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Page Revised: 3/13/09 |
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Available Site Reviews Circle X Ranch Backbone Trail Cold Creek Preserve Rancho Sierra Vista / Satwiwa Caballero Canyon Malibu Creek State Park Peter Strauss Ranch Solstice Canyon Las Virgenes Canyon
Open Space Escondido Canyon Backbone Trail Rocky Oaks |
Date of Reviews 3/12 & 3/7. 3/7. 3/6 & 2/22. 3/3. 3/3 3/1. 3/1. 3/1 & 2/28. 2/27. 2/25. 2/14. 2/1. |
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What's Blooming photo gallery: http://www.researchlearningcenter.com/bloom/bloom.htm |
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The beginning of March is often the
true beginning of the wildflower season and this year seems to be no
exception. A lot has popped out in the last week or so. This is the time of year when the longer
days and warmer weather rapidly increase the displays of flowers. Up here at Circle X Ranch both of the blue
chaparral lilacs (greenbark ceanothus and hairy-leaved ceanothus) and the
white hoary-leaved ceanothus are beginning to bloom well now. –ed. |
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Circle X Ranch Rancho Sierra Vista Point Mugu State Park |
Backbone
and other misc. Trails |
Date: 3/13 |
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We started at Rancho Sierra Vista and
hiked a series of trails through Rancho Sierra Vista and Point Mugu State
Park until we ended up back at the CXR contact station on Yerba Buena
Road. On the way we passed through the
Tri-Peaks area and the popular Sandstone Peak area. Ironically, some of the best flower
displays of the day were seen along the shoulder of Yerba Buena Road. This is not so surprising since most of
these trails pass through dense chaparral which is not noted for grand flower
displays (unless some of the chaparral shrubs are themselves in bloom.) In addition, the shoulder of Yerba Buena
Road gets a lot of warmth from the sun so things are farther along than they
are on the trails of the north-facing slopes of the range. We did encounter both hairy-leaved
ceanothus and hoary-leaved ceanothus in bloom at the top, but both are not at
their peak yet. Some of the open rocky
areas on the Mishe Mokwa Trail are still thick with shooting stars –
another indication of how late our blooming season is this year. If you are looking for flowers the lower
elevations and open south facing areas will probably be a better choice until
the season moves along a bit more. For
example, people often overlook the Canyon View Trail at CXR, probably because
it does not have the sweeping vistas and exotic appeal of Sandstone Peak, or
the beautiful riparian areas and waterfalls of the Grotto Trail. Yet the Canyon View Trail usually offers
the flower watcher a lot more in the way of species diversity than either of
these other better known trails.
–ed. |
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Circle X Ranch |
Canyon
View Trail |
Date: 3/7 |
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While not as dramatic as the Grotto
Trail or the Sandstone Peak Trail, the Canyon View Trail is often one of the best
flower trails at CXR. The cool sunny weather and lush greens of the new
growth made for pleasant hiking. There are a large number of young plants
suggesting that if the remainder of the Spring weather cooperates we should
have a very good bloom this year. About forty five species in bloom, although
most are not appearing in great numbers yet. Highlights include greenbark
ceanothus, both white and purple nightshades, blue dicks, fiddleneck,
eucrypta, a couple of blue larkspur (with many plants in evidence), a few
wishbone bush, several California collarless poppy, a good crop of lace pod,
a couple of different lotus, some lupines (doing best along the shoulders of
the roads where it has been the warmest), several different plants in the
celery family all displaying their umbellate clusters of very tiny flowers,
skullcap, one owl's clover, pygmy weed, California peony, shooting stars
still doing well, henbit, and virgins bower. I would give this display a
"Fair" rating with expectations that it will rise quickly. –ed. |
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Backbone
Trail between Piuma Rd. & Stunt Rd |
Date: 3/7 |
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Bicolored everlasting [Two-toned
everlasting], Bird's-foot fern, Blue dicks, Buck brush, Bur clover, Tree Poppy
[Bush Poppy], California Maiden-hair fern, California polypody, California
poppy, Catalina mariposa lily (only one), Chickweed, Coastal wood fern
[California wood fern], Coffee fern, Common eucrypta, Eastwood manzanita,
Greenbark ceanothus, Big pod ceanothus?, Indian warrior, Miner's lettuce,
Popcorn flower, Prickly phlox, Purple nightshade, Red-stemmed filaree,
Snakeroot ?, Southern tauschia, Sugar bush, Wild cucumber, Wild sweet pea,
Wishbone bush, Lupines (not identified), Brewer's red maids ? I'd be happy to share photos and have any
mis-identifications corrected:
socalwildflowers@earthlink.net.
