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Available Reviews
Solstice Canyon Rocky Oaks Castro Crest |
Date of Review
1/17/17. 1/14/17. 12/28/16. |
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This time of year be on the watch for perennials, especially woody shrubs, vines and trees. They can respond quickly to the first rains of the year. Also, be prepared for trail issues after the recent rains. Please respect closures, they are for your safety. If you see anything hazardous let the Park know!
This site performs a public service that anyone can participate in. Let us all know what you are seeing. In general, if you are submitting a report I will get it faster if you use the gmail account 'SMMWildFlowers' rather than my nps.gov account. 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. |
| Solstice Canyon |
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1/17/17 |
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NPS site - Solstice Canyon (PCH & Corral Canyon Rd.) There is a 76 gas station on the corner where you turn and the entrance to the park is at the first bend in the road. This is a very popular site with a small parking lot so try to visit on a weekday.
As you start the one mile Solstice Canyon walk on the old driveway from the main parking lot, you'll see catkins on the Alder trees. Just past the nice view of the creek from the bridge, the old driveway goes right and soon you'll see a few flowers of white nightshade blooming, then you'll start to see clumps of wild cucumber blooms. The white flowers on long stalks are the male flowers, some of the female flowers close to the main vine have already formed the small spiky pods that enclose the plant's seeds. The best thing about this site is the California bay laurel trees starting to bloom. These sweet smelling clusters of small yellow flowers are clearly visible against the dark green long and slender bay leaves of these large trees. After enjoying the one mile walk up to Tropical Terrace you can return the way you came. Rating is promising. — Sheila Braden |
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| Rocky Oaks |
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1/14/17 |
| NPS site - Rocky Oaks (Mulholland Hwy west of Kanan Rd.) The short Rocky Oaks loop trail is muddy in spots. The path over the dam is dry. The pond has shrunk to a three foot wide mud puddle. On the slope the white pinkish flowers of big berry manzanita are just starting to bloom. What makes this site interesting are the lichens. Three types of the crusty growths are clearly visible on the leafless branches: green shield lichen (gray green), candle flame lichen (yellow), and firedot lichen (bright orange). Rating is promising. — Sheila Braden | ||
| Castro Crest |
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12/28/16 |
| The rain that has fallen has started to perk things up and it is clear that there will be flowers this year. This trail crosses creeks with water six or seven times. The flowers have not really started but they are close. The wild cucumber is pushing up and we saw a few blooming stalks. There are some milk maids blooming near the creek. We saw one blooming California everlasting and some big berry manzanita that was just about to open. — 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: Tony_Valois@nps.gov Or, for faster response use the gmail account 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"
