Page Revised: 3/23/08
Available Site Reviews Triunfo Cyn. Park Point Mugu State Park Circle X Ranch Lake Eleanor Open Space Castro Crest Area Cold Creek Preserve Rancho Sierra Vista Upper Zuma/Trancas Cyns Rocky Oaks Leo Carrillo State Park	Date of Review 3-22-08. 3-19-08, 3-1-08. 3-14-08, 2-18-08, 2-10-08, 2-8-08. 3-10-08. 3-9-08, 3-8-08. 3-8-08. 3-2-08. 2-23-08. 2-14-08. 2-2-08.
What's Blooming photo gallery: http://www.researchlearningcenter.com/bloom/bloom.htm What's Blooming archive: http://www.researchlearningcenter.com/bloom/archive/index.htm Calendar of Events: http://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/outdooractivities.htm

Triunfo Cyn. Park		Misc. trails	Date: 3/22/08
	This unit is often one of the best in the whole Rec. Area for easy access to good numbers of showy flowers. I have not had a chance to hike the famous and always worthwhile Pentachaeta Trail, but I saw enough to feel confident in providing this unit with a “Good” rating. One of my favorites there is the now abundant “ground-pink” and its relatives. (ed.)
	Rating: Good

Point Mugu State park		La Jolla Canyon and La Jolla Valley Loop trails	Date: 3/19/08
	The star attraction of this area is the Giant Coreopsis which are now in full bloom. In the 20 plus years we’ve been hiking this trail, we have rarely seen them as numerous or as magnificent. There is a batch of Datura in front of the restrooms at the start of the trail. Also, copious numbers of Wild Sweet Pea, Indian Paintbrush, Blue Dick, Lupine and Filaree line the trail. Other flowers observed were: Tree Tobacco, Buckwheat, Deerweed, Monkey Flower, Everlasting, Morning Glory, Bush Sunflower, Bladder Pod, Parry’s Phacelia, Popcorn Flower, Mustard Evening Primrose, Black & Purple Sage, Bristly Ox- Tongue, Ceanothus, Oxalis, Wild Cucumber, Hedge Nettle, Celery, Wild Blackberry, Arroyo Willow, Coast Wallflower, Fuchsia- Flowered Gooseberry, Purple Nightshade, Lemonade Berry, Chaparral Currant, Blue Eyed Grass, Calif. Poppy, Calif. Goldenrod, Gumplant, Shooting Stars, Indian Pink and Miner’s Lettuce. Across PCH, on the beach we observed Pink Sand Verbena and Beach Evening Primrose. (Richard & Agnes Thaler)
	Rating: Good

Circle X Ranch		Mishe Mokwa trail	Date: 3/14/08
	The last couple of weeks have made a big difference in the number of flowers in bloom, both in terms of variety as well as quantity. However, we still do not have the numbers that this trail is capable of displaying. On the other hand signs are that things will get quite a bit better soon. Some species, like the chaparral current and bigpod ceanothus have already peaked and are on their way out. Others, like the shooting star are very near their peak. Most species are still on their way up the blooming curve. It is worth noting that this area has a good number of different ferns, mosses, and liverworts as well. The view from Sandstone Peak was quite good although not as clear as it has been. Flowering highlights include large numbers of shooting stars, popcorn flowers, lotus, a few woolly blue curls, evening primroses, skullcap, quite a few blue dick, a few black sage, wooly lomatium, ceanothus oliganthus, purple sage, California everlasting, California saxifrage, wild cucumber, coast goldfields, Eastwood manzanita, wild sunflowers, miner’s lettuce, eucrypta, fuchsia-flowered gooseberry, blue larkspur, quite a bit of winter cress in wet areas, prickly phlox, and California peony. The deep blue hairy ceanothus might be quite good very soon. We saw quite a few rosettes of the chocolate lily but it will be a while before they begin to bloom. As usual, there were sections with poison oak near the edge of the trail especially in the damp and shady areas. It can be easily avoided but it might be considered a hazard if you are not familiar with it. All told, better than fifty different species in bloom. (ed.)
	Rating: Fair

Lake Eleanor Open Space		Date: 3/10/08
	The Lake Eleanor Open Space Area is exploding with wildflowers (in the hills southeast of the intersection of Westlake Blvd. and Potrero Rd.). The bloom is uneven and composed mostly of tiny flowers; but there are a lot of them -- such as angel's gilia, ground pink, lace-pod, dobie-pod, goldfields, goldentop, comb-bur, miner's lettuce, popcorn flower, slender phlox, athysanus, shiny peppergrass, shooting stars (fading), tomcat clover, small evening primrose, both collar and dove lupine, strigose lotus, nest-straw, California plantain, fiddleneck, wild cucumber, common bedstraw, blue dicks, and common groundsel. (Jay Sullivan)
	Rating: Fair to Good (depending on where you're standing)