–S.L. Dickey. |
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Calabasas Peak |
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Date: 3/6 |
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California sunflower [Bush sunflower]
??, Golden yarrow ??, Succulent lupine [Arroyo Lupine]?, Bicolored
everlasting [Two-toned everlasting], Blue dicks, Bur clover, Common eucrypta,
Popcorn flower, Prickly phlox, Red-stemmed filaree, Sugar bush, Wild
cucumber, Wishbone bush, Bindweed, Black sage, Bush monkeyflower, California
buckwheat, Chia sage, Collarless California poppy, Coulter's lupine [Mohave
Lupine] Fiddleneck (Common), Fiesta
flower, Greenbark ceanothus?, Stinging lupine, Woolly paintbrush. –S.L. Dickey. |
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Cold Creek Preserve |
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Date: 3/6 |
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White chaparral currant ??, Bicolored
everlasting [Two-toned everlasting], Bur clover, Common eucrypta, Sugar bush,
Wild cucumber, Greenbark ceanothus ?, Buck brush, Tree Poppy [Bush Poppy], California
Maiden-hair fern, California polypody, Coastal wood fern [California wood
fern], Coffee fern, Eastwood manzanita, Purple nightshade, Southern tauschia,
Giant chain fern, Giant horsetail (sterile stem), Milkmaids. –S.L. Dickey. |
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Rancho Sierra Vista /
Satwiwa |
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Date: 3/3 |
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The Overflow parking area is a pretty
good area to see wildflowers right now. There are lots of Shooting Stars,
especially in broad patches on the north side of the road. There was also a
fair quality of red-stem filaree. If
you walk along the small path towards the ravine, there is a fairly good
cluster of Indian Paintbrush that is just about to reach peak bloom. In this
area there are a lot of John Jump-ups throughout. Most can be found next to
other large plants and not as much in the open grasslands. The popcorn flower
population is fair but can be easily missed because it is in only small
patches. We even found a California Poppy in bloom and two Chocolate Lilly
flowers with full and partial blooms. Along the road there was plenty of
mustard weed and some telegraph weed. Quite a bit of soap root was seen (not
in bloom at this time but gives hope to later on.) – M. Theune, L. Okazaki, & R.
Cromwell |
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Caballero Canyon |
Woodland
and Main Canyon Trail |
Date: 3/3 |
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Moderate rise, 800 foot elevation
gain, interior canyon, view of coastline of Palos Verdes and Catalina from top
of Mulholland, great view of S.F. Valley; early bloomers of shrubs and trees,
few annuals and perennials yet. Salvia
columbariae - Chia, Encelia
californica - CA Encelia, Bush Sunflower, Amsinckia menziesii - Common
Fiddleneck (also seen walking in the main canyon), Ceanothus spinosus -
Greenbark C., C. megacarpus - Bigpod C., Marah macrocarpus - Wild Cucumber,
Chillicothe, Cryptantha sp. and Plagiobothrys sp. - Popcorn Flowers, Ribes sp
R. aureum -, R. malvaceum, R. indecorum (?) it's the white-flowering one,
Golden Currant, pink Chaparral Currant, White-flowering Currant,
Dichelostemma capitatum - Blue Dicks
– H. Mason. |
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Malibu Creek State Park |
Misc.
