the season for many of our flowers.  I can’t remember a shorter ceanothus bloom up here at Circle X Ranch. In addition, that long early-winter dry spell was very hard on a lot of the plants. Many of the typical early season annual species were pretty scarce.  I’ve heard many comments like “... but we’ve had so much rain!” I must remind people that plants are living organisms and as such not very interested in high “average” quantity, but much more dependent on consistency, and we’ve had very little of that this year.  While many of the perennials are having a good to excellent year this remains about the worst year I’ve ever seen for many of the annuals.  I was hoping the later season annuals would look better because the rain was more consistent later on but even they seem to be having a weak year.  On the other hand most of annuals can still be found if you are willing to look, just not in the dramatic eye-popping displays of some of the recent past.

        As always, if you want to contact me or submit a flower report my email address is at the at the bottom of this page.  See you on the trails.

        – ed.

 


 

 

Los Robles Open Space

Los Padres Trail 

 Date: 05/26/2011

 

 

        The Los Padres Trail is off Moorpark Rd.  Go under the freeway and turn left on Los Padres Drive.   The trailhead is almost immediately on the right.  The hike starts with a stroll through an oak glen.  It is very pretty.  Then you will start a gradual up hill climb.  The climb becomes steeper going up the mountain which makes this a good exercise hike. There is a lovely view of Conejo Valley on one side and a peek of Hidden Valley and the expanse of the mountains on the other.  The varying shades of green in the mountains due to our recent rainfall is picture perfect.  Of course it is all downhill on the way back.  The whole hike takes about 1 1/2 hours.  Flowers of note were Indian pinks, lots of elegant clarkia, heart shaped penstemon, cliff asters, sticky monkey flower and a few patches of mayweed.  We also saw:  California everlasting, elderberry, greenbark ceanothus, canyon sunflower and bush sunflower, California poppy, morning glory, chamise, tree tobacco, black sage, purple nightshade, bull thistle, caterpillar phacelia, yarrow, bedstraw, verbena and horehound.  The amount of Italian thistle was a little overwhelming.  Look for the patch that is flattened where Fred fell.  We saw two beautiful California Sisters butterflies in the oak glen.– Fred and Nellie

 

Escondido Canyon Park

Escondido Falls Trail

 Date: 05/22/2011

 

 

        Escondido Canyon is located off Winding Way Drive which is off PCH.   The parking lot is near PCH, but there is a long walk through the neighborhood to reach the trailhead.  At the end of the trail is a waterfall.  It was only running moderately today, however, the ferns, moss and algae growing on the rocks was quite lovely.   At the beginning of the trail was the ever-prevalent black mustard and Italian thistle  and also a forest of hemlock.  We also saw:  tocalote, blue eyed grass, bush mallow, hummingbird sage, canyon sunflower, black sage, sticky monkey flower, Indian paintbrush, deerweed, wild rose, blackberry, purple sage, verbena, sweet yellow clover, lupine, elderberry, bush sunflower, cliff aster, vetch, scarlet pimpernel, heart shaped penstemon, hedge nettle, bedstraw and a small patch of coastal lotus.– Fred and Nellie

 

Rancho Sierra Vista /

Point Mugu State Park

Cabin Trail

 Date: 05/21/2011

 

 

        Take Wendy Drive past Lynn road until you reach the trailhead at Potrero Road.  There are several trails in this area.  The cabin trail is off the trail which leads to the waterfall.  We found an abundance of flowers and wildlife.  The air was filled with the buzzing of busy bees.  We saw many inside of flowers gathering nectar.  We also saw four types of lizards; alligator, side spot, western fence and  two huge whiptails.  One was on the road and another was hiding in a snowberry bush.  We also saw a large gopher snake slithering across the trail.  It was a very rewarding hike.  We were greeted at the beginning of the trail with wild rose bushes.  There was quite a lot of Italian thistle, which has been a usual sight this year and black mustard also.  Other flowers include:  wild radish, sticky monkey flower, California everlasting, California poppy, purple nightshade, farewell to spring, morning glory, red stemmed and bird beak filaree, horehound, vetch, tocalote, green bark ceanothus, deerweed, black sage, verbena, bush mallow, chamise, golden stars, microseris, fiesta flower, Indian pinks, mountain dandelion, white and yellow yarrow, hummingbird sage, canyon sunflower, elderberry, scarlet pimpernel, buckwheat, bush sunflower, wishbone, caterpillar phacelia, fennel, cliff aster, bedstraw, heart leaf penstemon, lupine, blackberry, hedge nettle, Indian paintbrush, snowberry  (it was a large bush, but only one flower) chalk dudleya and one cudweed hiding in the deerweed.– Fred and Nellie

