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Page Revised: 6/04/06 |
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Available Sites Cold Creek Preserve |
Date of Review 6/1/06 |
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What's Blooming photo gallery: www.nps.gov/samo/bloom/bloom.htm |
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Cold Creek Preserve
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Stunt High Trail & others |
Date: 6/1/06 |
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On the first day of June, 2006 we hiked
three trails which are accessed from trailheads on Stunt Rd, most in the Cold
Creek Preserve. Our objective was to check for Stream orchids first in the
Cold Creek Preserve then to check out the status of the chaparral peas on
Saddleback Peak area and finally to see if the brick red monkey flower found
last year on the trail to Topanga lookout was still extant. I am pleased to
report that all three objectives were met with outstanding results. A large
stand of Stream orchids, consisting of about two dozen plants, all in full
bloom were located along the creek about a quarter of a mile above the lower
gate to the trail. Up near the top of Saddleback Peak dozens of profusely
blooming chaparral peas were on display and finally the brick red bush monkey
flower was found in full bloom, but with smaller flowers this year than last.
Not only did we meet our objectives, but we also recorded a total of 76
different species during the course of the hikes. The flowers were abundant
and in some cases, such as the Spanish broom, were overpowering in color and
fragrance. With almost no wind blowing the bouquet from the broom was almost suffocating. Just walking from the parking area to
the gate (up the trail to the Stream orchids) we spotted heart-leaved penstemon,
golden yarrow, California everlasting, morning glory, greenbark ceanothus,
hedge mustard, red brome, sow thistle, Clarkia (Farewell-to-spring?), mustard
evening primrose, caterpillar phacelia, red stem filaree, bush monkey flower,
rip-gut brome, California buckwheat, coast goosefoot, slender-leaf bedstraw,
black mustard, sour clover, yellow star thistle, canyon sunflower and cliff
aster. Entering the gate we saw purple sage, fern leaf phacelia, eucrypta,
scarlet pimpernel, minute-flowered popcorn flower, common bed straw, purple
night shade, white nightshade, fiesta flower, giant horsetail, wild
blackberry, watercress and finally the stream orchids Returning to the car we drove up to
the parking area near the intersection of Schueren Rd and Stunt Rd. Hiking up
toward Saddleback Peak we Saw Italian thistle, elderberry, deerweed, slender
oats, yellow Mariposa lily, chamise, black sage, blue dick, lance-leaf
live-forever, prickly phlox, Harding grass, hairy leaf ceanothus, Catalina
Mariposa lily, bush lupine, bigpod ceanothus, winter vetch and some escaped
African daisies. Also seen was fountain grass, foxtail barley, lots of
Spanish broom, wild oats, sticky madia, Chilean clover, wild sweet pea,
Indian pink and then the large quantities of chaparral pea. Continuing up
toward the top of the mountain we saw southern Tauschia, wooly blue curls,
Eastwood manzanita, blue larkspur, silver puff, large-flowered lotus, bur
clover, bush poppy, golden star and milk thistle. We returned to the car and entered
the trail to Topanga lookout. Entering on the macadam road we noted
holly-leaved redberry, virgin's bower, chaparral honeysuckle, California
filago, yucca and finally the brick red bush monkey flower (UTM coordinates
49026E, 73046N at 2454 feet altitude). This hike rates an excellent on the
bloom-o-meter. (RWM) |
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Naturalist's rating: Excellent |
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Cheeseboro & Palo Comado Canyons |
Various north-end trails |
Date: 6/1/06 |
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We are now moving away from the
dramatic early Spring flowering season and into the more subdued displays of
the drier seasons. Many of the flowers reported earlier are now on the way
out but in compensation we begin to see some of the very beautiful flowers
that appear later. Among these are the clarkias and lilies, several of which
are now showing up in the north end of Cheeseboro. Trails visited include the
Albertson Motorway, Palo Comado Canyon Trail, Sheep Corral Trail, Cheeseboro
Ridge Trail, and Cheeseboro Canyon Trail. Much of the lower section of this
unit is literally choked with non-native grasses and weeds but if you get up
to the Northern end you are rewarded with some very nice wildflower displays.
