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Page Revised: 7/3/09 |
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Available Site Reviews Circle X Ranch Solstice Canyon Topanga State Park Paramount Ranch Malibu Creek State Park Backbone Trail Nicholas Flat |
Date of Reviews 6/27 & 5/31 &
5/23. 6/26. 6/16 & 6/14 & 6/13
& 6/2 & 5/21 & 5/20. 6/3. 5/29. 5/16. 5/15. |
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What's Blooming photo gallery: http://www.researchlearningcenter.com/bloom/bloom.htm |
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We are beginning to slip out of Late
Spring and into Early Summer, but as the flower reports recently submitted
show there is still much to be seen for the dedicated flower enthusiast. If
you want to try and find the “holdouts” from earlier in the
spring try the north slopes and shaded valleys with persistent water. Let me
know what you find and I’ll pass it on to our readers here. Flower reports submitted later in the year
can be quite helpful once people find less to look at on their favorite
trail. By the way, the LA chapter of CNPS will be having a
presentation on finding flowers during the summer on July 14th.
You may want to mark your calendar. – ed. |
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Circle X Ranch |
Triunfo
Back Bone trail |
Date: 6/27 |
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We began at the big chain on Yerba
Buena and only hiked out to the north-west edge of this trail. Most of the section east of this is pretty
barren during the summer although it offers some marvelous views of the
canyon to the south. Things have dried
out so we are seeing mostly low numbers of late spring and early summer
flowers. Some leftovers from earlier in the spring which will, no doubt, disappear
fast. We counted only a little over twenty species in bloom including weedy things
I won't bother to mention. Flowering highlights included: bush monkey flower, golden yarrow
looking pretty sad, quite a few cliff aster, black sage, a few
farewell-to-Spring, California buckwheat, California everlasting, a couple
blue larkspur, heart-leaved penstemon, branching phacelia, caterpillar
phacelia, canyon sunflower, tarweed, hedge nettle, pitcher sage, California
mustard, purple sage, a couple of popcorn flowers well out of season. Rating: Fair. – ed. |
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Solstice Canyon |
Solstice
Canyon Trail |
Date: 6/26 |
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It is always refreshing to visit a
shady canyon with reliable water once things have dried out elsewhere.
Solstice canyon is a good example of this. Quite a few flowers still blooming
here that have dried up elsewhere. We sometime forget that California's short
blooming season is not so much a function of the plants that live here as the
weather. Many of our wildflowers would be more than happy to bloom for months
on end if the our dry hot summers didn't put an abrupt stop to that. But down
here where there is shade and water they can be found blooming late into the
summer, much as they would be doing in the lusher,
more hospitable eastern portion of the country. As we walked along the creek
on the Solstice Canyon Trail we counted almost sixty species in bloom
although that included the huge burden of weeds this canyon supports due to
it's long history of human habitation. Many of these flowers bloom quite
close to the creek (where there is water!) In general it is not a good idea to leave
the trails to look at wildflowers, especially in fragile habitats like those
near a creek. I borrow a trick from our friends the birders and respect these
delicate habitats by using binoculars to bringing the flowers up close and
intimate (it also greatly minimizes my exposure to hazards like poison oak,
ticks, and annoying foxtails by staying on the trail.) Flowering highlights include bush sunflower,
canyon sunflower, mugwort, white nightshade, purple nightshade, willow herb,
cliff aster, branching phacelia, caterpillar phacelia, California buckwheat,
California everlasting, purple sage, black sage, bush monkey flower, slimy
monkey flower, scarlet monkey flower, white hedge nettle, deerweed, yarrow,
golden yarrow, annual paintbrush, Durango root, coast golden bush, leather
root, slender tarweed, elderberry, beggar tick, angel's gilia, stinky gilia,
sticky phacelia, large-flowered phacelia, Humboldt lily, twining snapdragon,
ashy buckwheat, twiggy wreath plant, heart-leaved penstemon, bleeding heart,
cattail, narrow-leaved milkweed, and western goldenrod. Rating: Good. – ed. |
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Topanga State Park |
Santa Ynez Trail |
Date: 6/16 |
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This is one of my favorite places for a
summer hike and there are a few uncommon flowers growing here that I have
never seen anywhere else. This
trailhead is reached by going inland from the ocean on Sunset, turning left
on Palisades Drive and then left on Vereda de la Montura. That
street ends at a gated community, the trailhead is on the right. The very first flower I saw was a Humboldt
lily, one of the flowers I had come to look for. Unfortunately there were not as many as
there have been in previous years, many had been chewed down by deer. Still the riparian area is lovely with lots
of heart leaf penstemon, black sage, deerweed, honeysuckle, California bee
plant, cliff aster, purple and white nightshade and caterpillar
phacelia. There are places where curly
dock and scarlet monkey flower and blooming in the creek. The trail splits and you can go right, to
the waterfall or left which continues along a creek and then up through the
chaparral to Trippet Ranch. I went
left. Just past this split there is
blooming cream bush, one of the unusual plants, growing on the rock
wall. Just before heading up into the
chaparral there is a small patch of milkwort.