 

Topanga Canyon State Park

Santa Ynez Canyon

 Date: 05/19/2011

 

 

        Entering on the Palisades side, trailhead at the end of Vereda de la Montura St. which branches off of Palisades Drive. 

        This is one of my favorite hikes.  The creekside area is always green and shady.  Be aware that a lot of the green is poison oak, long pants and long sleeves are a good idea. 

        This canyon is a gem in the summer time.  It gets a lot of summer flowers after the hillsides have dried up.  It is not quite there yet but there is still a lot of water in the creek and a lot of flowers in bloom.  Upon entering the trail flowering black sage, canyon sunflower and hedge nettle were immediately visible.  As I walked along I saw blackberry flowers, purple nightshade, sticky monkey flower, wild rose, deer weed, bush lupine, honeysuckle, lance leaf dudleya, sweet pea and wild morning glory in bloom.  The cream bush, which is one of the special flowers on this hike, is just getting started.  I really went on this trail to look at the chaparral portion that heads of the mountain to Trippett Ranch.  May often has spectacular flowers in this section.  Not this time.  There are flowers worth going to see, but not the abundance that is often there.  There are the usual chaparral flowers; yucca, golden yarrow, yellow pin cushion, chamise, Turkish rugging, California buckwheat and owl's clover.  There are only a few specimens of the more exciting flowers that often occur here; white snapdragon, scarlet larkspur, golden star lilies and globe gilia.  The scarlet larkspur looked as though it had been browsed by deer.  There were a lot of butterflies; checkerspots, California sisters, mourning cloaks, swallowtails and a lot of little blues.  – Dorothy Steinicke

 

Paramount Ranch

Trail behind the Train Depot

 Date: 05/19/2011

 

 

        I often don't think of  Paramount Ranch as a good hiking spot for sighting flowers, but this trail had quite an abundance of flowers.  It would be a great trail to take a family with younger children as the trail is short (about an hour) and the western town is fun and there are bathrooms.  Go through the western town to the train depot.  The trail is to the right and goes up a small hill.  Yarrow lined almost the entire trail with sprinklings of elegant clarkia and woolly blue curls.  The yellow and purple combination was quite appealing.  Other notable plants include:  golden current in berry, abundant black mustard, tocalote, red stemmed filaree, Italian thistle and milk thistle, mint leaf verbena, a very large horehound bush, caterpillar phacelia, perezia, purple clarkia, elderberry, chamise, buckwheat, a nice large patch of foothill penstemon, quite a few yuccas up the hillside, owl's clover, slender sunflower, purple nightshade, purple sage, golden stars, mountain dandelion, spring vetch, pineapple plant, and fiddleneck.  There is a short trail off to the left of the main trail which leads to a secluded picnic bench.  We also saw a baby rattlesnake slithering across the road and a horned lizard hiding in a bush.– Fred and Nellie

 

Malibu Creek State Park

Cistern Trial

 Date: 05/18/2011

 

 