Some sections of some of the trails are quite good right now, but overall the
quality of the flower display was quite variable from place to place. Be
aware that much of this unit was burned in last fall's fires and has not been
fully reopened for visitor use. Be sure to read all posted signs to avoid
entering closed areas. Some of the burned areas are especially fragile right
now. The lower end of the Palo Comado
Trail and Cheeseboro Canyon Trail and most of the Cheeseboro Ridge Trail were
quite disappointing, but as these trails reach their Northern ends we begin
to see good numbers of several different species of wildflowers. The vicinity
of the intersection of Sheep Corral Trail and Palo Comado Trails was quite
good at least until we dropped back down into the depths of the burn. It is
interesting to see how some of the burned areas are coming back primarily as
non-native weeds, but in other areas the native wildflowers are holding their
own. My own curiosity will certainly keep me watching the burned areas as the
year progresses. Similarly, sections of the Albertson Motorway vary
considerably, but none as bad as the weed choked lower end of the unit. Many
of the species blooming earlier in the season have finished up for the year
or are only lightly represented now. Highlights include lupines, paintbrush,
purple nightshade, blue dick, primroses, popcorn flowers, monkey flowers,
morning glory, Rein orchid, heart-leaved penstemon and phacelias. The sages
are doing very well now as are the mariposa lilies, sunflowers, datura,
pincushions, golden stars, hooked navarretia, sapphire wool stars, yarrow and
even a few early scarlet larkspur.
(TV) |
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Naturalist's rating: Poor to Good |
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Circle X Ranch |
Grotto Trail |
Date: 5/31/06 |
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We are now moving away from the
dramatic early Spring flowering season and into the more subdued displays of
the drier seasons. As such, the shady area near the Grotto becomes a lot more
attractive as it gets hotter. The creek and falls still have a lot of water
in them and the tadpoles and newts are a delight for the young among us. When
I was down among the huge live oaks near the Grotto one of my favorites, the
house wren, was singing up a storm. Many of the flowers reported earlier are
now on the way out but in compensation we are beginning to see some of the
very beautiful flowers that appear later in the season. Among these are the
clarkias and lilies, several of which are now showing up on the Grotto Trail.
In addition, right now we are getting a pretty amazing second bloom of the greenbark
ceanothus. Indeed, it rivals a first bloom of some previous years. Including
the flowers encountered on the dirt road leading down to the campgrounds we
saw a respectable seventy species in bloom. Highlights included golden
yarrow, sugar bush, several different monkey flowers, California buckwheat.
deerweed, yucca, black sage, sunflowers, chamise, white and purple
nightshades, a few early woolly asters, elegant and purple clarkias, wild
morning glory, California blackberry, blue-eyed grass, blue dicks, red
skinned onion, chinese houses, angels gilia, lance-leaf dudleya, elderberry,
Catalina mariposa lily, heart-leaved penstemon, and crimson pitcher
sage. (TV) |
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Naturalist's rating: Good |
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Upper Solstice Canyon |
Backbone Trail |
Date: 5/24/06 |
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Backbone Trail from Corral Canyon Rd.
toward Castro Crest This is a perfect hike to see
chaparral recovering from fire and to see flowers that are seldom seen except
after fires. The hillside is covered with
the blackened skeletons of burnt shrubs.
Underneath is a carpet of flowers.
Twining snapdragon, small evening primrose, fern leaf phacelia and the
impressive large flower phacelia spread for as far as the eye can see. There are also wild cucumber, eucrypta and
monkey flower. A bit further along the
trail these flowers are joined by whispering bells, Brewer's red maids and
globe gilia. There are a few
collarless poppies here and there. Also blue dicks, mariposa lilies and
mustard evening primrose. When you cross out of the burned area
you have an excellent opportunity to see what the flora would look like had
it not burned. Here there are
flowering yucca, California buckwheat, sticky monkey flower, purple
nightshade, golden yarrow, wild morning glory, bush sunflower, chamise,
popcorn flower and California everlasting.
There are also wooly blue curls, lots of rock rose, caterpillar
phacelia, purple clarkia and red skinned onion growing in a flowing creek. (DS) |
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Naturalist's rating: Excellent |
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Newton and Upper
Solstice Canyons |
Backbone Trail |
Date: 5/20/06 |
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Backbone Trail Sections including
Kanan Road to Latigo Canyon Road and crossing over Latigo Canyon Road and continuing
to the end of Corral Canyon Road through Upper Solstice Canyon. This hike was a make-up of the fifth
of the 2005-2006 Backbone Trail NPS Series.