Castro Crest Area		Backbone Trail	Date: 3/9/08
	This hike was the sixth of the 2007-2008 Backbone Trail NPS Series. We will be hiking the entire Backbone Trail, one part each month and reporting on the flowers when they are plentiful enough to be of interest. This hike covered a distance of about 7 miles. The weather was clear and quite windy, although most of our time was in canyons sheltered from the wind. Backbone Trail sections Including one half mile west of Kanan Road (starting from the overflow parking) crossing Kanan Road, crossing Latigo Road and Latigo Motorway to Corral Canyon Road. We recorded seeing 49 species in bloom, with a couple additional ones in question. The rains of a few weeks ago have made all the difference in seeing vastly more flowers than in the past two years. Milkmaids, Wild Cucumber, and Red Stem Filaree dominated the display. There were perhaps a few California Everlasting and many Two-Tone Everlasting. In the way of trees; Coast Live Oak, Mountain Mahogany, and Arroyo Willow. Among the shrubs were the Greenbark, Big-Pod, and Hoary Ceanothus, the Mule Fat, Fuchsia-Flowered Gooseberry, Coyote Brush, Black and Purple Sage, Eastwood Manzanita and a single Woolley Blue Curl. Just west of Kanan Road we saw a small cluster of Blue Larkspur, then the usual Spanish Broom that lines Kanan Road in this area. We noted quite a lot of Indian Paintbrush, Blue Dick, and Chaparral Current in its second bloom. There were scattered Lupine, Hummingbird Sage, Sunflower and Canyon Sunflower, Wild Peony and a few spectacular Prickly Phlox. Among the small flowers were Miner’s Lettuce, Birdfoot Trefoil, Wishbone Bush, Eucrypta, Bur Clover, a single Rock Rose and a single Johnny-Jump-Up. The Tree Poppy, California Buckwheat, Narrow Leave Bedstraw, and Woolly Lomatium are making a start. As we reached the section that burned two years ago, about the last quarter mile of our hike, Morning Glory has taken over. We also saw Popcorn Flower along side its minute sibling and a few small Red Maids, and finally our first Golden Yarrow for this season. (Burt Elliot)
	Rating: Fair

Castro Crest Area		Backbone Trail	Date: 3/8/08
	Things are improving. We walked from Kanan to Castro. Great showings of peony and milk maids in particular. Otherwise a complete listing follows: man-root, two-tone everlasting, California everlasting, four o'clock, hoary-leafed ceanothus, big-pod ceanothus, hairy-leafed ceanothus, coast live oak, mule fat, willow, milk maids, miners lettuce, chaparral currant, fuchsia-flowered gooseberry, purple larkspur, walnut, poison oak, purple nightshade, paint brush, crimson pitcher sage canyon sunflower, bush sunflower, tree poppy, slender sunflower, blue-eyed grass, peony, purple sage, elderberry, California buckwheat, southern tauschia, black sage, prickly phlox, blue dicks, mountain mahogany, big berry manzanita, wooly lomatium, eucrypta, popcorn flower large-flowered, morning glory, golden yarrow, small evening primrose. In full bud and could have burst open by today: elder berry, California saxifrage, star lily, virgins bower. (Ralph Waycott)
	Rating: NR

Cold Creek Preserve		Stunt High Trail	Date: 3/8/08
	The winter rains are paying dividends. This is a lovely hike at any time of year but especially wonderful in spring. On my hike I saw more milkmaids in the riparian section than I ever recall seeing. Wild cucumber is abundant, carpeting the ground in many places. There is also popcorn flower, eucrypta, miner's lettuce and sweet pea. Climbing up from the riparian area there are purple nightshade, big pod and greenbark ceanothus, blue dicks, canyon sunflower, bush poppy and fuchsia flowering gooseberry. (Dorothy Steinicke)
	Rating: NR

Satwiwa/Rancho Sierra Vista		Wendy Loop trail	Date: 3/2/08
	Today, we hike a very windy Wendy Loop at Satwiwa/Rancho Sierra Vista. We saw Johnny Jump Up, blue dick, wild cucumber, California everlasting, Chaparral currant, purple nightshade, peony, canyon sunflower, wild sweet pea, wild radish, white sage, lots of shooting star, filaree, California poppy, bush lupine. At the visitor center garden, the golden currant, bladderpod, vervain and fuschia flowered gooseberry were in full bloom. I'd rate this fair, compared to last year. (Kathy Jonokuchi)
	Rating: Fair