        There are some nice blooms on the Cistern trail in Malibu Creek State Park.  The trailhead is located about 1.6 miles west of Las Virgenes Road on Mulholland Highway, on the south side of the street.  The trail is not signed, but there is a "no bikes" sign at the trailhead.  There is a colony of Matilija Poppies near the beginning of the trail.  I also saw California Buckwheat, Golden Yarrow, Black and Purple Sage,  Deerweed. Purple Nightshade, Canyon Sunflower, Sticky Monkeyflower, Woolly Bluecurls, Indian Paintbrush, Scarlet Pimpernel,  and Vervain.  Continuing west on the canyon bottom and turning right on the Cage Creek trail there are some annuals blooming; Elegant Clarkia, Caterpillar Phacelia, and at the junction of the Cage Creek trail and the Lookout Trail there is some Specked Clarkia.  Further on up the Lookout Trail there is White Popcorn Flower and Goldenstar.  The hike that I am describing is a 2 and 1/2 mile loop: Take  the Cistern Trail down to the canyon bottom and turn right,  right on the Cage Creek trail, and right on the Lookout Trail which takes you back to  the Cistern Trail.  – Jim Garafalo

 

Castro Crest

Backbone Trail

 Date: 05/15/2011

 

 

        The section of the Backbone trail from Kanan Rd to Latigo Cyn is showing some really nice blooms right now.   This part of the trail heads east , over tunnel #1 on Kanan Rd.  Among the flowers that you will see are Sticky Monkey Flower, Indian Paintbrush, Golden Yarrow,  Fiesta Flower, Mariposa Lily, a couple of different kinds of Phacelia, Black Sage, Purple Sage, Pitcher Sage, Wooly Blue Curls, Elegant Clarkia, Canyon Sunflower, and Bush Lupine.   If you cross the road when you get to Latigo Canyon road and continue east on the backbone trail for a little ways, there are even more nice blooms, including some Indian Pinks.  This trail has some of the best wildflower displays that I have seen this season in the Santa Monica’s.  – Jim Garafalo

 

Red Rock Canyon Park

Red Rock Fire Road

 Date: 05/15/2011

 

 

        The park is at the very end of Red Rock Canyon Rd. which intersects Old Topanga Rd.  Be careful on Red Rock Canyon Rd.  There are many blind curves and several places where it is essentially only one lane wide. 

        This was one of the nicest and most flower filled walks I've been on it a while.  The trail is a fire road that heads uphill out of the parking area.  On your right is a still running stream.  On your left towering rock walls pocked with many worn away holes.  There are masses of blooming flowers clustered together.  There is golden yarrow, elegant clarkia, blue dick, chamise, elder flower, wild roses, banks of Chinese houses, purple nightshade, virgin's bower in seed pods, canyon sunflower, sticky monkey flower, holly leaf cherry, California chicory, lance leaf dudleya, Indian pinks and lots of blue larkspur and farewell-to-spring.  The green hillsides above the creek are speckled with flowering yucca.  Continuing uphill you leave the rock formations behind and find yourself inside a giant green bowl.  There are still a lot of flowers along the road including black sage, wild morning glory, deer weed, bush lupine, California everlasting, Indian paintbrush, California buckwheat purple sage and a few mariposas.  There is one stand of surprisingly large hummingbird sage plants in bloom.  Surprisingly there are prickly phlox and greenbark ceanothus still in bloom.  The road comes to a T the left, downhill direction will take you to Stunt Rd.  The right continues uphill.  That is the way I went.  This stretch is much more exposed and had fewer flowers but there were still some rewarding surprises.  There was bush sunflower, yellow monkey flower, woolly blue curls, mustard evening primrose, popcorn flower, cliff aster and white snapdragon.  In one sheltered patch just off the trail there was a large clump of notable penstemon.  – Dorothy Steinicke

 

Malibu Creek State Park

Crags Road

 Date: 05/15/2011

 

 

        It was a beautiful day in Malibu Creek with blue skies and puffy white clouds and a wonderful day for a hike. However, there were not too many flowers.  We walked from the lower parking lot to the rock pool and then back to Crags Road past the  MASH site to the Malibu Lake community.  The flowers we saw were:  black mustard, spring vetch, storkbeak filaree, Italian thistle, poison hemlock, yarrow, purple sage, bedstraw, deerweed, bush mallow, sticky monkey flower, red stem filaree, popcorn flower, caterpillar phacelia, elderberry, foothill penstemon, farewell to spring, elegant clarkia, some large wild rose bushes and one brilliant deep red colored purple clarkia on the right hand side of the road past the MASH site.– Fred and Nellie

 