The originally scheduled hike was rained out on March 11th and
rescheduled. For the wildflower
enthusiast, the rescheduled hike was a blessing in disguise as we encountered
at least 94 flowering plants. The
weather began overcast, but soon cleared to sunny conditions. The total hike distance was approximately
6.5 miles. Starting at the overflow parking area
just north of the main Kanan Road trailhead we went down to the main Backbone
Trail junction and proceeded south towards the Newton Canyon waterfalls. From the parking area we noticed black mustard,
Spanish broom, sticky monkey flower, deer weed, yucca, tree tobacco, yellow
sweet clover, milk thistle, big pod ceanothus, chicory, black sage, chamise,
and red-stemmed filaree. Once on the
trail we spotted caterpillar phacelia, purple nightshade, popcorn flower,
scarlet pimpernel, greenbark ceanothus, wishbone bush, windmill pink,
eucrypta, heart leafed penstemon, sugar bush, California everlasting, parry's
phacelia, wild cucumber, figwort, miner's lettuce, fiesta flower, hedge
nettle, canyon sunflower, bur-chervil, snowberry, holly leafed cherry,
willow-herb clarkia, purple clarkia, blue larkspur, horehound, and golden
yarrow. As the trail emerged from Newton
Canyon we continued up and over the tunnel and east towards Latigo Canyon
Road. Along the way we identified
mountain mahogany, cobweb thistle, Indian paintbrush, elderberry, California
buckwheat, coulter's lupine, vervain, chinese houses, bedstraw, chia, bush
lupine, sticky cinquefoil, scarlet pitcher sage, blue-eyed grass, wild
hyacinth, canyon pea, mariposa lily, purple sage, dove lupine, coast live
oak, coffee berry, California black walnut, fuchsia-flowered gooseberry,
morning glory, woodland stars, slender sunflower, globe gilia, and foothill
penstemon. Crossing Latigo Canyon Road we noted
bush poppy, Indian pink, milkmaids, elegant clarkia, stinging lupine, poison
oak, wooly blue curls, yellow monkey flower, rock rose, long-beaked filaree,
common groundsel, and fern-leaved phacelia.
Continuing down into Upper Solstice Canyon we observed tomcat clover,
scarlet bugler, blackberry, collarless poppy, red-skinned onion, globe lily,
twining snapdragon, star lily, skullcap, Turkish rugging. Just before the end of the trail at the top
of Corral Canyon Road we entered a recently burned area covered with large
flowered phacelia, coastal lotus, red maids, and small evening primrose. (GS) |
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Naturalist's rating: Good |
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Point Mugu State park |
Various south-west corner trails |
Date: 5/19/06 |
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We started at the Chumash trailhead and
hiked up the steep hill to the Mugu Peak trail and then to the La Jolla
Valley Loop trail and finally down to the coast on the La Jolla Canyon trail.
We had a friend drop us off at the Chumash trailhead so that we could walk
back to the car we left at the La Jolla Trailhead. This avoids the two mile
hike along PCH between these two trailheads. In paces we ran into both wood
ticks and mosquitoes so protective clothing and perhaps repellent might be a
good idea. These trails are narrow and poison
oak is right along the edge of the trail in several places. If you are
not familiar with it you might want to bring a friend who is. As with most
trails that pass through multiple ecosystems there was a good variety of
flowers, almost a hundred different in bloom, some in good quantities.
Highlights include wild morning glory, giant coreopsis, canyon sunflower,
Indian paintbrush, bush monkey flower, creek monkey flower, scarlet monkey
flower, deerweed, bush mallow, black sage, purple sage, scarlet pitcher sage,
yarrow, golden yarrow, cliff aster, Catalina mariposa lily, blue-eyed grass,
yucca, oxalis, lance-leaf live-forever, wishbone bush, blue dicks, Southern
California locoweed, Parry's phacelia, caterpillar phacelia, both bigpod
ceanothus and greenbark ceanothus in a second bloom, bladderpod, Coulter's
lupine, bush lupine, purple and white nightshade, chinese houses, golden
stars, blue larkspur, Indian pink, hedge nettle, elderberry, Carolina
geranium, snowberry, California blackberry, sticky cinquefoil, California
figwort, gumplant, fuchsia-flowered gooseberry, willow-herb clarkia,
farewell-to-spring, and California loosestrife. (TV) |
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Naturalist's rating: Good |
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Rancho Sierra Vista |
Satwiwa Garden |
Date: 5/14/06 |
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There is a nice display of
wildflowers at the Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa Native Plant Garden. You can
see creek monkey flower (yellow with red spots), sticky monkey flower,
onions, golden currant (berries), fuchsia flowered gooseberry (berries), all
three sages (black, purple and white) and hummingbird sage too. Lots of
native grasses are in the fenced area which protects them from the native
rabbits. At the beginning of the garden path are bladderpod, both yellow and
white yarrow and lots of prickly pear cactus (both flowers and fruits). The little garden path has a lot of flowers
to see, plus (on weekends) you can visit the beautiful artwork display at the
Satwiwa Culture Center. Of course, on any day you can come and walk around
the area or walk onto the Satwiwa loop trail and see fields of non native
mustard (yellow) and radish (pink, white and rose) as well as the flowers of
purple vetch sticking up among them.