Point Mugu State Park		Misc. Trails near Danielson	Date: 3/1/08
	The Santa Monica Trails Council performed trail maintenance in Point Mugu State Park. We began at Danielson Ranch in Sycamore Canyon. There is a really nice meadow right in the back of the campground that's full of henbit, shepherd's purse and common fiddleneck. As we proceeded up Blue Canyon we observed wild cucumber, morning glory, shooting stars, canyon pea, black sage, and chaparral currant. After about 0.8 miles we turned to the north up Old Boney Trail where we did most of our work and saw big pod and green bark ceanothus, purple nightshade, popcorn flower, indian paintbrush, wishbone bush, california everlasting, blue dicks, bush sunflower, and turkish rugging. Very green, very wet, very nice. It seems spring is about to burst out all over. (Greg Sweel)
	Rating: Fair

Upper Zuma/Trancas Cyns		Backbone Trail Encinal to Kanan	Date: 2/23/08
	Today, 2/23, the [NPS sponsored] BBT hike took us between Encinal and Kanan (Tunnel #1), through the upper watersheds of Trancas and Zuma canyons. We saw the following in bloom: purple night shade, green bark ceanothus, chaparral currant, big pod ceanothus, deer weed, California everlasting , cucumber, wish bone, California buckwheat, morning glory, fuchsia flowering gooseberry, telegraph weed, wooly aster, peony, willow, milk maids, mountain mahogany, hummingbird sage, black sage, indian warrior. Enjoy. (Ralph Waycott)
	Rating: NR

Circle X Ranch		Mishe Mokwa, Grotto, and Canyon View trails	Date: 2/18/08
	Still few flowers to be seen but a few more of Spring’s early bloomers are appearing. Of note is the appearance of blue larkspur on the Grotto trail and blue dicks on the Canyon view. Shooting stars are beginning to appear in better numbers on the Mishe Mokwa trail, although the spectacular crop of plants on that trail have hardly even begun to bloom yet. Others that we have been seeing for some time include the chaparral current, wishbone bush, wild cucumber, purple nightshade, prickly phlox, and bigpod ceanothus. (lists submitted by Dorothy Steinicke)
	Rating: NR

Rocky Oaks		Miscellaneous Trails	Date: 2/14/08
	A quick survey of several of the trails turned up very little. In fact, overall, fewer flowers than we might expect to see in the heat of the summer. The good news is that we saw many small plants sprouting, in places quite thickly. Hopefully Spring is merely late this year and a good bloom is still on the way. (ed.)
	Rating: Poor, but hopeful

Circle X Ranch		Mishe Mokwa and Grotto Trails	Date: 2/10/08
	A quick hike of both the Mishe Mokwa and Grotto trails was a big disappointment, especially given what these trails can display this time of year. Very, very few spring flowers yet. In fact, overall, fewer flowers than we might expect to see in the heat of the summer. Spring seems to be slow to get going this year. We did see some nice chaparral current, a few wild cucumbers and a scattering of shooting stars on the Mishe Mokwa. The good news is that we saw many small plants sprouting, in places quite thickly. For example, I saw literally thousands of the small rosettes of the shooting star. Hopefully Spring is merely late this year and a good bloom is still on the way.
	Rating: Poor, but hopeful

Circle X Ranch and West		Backbone Trail	Date: 2/8/08
	Saturday, 2/8, the BBT hike walked the new sections between Encinal, Mulholland and Etz Meloy Motorway. We saw the following blooms: Purple night shade, Green bark ceanothus, chaparral currant, big pod ceanothus, deer weed, mule fat, two-tone everlasting , cucumber, wish bone, California buckwheat, morning glory, cliff aster, California fuchsia, slender sunflower, telegraph weed, toyon. (Ralph Waycott)
	Rating: NR

Leo Carrillo State Park		Nicholas Flat Trail	Date: 2/2/08
	On Saturday (February 2) the Santa Monica Mountains Trail Council and Sierra Club Trail Crew were doing a joint project at Leo Carrillo State Park. Most people worked the Willow Creek Trail. A few of us went up the Nichols Flat trail from the campground up to the upper ridge and I noted the following blooming plants: wild rose, bladder pod, mule fat, sugar bush, wild cucumber, deer weed, cud-weed aster, morning glory, white nightshade, chaparral currant, black sage, chamise, wishbone bush, and possibly a big-gum plant. All in all, spring is right around the corner and it looks to be a promising wildflower year. (Greg Sweel)
	Rating: NR

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: e-mail: Tony_Valois@partner.nps.gov or phone Tony at 310-457-6408