Triunfo Canyon Park

Pentachaeta Trail

 Date: 05/10/2011

 

 

        The Pentachaeta Trail is located at the end of Triunfo Canyon Road at Lindero Canyon Road.  The trail was delightfully blooming with flowers.  There was a few large patches of Pentachaeta fairly close to the trailhead.  We also saw elderberry, California poppy, elegant clarkia, yarrow, foothill penstemon, mulefat, hollyleaf redberry, black mustard, curly dock, California everlasting, chamise, Italian thistle, purple nightshade, gooseberry fuschia, milk thistle, sweet yellow clover, pineapple plant, blue eyed grass, yucca, blue dicks, purple sage, woolly blue curls, and lupine.  We went up a small trail to the right and saw creek monkey flower and globe lily.  The trail went into a dry creek and was so overgrown we went back onto the main trail, but were glad for the detour to see both of these flowers.  Back on the mail trail we saw black sage, mint leaf verbena, scarlet pimpernel, sticky monkey flower, golden stars (just a couple of almost dead ones).  Then we happened upon a gopher snake in the middle of the trail.  It looked at us for a few minutes and then slithered back into the grass.  Continuing on we saw deerweed, caterpillar phacelia, English plantain, and sugarbush.  We ventured up another small trail and encountered miner's lettuce, virgin's bower and some honeysuckle growing on a scrub oak tree.  It was a great hike!.  – Fred and Nellie

 

Circle X Ranch

Grotto Trail

 Date: 05/02/2011

 

 

        There is still a lot of water in the creek and newts cavorting which makes this hike especially nice.  There is black sage, canyon sunflower, blue dicks, blooming sugar bush, sticky monkey flower and purple nightshade.  Past the second creek crossing there is a rock wall with water seeping down it.  It is completely covered in masses of creek monkey flowers with a gathering of Chinese houses, Santa Monica Mountain dudleya and willow herb clarkia below it.  Really lovely.  The trail up to the meadow has popcorn flower, deer weed, caterpillar phacelia, wild morning glory, California chicory and woolly blue curls.  The meadow is carpeted with Catalina mariposa lilies and spring vetch.  Continuing down through the chaparral there are star lilies, flowering yucca, golden yarrow, chamise, hedge nettle, blue eyed grass and hummingbird sage.  Look for more newts in the creek below.  – Dorothy Steinicke

 

Circle X Ranch

Canyon View Trail

 Date: 05/02/2011

 

 

        This trail does not have the lovely accompaniment of a nearby stream, but as the name suggests, there are wonderful views.  The beginning of the trail (branching off from the Grotto Trail) is nearly carpeted with yellow monkey flowers.  There are twining snapdragons, black sage, California buckwheat, chamise, blooming yucca, wild morning glory, blue dicks as well as purple clarkia, elegant clarkia, globe gilia caterpillar phacelia and gorgeous Perry’s phacelia.  There are some collarless poppies and blooming sugar bush as well as star lilies and butterfly mariposas.  We walked as far as the creek filled with step pools and lined with blooming red skinned onions, creek monkey flower and speedwell.  A lovely spot.  – Dorothy Steinicke

 

Los Robles East

Oak Creek Cyn Loop

 Date: 05/02/2011

 

 

        This is a nice trail because it is close to Thousand Oaks and easy to access.  It is a good trail to hike when you don't have much time, but want some variety and a little bit of a workout.  Take Moorpark Rd. to where it dead ends at the mountains.  Turn right on Green meadow and follow to the trail head.  The trail starts in an oak grove.  When you leave the grove you'll be in a coastal sage scrub area.  The Los Robles east trail leads up to a hilltop that offers magnificent views of the Conejo Valley.  Chamise and black sage were in abundance.  Some other flowers that we saw include:  purple nightshade, horehound, Italian thistle, black mustard, annual bedstraw, rock rose (right near the parking lot) white nightshade (near the trailhead), elderberry, pearly everlasting, gooseberry fuschia, sugar bush, canyon sunflower, popcorn flower, sticky monkey flower, cobweb thistle (up a small trail to the right), prickly phlox, deerweed, goosefoot, yarrow, verbena, mariposa lily, sweet yellow clover, scarlet pimpernel, fiddleneck, tree tobacco, greenbark ceanothus, morning glory, bush sunflower, stork's beak, and one blue dick.  Other notable sightings include:  a prickly pear with fruit, five wild cucumber seed pods hanging in a row on a tree branch looking like Christmas ornaments and a yucca in bud.  All in all it was a great hike considering it was a quick get away after work.  – Fred and Nellie