(SB) |
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Naturalist's rating: Good |
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Topanga State Park |
Hondo Canyon & Topanga Meadows |
Date: 5/11/06 |
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The creek runs right alongside Old
Topanga Rd. Find rocks to scramble across
on and the trail takes you up to a meadow that is filled with blue eyed grass
interspersed with mariposa lilies and buttercups, rigid hedge nettle stands
at the edge of the woods. The trail
climbs through the meadow and enters the woods where there are deerweed,
canyon sunflower and sticky monkey flower.
There is an area that is completely covered in hummingbird sage. Just beautiful. (DS) |
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Naturalist's rating: Good |
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Circle X Ranch |
Backbone Trail below Triunfo Pk. |
Date: 4/28/06 |
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We’re still waiting for the
great flower displays we’ve seen here in the past. The species count is
up to a respectable eighty five species, but many are having such a light turnout
that it would be easy to miss the few individuals in bloom. This well-groomed
grassy trail affords several dramatic vistas in most directions of the
compass, especially if you take the side trip up to Triunfo Peak. The trail
condition is excellent, and its wide and level aspect is a pleasure to hike.
It has been recently mowed which is good because tall grasses can harbor
ticks, including those that may potentially carry Lyme disease. Indeed, I
went off trail for just a moment and found several ticks on me when I
returned to the trail. There are still some decent displays
of greenbark ceanothus blooming on this trail but they are now well past
their prime. Other flower highlights include elderberry, shooting stars,
chinese houses, Douglas sandwort, eucrypta, a couple of different
everlastings, a few early purple clarkia, coast goldfields, hedge nettle,
small-flowered meconella, black sage, windmill pink, rock rose, chia, chinese
houses, Parry’s phacelia, caterpillar phacelia, fiesta flower, bleeding
heart, red-skinned onion, deerweed, California buckwheat, popcorn flower,
wild cucumber, purple nightshade, blue larkspur, wishbone bush, common
fiddleneck, mustard evening primrose, wooly blue curls, California saxifrage,
prickly phlox, miners lettuce, golden yarrow, bush monkey flower, canyon
sunflower, wild morning glory, blue dicks, virgin’s bower, and a few
different Lupines (TV). |
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Naturalist's rating: Fair |
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Malibu Creek State Park |
Backbone Trail |
Date: 4/22/06 |
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Backbone Trail Sections Including
Stunt Road to Piuma Road and Piuma Road east crossing to Piuma Road west
crossing. This hike was the seventh of the
2005-2006 Backbone Trail NPS Series. We will be hiking the entire Backbone
Trail, one part each month and reporting on the flowers seen. The hike series
was oversubscribed this year so we are having a Saturday and Sunday hike over
the same route to accommodate all interested hikers. Following is the flower
list gathered by different people over the two days. Our route took us from
the top of Stunt Road to Malibu Canyon Road:
a distance of 7.5 miles. The weather both days was overcast and cool. Starting at the top of Stunt Road, we
went up and over Saddle Peak, descending the Saddle Peak Trail through Dark
Canyon and climbing the Piuma Ridge Trail to descent to Piuma Road, and
following the road to the Backbone Trailhead parking on Malibu Canyon Road.
The hike includes the Coastal Sage Scrub, Southern Oak Woodland, Chaparral,
Riparian Woodland, and Valley Grassland plant communities. Expectations of a
large variety of blooming species were met with over 90 species being noted.
