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Available Reviews
Topanga State Park Rivas Canyon Corral Canyon Zuma Canyon |
Date of Review
2/19 & 2/5. 1/31. 1/1. 12/29, 11/27. |
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This site performs a public service that anyone can participate in. Let us all know what you are seeing! 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. |
| Topanga State Park |
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2/19/20 |
This is a trail between Trippet Ranch and the Dead Horse Parking lot. It alternates chaparral with patches of woodlands. In the shady woodlands miner's lettuce is coming into flower. The chaparral areas are filled with blooming eastwood manzanitas, a fair amount of flowering wild cucumber, a bit of purple nightshade and fuchsia flowering gooseberry and just above the bridge the first blooming wild peonies that I have seen this year.
— Dorothy Steinicke
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| Topanga State Park |
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2/5/20 |
Musch Trail from Trippet Ranch to Musch Camp. In these weeks of winter weeks big pod ceanothus is covering the hillsides and making everything look white. There are also other early flowers in bloom; wild cucumber, eastwood manzanita, California everlasting and the occasional purple nightshade.
— Dorothy Steinicke
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| Rivas Canyon |
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1/31/20 |
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Rivas Canyon Trail is a trail that connects Temescal Canyon and Will Rogers State Historic Park. It is accessed from the road in Temescal Canyon, the trail is on the right.
This is the season of big pod ceanothus, it covers the mountainsides and its honey-like scent pervades the air. On the trail it is particularly striking when it is paired with the still scarlet toyon berries. Ceanothus are by far the predominant bloom but there are also wild cucumber, cliff aster, sugar bush, California everlasting, purple nightshade and twiggy wreath plant in bloom. This trail also offers stunning ocean views. — Dorothy Steinicke 
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| Corral Canyon |
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1/1/20 |
This is an area that burned thoroughly in the Woolsey Fire 14 months ago. It looks to be recovering well with new dense growth of chaparral on the hillsides and recovering oaks and sycamores on the valley floor. Not much was in bloom today, only cliff aster, twiggy wreath plant, wild morning glory and some clumps of slender sunflowers. However I saw plenty of signs of flowers to come. If we continue to get rain, and maybe even if we don't, this promises to have a spectacular spring bloom.
— Dorothy Steinicke
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| Zuma Canyon |
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12/29/19 |
1 month and 5 inches of rain since the last time I did this hike. There are actually fewer flowers in bloom but the hillsides are turning deep green and there is water flowing in the creek. The ashy buckwheat and cliff aster are still prevalent but there are some spring flowers that are popping up; locoweed, fuchsia flowered gooseberry and hedge nettle among them. This is a lovely hike and promised to only get better.
— Dorothy Steinicke
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| Zuma Canyon |
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11/22/19 |
We'd had the first rain of the season and I was eager to see the impact on Zuma Canyon, an area thoroughly burned a year ago in the Woolsey Fire. At first glance the canyon looks brown and dried out but a more thorough look shows the recovery that is taking place. The oaks, sycamores, black walnuts and toyon all have fresh new growth. While the area around the parking lot is choked with the dried remains of fifteen-foot invasive mustard plants, once you are away the dominant plants become rye grass, ashy buckwheat and mountain mahogany. The ashy buckwheat is in full bloom and is lovely. That is the only plant that is blooming profusely but the usual autumn plants are all there to some degree; sawtooth golden bush, California fuchsia, cliff aster and cudweed aster. I was surprised to find some spring blooming plants also in bloom; bush mallow, purple and white nightshade and sticky monkey flower. There is water in the creek in the back of the canyon and there I found some creek monkey flower. It is encouraging to see this beautiful space making a recovery and refilling itself with beautiful California native plants.
— Dorothy Steinicke
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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: 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"