 

Paramount Ranch

Misc. Trails

 Date: 04/29/2011

 

 

        Leaving the Western Town area I took the Coyote Trail and then wound around to the northwest and returned by way of an informal trail through the grassland.  In less than two miles I saw spring vetch, blue dicks, purple nightshade, golden yarrow, elegant clarkia (early), wishbone flower (late), elder flower, chia and chamise in bloom.  There was owl's clover, flowering yucca, caterpillar phacelia and woolly blue curls.  In the deep shade there were Chinese houses, fiesta flowers, hummingbird sage, prickly phlox, sugar bush and cinquefoil.  In the grassland there were a lot of California poppies.  – Dorothy Steinicke

 

Wildwood Park

Misc. Trails

 Date: 04/26/2011

 

 

        We started at the main trailhead on Arboles and headed west, then down to the creek, continuing west along the creek to the falls, the picnic areas, and the treatment plant, and then north up the switchbacks to lizard rock. From there you have a magnificent vista including the lovely broad open valley looking back east to where you can see your car sitting in the distance. The only annuals that seem to be doing well are the weedy one's I'll not mention by name here. It was a lovely hike on a lovely afternoon, but of the about thirty species found in bloom there was not much to write home about. Some of the highlights include purple sage, blue dicks, Several Catalina mariposa lilies scattered in the grassy fields, chamise, California wild rose, California buckwheat, Turkish rugging, black sage, yucca, rattlesnake weed (the low prostrate one) caterpillar phacelia, chia, bush mallow, morning glory, golden yarrow, popcorn flower, wishbone bush, sugar bush, California blackberry, purple nightshade, and scarlet pimpernel. As you can see I gave up and added some of the weeds to this list just to make it a bit longer.  – ed.

 

Castro Crest Area

Backbone Trail

 Date: 04/23/2011

 

 

        This is becoming one of my very favorite places to hike.  There are amazing views from the parking lot. Standing at the trailhead you can see golden yarrow, deer weed, woolly blue curls, black sage, chamise and wild morning glory in bloom.  Descending through the chaparral there is blooming California everlasting, purple nightshade, chaparral current, sticky monkey flower and popcorn flowers.  Entering the wooded canyon bottom you cross and recross little streams.  I counted fourteen water crossings in all.  In that wooded shade there are milkmaids, miner's lettuce, sweet pea, fiesta flowers, johnny jump ups, fuchsia flowering gooseberry and canyon sunflowers.  Rising up again through the chaparral there are California poppies and blue dicks. Walk as far as you like and return as you came.  – Dorothy Steinicke

 

Circle X Ranch

Backbone Trail

 Date: 04/21/2011

 

 

        This section of the backbone trail from the parking lot at the Mishe Mokwa Trailhead out to the south side of Triunfo Peak overlooking the ocean and then back is one of my favorites. It has a good variety of habitats and many sheltered nooks and crannies which can harbor shy flowers. For this time of year it is probably one of the best flower producers at Circle X Ranch. The flowering highlights included bush mallow, golden yarrow, bush sunflower, a couple of the little native clovers, red-skinned onion, lance-leaved dudleya, bush lupine, chia, chinese houses, a couple of chocolate lilies still holding on, a few woodland star, blue larkspur, sticky cinquefoil, a single farewell-to-spring, elderberry, Parry's phacelia, yellow monkey flower, holly-leaved cherry, fiesta flower, miner's lettuce, hedge nettle, wild cucumber, sugar bush, morning glory, california everlasting, purple nightshade, popcorn flower, caterpillar phacelia, bush monkey flower, black sage, tarweed, silver puffs, brown microseris, virgin's bower, Chinese houses, woodland star, a couple of the little wooly-heads, deerweed plus a couple of it’s small lotus cousins as well, ceanothus megacarpus in a spare second-bloom, rock rose, Eastwood manzanita, chamise, prickly phlox, buckwheat, woolly blue curls, blue dicks, Douglas sandwort, and the common fiddleneck. All told well over seventy different species in bloom but most only in modest to low numbers. Still, a pretty darn good showing in an off-year.  – ed.