The cool weather we have been experiencing has delayed flowering of many
plants, but has also induced several plants to continue flowering. As usual,
there always seems to be a couple plants that we could not immediately
identify. The Backbone Trailhead going west
from the top of Stunt Road begins about 100 yards down Stunt. Before reaching
the trail we had already noted Greenbark Ceanothus, Red Stem and Long-Beaked
Filaree, Golden Yarrow, Elderberry, Black Mustard, Mule Fat, Big Pod
Ceanothus, Yellow Sweet Clover, and Common Sow Thistle. On the trail to the
top we saw our first Prickly Phlox, Bur Clover, Tomcat Clover, Blue Dicks,
Two-Tone Everlasting, Popcorn Flower, one of the Vetches, Prickly Sow
Thistle, Dove Lupine, Plantain, Virgins Bower, Canyon Sunflower, Wild Sweet
Pea, Miner’s Lettuce, Coast Live Oak, and Shiny Lomatium. There is a
lot of Spanish Broome on this section, but only a few flowers are braving the
cold. Also noted was the Hairy-Leaved Ceanothus which bears a great
similarity with the Greenbark Ceanothus. Here one can compare the leaf
structures to see the difference: The
Greenbark leaf has one main vein and the Hairy-Leaved has a triple main vein.
As the trail topped out we had a
special treat, seeing White Thorn with a profusion of purple flowers. As
mentioned previously in these blooming reports, this is been a terrific year
for Ceanothus blooming. The White Thorn is a seldom seen species of Ceanothus
but we saw many in bloom continuing further down the trail. There is an
abundance of Eastwood Manzanita blooming and bearing berries and further down
the trail and we were able to compare the rough textured leaves of the
Eastwood with the smooth leaves of the Big Berry Manzanita and see the larger
berries. Other flowers along the trail were the Fuchsia-Flowered Gooseberry,
Scrub Oak, Silver Lotus on the rocks, Large-Flowered Lotus, Sugar Bush, Deer
Weed, and Cobweb Thistle. A scattering of Bush Poppies remain where they had
dominated after the 1993 fire, now giving way to the more typical Chaparral.
In the cool, shady areas Wild Cucumber flowers persist and we saw Bush
Lupine, California Everlasting, Some Wooly Blue Curls, and lots of
Bur-Chervil. There were Morning Glory, Black Sage, Caterpillar Phacelia,
Eucrypta, a few early Chamise, Hummingbird Sage, Turkey Pea, Silver Puffs, a
Windmill Pink, lots of Chia, Catalina Mariposa Lily, Purple Sage, Pacific
Sanicle, Wishbone Bush, Foothill Lupine, Bush Monkey Flower, lots of Poison
Oak, Blue-Eyed Grass, a single Indian Pink, a profusion of Hollyleaf Cherry,
Mountain Mahogany, Fiesta Flower, Narrow-Leaved Bedstraw, Minute Popcorn Flower,
Cliff Aster, Hedge Mustard, and Scarlet Pimpernel. Nearing the bottom of the
descent are many Chinese Houses. We also noted Hedge Nettle and Wallflower.
Climbing out of Dark Canyon always seems to provide special displays; this
time it was Baby Blue Eyes, Woodland Star, Globe Gilia, Yellow Pin Cushion,
Wild Peony, and the invasive Italian Thistle.
The Piuma Ridge Trail has Blue Larkspur, Owl’s Clover,
Hedypnois, Blackberry, Indian Warrior, London Rocket, Small Evening Primrose,
Mustard Evening Primrose, Water Cress, California Poppy, and Collarless
Poppy. As the trail approached Piuma Road a second time there were more and
more introduced species as we hiked through an area of an old cabin ruins,
ending with the invasive Periwinkle. (BE & GS) |
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Naturalist's rating: Good |
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Zuma/Trancas Cyns
vicinity |
Backbone Trail |
Date: 4/22/06 |
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The short stretch of Backbone Trail
from Mulholland Hwy to Encinal Canyon Rd (about 1 mile) is a delight to the senses.
Each breeze is filled with the smell of sage and California Everlasting. Each
turn has striking contrasts from white popcorn flower to deep purple Parry's
phacelia and purple nightshade to the bright yellow candle flame and fire dot
lichen growing golden designs on to deep green chamise. Starting from
Mulholland Hwy, the trek is all down hill to Encinal Canyon Rd, but it will
certainly lift your spirits. Other flowers present: lupine, monkey
flower, deer weed, morning glory, canyon sunflower, cliff aster. (JJL) |
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Naturalist's rating: Good to Excellent |
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Santa
Monica Mountains National Recreation Area 401 West
Hillcrest Drive 805-370-2301 |
Thank
you for your
contributions: Burt
Elliot |
If you
would like to contribute to the wildflower report: e-mail: or phone
Tony at 310-457-6408 |
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