West-end Trails |
Date: 3/1 |
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We parked at Cornell & Mulholland
and then hiked past the Regan Ranch Ranger Station. Yearling Trail : Buck brush, Cheeseweed,
Fiddleneck (Common), Henbit, Lupines (soon -- 10 days?), Miner's lettuce,
Peppergrass, Red-stemmed filaree, Redmaids, Wild radish (white & Pink),
Winter vetch ?? (the meadow areas were crammed with what will be either
Winter vetch or Spring vetch -- no blooms yet but there will be soon -
perhaps 10 days or so ??) Deer Leg
Trail : Chickweed, Fennel, Wild cucumber, Wild sweet pea (soon - 10
days?). – S.L. Dickey. |
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Peter Strauss Ranch |
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Date: 3/1 |
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Buck brush, California Maiden-hair
fern, Canyon sunflower (soon - 2 wks?), Chickweed, Coastal wood-fern, [California
wood fern], Fiddleneck (Common), Henbit, Milkmaids, Miner's lettuce, Wild
sweet pea (soon - 2 wks?), Wild cucumber.
– S.L. Dickey. |
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Solstice Canyon |
Sunrise
Trail |
Date: 3/1 |
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1600 foot elevation gain, fairly
strenuous but good trail. Gorgeous coastal
views. Rich Canyon history. Good showing of flowering plants. Clematis
ligusticifolia - Virgin Bower, Castilleja affinis - Indian Paintbrush,
Phacelia cicutaria - Caterpillar Phacelia, P. distans - Common P., P.
parryi - Parry's P., Dichelostemma
capitatum - Blue Dicks, Wild Hyacinth, Popcorn flower, Lupinus longifolius -
Bush Lupine, L. succulentus - Succulent L., Vicia sativa - Spring Vetch – H. Mason. |
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Solstice Canyon |
Misc.
Trails |
Date: 2/28 |
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Since I hiked three trails in the
park I tried to keep track of where I saw what. If a flower name is followed by
the abbreviation of a specific trail then I saw it on that trail only. Rising
Sun Trail (RS), Solstice Canyon Trail (SC), Dry Canyon Trail (DC.) Bermuda
buttercup, Bicolored everlasting, [Two-toned everlasting], Bindweed, Blue
dicks (RS), Bur clover, California sunflower, [ Bush sunflower] (RS),
California poppy (SC), California Blackberry, Canyon sunflower (DC, SC),
Castor bean, [Castor plant] -- right at Tropical Terrace, Common eucrypta,
Deerweed, Giant horsetail (sterile stem), Greenbark ceanothus (RS), Henbit
(SC), London rocket (SC), Parry's phacelia, Periwinkle, Popcorn flower (RS),
Purple nightshade, Red-stemmed filaree, Sticky phacelia, Stinging lupine
(RS), Succulent lupine ?, Terracina Spurge (SC) Virgin's bower (RS), White
nightshade, Wild cucumber (RS) (DC), Wild sweet pea, Woolly paintbrush
(RS) – S.L. Dickey. |
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Las Virgenes Canyon Open
Space |
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Date: 2/27 |
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Bicolor everlasting [Two-toned
everlasting], Bindweed, Buck brush, Bur clover, California sunflower [Bush
sunflower], Chia sage, London rocket, Fiddleneck, Miner's lettuce, Mule fat,
Peppergrass, Popcorn flower, Purple nightshade, Red-stemmed filaree, Wild
cucumber, Wishbone bush. – S.L.
Dickey. |
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Escondido Canyon Natural
Area |
Escondido
Falls Trail |
Date: 2/25 |
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Bermuda buttercup, Bicolored
everlasting [Two-toned everlasting], Blue dicks, Bur clover, California
buckwheat, California Maiden-hair fern, Canyon sunflower, Castor bean [Castor
plant], Coastal wood-fern [California wood fern], Coffee fern, Common
sunflower, Fennel, Fleabane aster, Greenbark ceanothus, Hummingbird sage,
Periwinkle, Popcorn flower, Red-stemmed filaree, Succulent lupine [Arroyo
Lupine] ?, Sugar bush, Terracina Spurge, Weedy oxalis, White nightshade, Wild
sweet pea, Wild morning glory, Wild radish, Wild cucumber, Wishbone plant
[Wishbone bush], Woolly paintbrush.