 

Oakbrook Regional Park

Hidden Meadow Trail 

 Date: 04/19/2011

 

 

        The trailhead is located at the end of Falling Star Ave. which is off of Kanan Rd.  Go all the way to the end of the Cul de sac.  The trail is on the right side of the street.  We started out thinking there wouldn't be much to see.  However, we were mistaken.  We went at 4:00 in the afternoon, which was a perfect time as the sun was low, the shadows abundant, and a gentle breeze.  Chemise and black sage were blooming along the whole trail.  The scent of black sage was delightful.  We also saw these plants in bloom: bush sunflower, sugar bush, California buckwheat, prickly phlox, morning glory, black mustard, prickly poppy ( just one on the left hand side), purple nightshade, sticky monkey flower, hoary leaf ceanothus, two tone everlasting, popcorn flower, lupine, wooly blue curls, deer weed, wishbone, nolina, strigose lotus, cobweb thistle, horehound, caterpillar phacelia, hairy leaf ceanothus, Brauton’s rattle weed, 1 blue dick, slender sunflower, wild cucumber, foothill penstemon, and bedstraw.  The Brauton’s rattle weed was located on a side trail to the left just before you reach a large fire road with a power line.  There were five plants in bloom.    When we walked up the hill we were greeted by several areas filled with slender sunflowers and woolly blue curls.  It was a nice view at the top of the hill.  – Fred and Nellie

 

Cold Creek Preserve

 

 Date: 04/19/2011

 

 

        We hiked in the creek bed and along the upper trail.  We also saw several California frogs in the creek. The plants that we saw in bloom:  Caterpillar phacelia, popcorn flower, storksbill filaree, canyon sunflower, sweet yellow clover, horsetail, morning glory, sticky monkey flower, sugar bush, purple nightshade, bedstraw, blackberry, poison oak, mule fat, pitcher/hummingbird sage, miner's lettuce, bush lupine, black sage, California buckwheat, Indian pink, greenbark ceanothus.  – Fred and Nellie

 

Cold Creek Canyon

 

 Date: 04/19/2011

 

 

        We hiked mainly along the creek but saw a lot of flowers on the path down to the creek and on another path returning from the creek.  There was a lovely grove of white thorn ceanothus, which is an unusual sight.  Most of the blooms on the white thorns were gone but we spotted a few.  We saw a lot of single stemmed yellow aster-like flowers in the meadow areas.  I couldn't find their name.  They had grasslike stems and leaves.  These are the plants we saw in bloom: elderberry, blue dick, purple nightshade, filaree, wild cucumber, California buckwheat, deerweed, sweet pea, sticky monkey flower, canyon sunflower, wild dandelion, gooseberry fuschia, yellow sweet clover, bajada lupine, greenbark ceanothus, pimpernel, black sage, cotton plant, sugar bush, yarrow, bedstraw, pitcher/hummingbird sage, windmill pink, blackberry, spring vetch, bur-weed, coastal live oak, shiny lomatium, poison oak, milk maids, white thorn ceanothus, sow thistle, prickly phlox, pin cushion, fiesta flower, two tone everlasting, mountain mahogany, chia, yucca, arroyo willow, scarlet buglar, notable penstemon.  – Fred and Nellie

 


 

Contact Information:

 

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

 

401 West Hillcrest Drive
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

 

805-370-2301

www.nps.gov/samo

If you would like to contribute to the wildflower report you can e-mail the editor at:
Tony_Valois@partner.nps.gov

 

or phone Tony at 310-457-6408

What’s Blooming

on the web at

 www.researchlearningcenter.com/bloom

or go to

www.nps.gov/samo and click on “What’s Blooming