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Available Reviews
Point Mugu State Park Zuma Canyon Topanga State Park |
Date of Review
03/04. 02/16. 02/01. |
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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. |
| Point Mugu State Park and Preserve |
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03/04 |
I visited the park twice this week to see the giant coreopsis in full bloom. I parked before the paid parking on Westward Beach. Walking along the road are sea rocket, wishbone bush, sand verbena and bush sunflower. Both times I saw the gray whales feeding off the point, along with the sea lions hauled out and dolphin surfing.
— Kathy Jonokuchi
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| Zuma Canyon |
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02/16 |
The canyon is wonderfully green. I was there on a cool but sunny day and there were lots of butterflies in evidence; sara orange tips and other little blues, whites and yellows. I hiked in and up onto the northern shoulder of the canyon and then back down to the valley floor and along streambed. There are lots of purple nightshade, wild cucumber, wild morning glory, Indian paintbrush, locoweed and various sunflowers in bloom. To me the most exciting moment was when I discovered the chocolate lilies growing on the north shoulder of the canyon just before it heads downhill toward the valley floor. First I saw one and then realized that there were many that have popped up low to the ground. There are other geophytes in that area, blue dicks and blue eyed grass. Down by the creek, which is dry fairly deep into the canyon, I was surprised to find scarlet buglers blooming alongside the trail with many more in bud. The greenbark ceanothus are in bloom everywhere.
— Dorothy Steinicke
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| Topanga State Park |
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02/01/2022 |
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The huge rainfall that we received at the end of December has transformed Topanga and all of our mountains. Places that had been brown and parched are now vividly green. Even the areas that burned in last spring’s Palisades Fire are looking better.
This was a loop hike starting at Trippet Ranch, taking the Fire Road to the junction of Eagle Rock, Eagle Springs and the Musch Trail and returning on The Musch Trail, about 5 miles. Walking the Fire Road toward Eagle Rock you see the area that burned on your right and the unburned area on your left. Things are starting to bloom. Some things are blooming in both the burned and unburned areas. Wild cucumber is the most prevalent. The climbing vine is climbing other plants on the unburned side and is sprawled across the bare ground on the side that burned. Purple nightshade and blue dicks also seem to be doing well on both sides. The burned areas have succulent lupine popping up in clusters The unburned side is additionally hosting chaparral currant, popcorn flower, prickly phlox, eucrypta and lots of beautiful big pod ceanothus, really the star of the hike. Returning on the mostly unburned Musch Trail big pod ceanothus continues to reign supreme but there are also examples of blooming hollyleaf cherry, tree poppy, fuchsia flowering gooseberry and most surprisingly, one lovely stand of showy penstemon. If we get a significantly wet winter we may have a spectacular show of spring wildflowers in the burned areas. — 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"