– S.L. Dickey. |
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Cold Creek Preserve |
Stunt High Trail |
Dates:
2/15, 18, & 22 |
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Greetings flower lovers! It's a great time to explore the local
creeks and waterfalls before the outburst of spring foliage makes them nearly
impassable. I'm guessing that the Cold
Creek Valley Preserve, (located below Stunt Road) is one of the few places in
the Agoura / Calabasas area which is always open to the public and where you
can see a nice display of ferns along the creek bed. (Note Cold Creek Preserve -- above Stunt
Road -- is open to the public during docent tours and by reservation.) Here's what I saw about 10 days ago: Blue
dicks, Buck brush, California peony, California everlasting, California
polypody, California buckwheat, California Maiden-hair fern, Chalk
live-forever, Chaparral currant, Cliff aster, Coastal wood-fern [California
wood fern], Coffee fern, Greenbark ceanothus, Lupines (Arroyo ?), Milkmaids,
Miner's lettuce, Periwinkle, Prickly phlox, Purple nightshade, Red-stemmed
filaree, Sugar bush, Tree tobacco, Wild cucumber. – S.L. Dickey. |
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Backbone Trail |
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Date: 2/14 |
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Today’s hike is the fourth of
the NPS sponsored Backbone Trail hikes in the 2008 – 2009 series. We
will be hiking west to east, one section of the Backbone Trail each month.
The weather was partly cloudy and cool. We started our hike where the
Backbone Trail crosses Encinal Canyon Road. We hiked the trail to the west
(really pretty much a northerly direction for this section), crossing
Mulholland Highway within 1.2 miles and continuing another 2.6 miles to the
Etz Meloy Motorway. This section of trail is entirely on NPS property and the
property ends about a half mile up the Etz Meloy Motorway, at which point we
have to turn around because NPS has not yet acquired the necessary property
to continue. The trail was moist from recent rains and views from the top
were spectacular, enhanced by snow topped mountains to the north and east. Most of the flower activity was just
beginning. There were some left-over Chaparral Current, Wild Cucumber and Big
Pod Ceanothus. Last year we had a second bloom of the Big Pod and I expect
that will happen this year as well. We had to check the veins in the leaves to
be sure the purple flowering Ceanothus was the Greenbark species. Mule Fat,
California Everlasting, Two-Tone Everlasting, Deerweed, Wishbone Bush, Tree
Tobacco and Morning Glory were scattered along the trail. Counting the
“weeds’ like Black Mustard we counted 19 species in bloom. The
section of trail above Mulholland was constructed fairly recently and many of
the flowers that like disturbed soil are beginning to appear. We saw a single
Parry’s Phacelia and young Bleeding Heart plants. Young Cliff Asters
are wide spread. We had two sunflower examples close enough to compare
differences between the Slim Sunflower and Canyon Sunflower. A couple California Fuschia, covered with
newly forming galls looked very strange.
Rating: poor. – B.
Elliott & R. Waycott |
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Rocky Oaks |
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Date: 2/1 |
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Blooms are only fair here now, but
many plants are in bud. This small site is worth seeing now and returning
again to watch the progress of the blooming season. We saw a few big berry
Manzanita with blooms going to berries, lots of red berries on the toyon. In
the pond were coots and ducks (shovelers). Tree frogs were croaking. Many
different types of lichen are visible. The only masses of blooms were on the
three species of white flowered ceanothus just about everywhere. It’s
worth going to practice your identification skills on the ceanothus. All their white flowers are similar. Big
pod ceanothus (megacarpus) has alternate leaves. Hoary-leaved ceanothus
(crassifolius) and buck-brush ceanothus (cuneatus) both have opposite leaves.
Both have thicker leaves then big pod. Both have corky stipules near the leaf
stems. Hoary-leaved has rounder leaves with occasional jagged teeth. These
leaves are very white (hoary) wooly on the underside. Buck-brush (cuneatus)
has wedge-shaped (cuneate) leaves with the narrow part near the stem.
Buck-brush can also be finely wooly on the underside. Trails on the western side of the
site have more flowers. – S. Braden & J. Gillooly |
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Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area 401 West
Hillcrest Drive 805-370-2301 |
If you
would like to contribute to the wildflower report: e-mail: or phone
Tony at 310-457-6408 |
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