The chaparral is hot and exposed but particularly lovely right
now. There is a sea of California
buckwheat punctuated by scarlet larkspur, white snapdragon and Plummer's
mariposa lilies. There is also Turkish
rugging, twiggy wreath plant, Santa Monica dudleya, golden yarrow, cudweed
aster, chamise, slender tarweed, sugar bush and California everlasting. There are also patches of sapphire wool
stars. The fence lizards in this area
are golden brown, something that always amazes me. –
Dorothy Steinicke |
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Topanga State Park |
Temescal Loop Trail |
Date: 6/14 |
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I had a tip that the Plummer’s
mariposa lilies were in bloom so I hiked this trail even though it is one I
generally do not frequent during summer.
I was surprised at how much was in bloom. Not great quantities of flowers but quite a
lot of variety. I hiked the loop
counter clockwise, waterfall side first.
There were lots of purple and white nightshade, lots of sticky monkey
flower and lots of heart leaf penstemon, elderberry, a few caterpillar
phacelia, California buckwheat, yarrow, deerweed, some really large and
lovely bush mallow, chamise and
virgin's bower seedpods. Above
the waterfall I saw a small patch of milkwort which I had never noticed here
before. Coming down on the ocean view
side there were dozens of the Plummer’s mariposas that were just
stunning. There were also scarlet
larkspur in full bloom with plenty more on the way. Also large flower phacelia and white pin
cushion. Well worth a visit for the
Plummer’s mariposa alone. If you don't have time to do the entire loop
(4 miles) do the ocean view side and see the mariposas. This is a trail that
tends to be hot and crowded so early morning and late afternoon are your best
bet. –
Dorothy Steinicke |
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Topanga State Park |
Backbone Trail |
Date: 6/13 |
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Today’s hike was number ten, and the
final, of the NPS sponsored Backbone Trail hikes in the 2008 – 2009
series. We are hiking west to east, one section of the Backbone Trail each
month. Cooler than normal temperatures and
overcast skies were welcome as we walked 11 miles of ridgeline between
Trippet Ranch and Will Rogers State Historic Park. Much to our surprise grazing deer gave us a
send-off and we enjoyed two other sightings along the route. Flowers in the grasslands around Trippet
and the Musch Trail held the last spring holdouts, suggesting a good showing
earlier in the spring. By the time we
made it to the Musch campground we had already seen 30 species in bloom. During the remainder of the day we
passed through various chaparral communities and saw another 20 species. One had to be impressed by the abundance of
Indian pink, bush monkey flower, California buckwheat, heart-leafed
penstemon, and dodder. At the same
time it was a unique treat to enjoy a sampling of white and rose snapdragons,
speckled and purple clarkias, white pincushion, sapphire wool star, perezia,
notable penstemon, plumbers mariposa lily and chaparral pea. During this hike series the seasonal
flora of fall, winter and spring evolved as we threaded our way through the
many different plant communities.
Summer will hold still more rewards.
Next fall we’ll return again with much anticipation to this
definitive hike through our Santa Monicas. Rating: Enjoyable. – R.
Waycott (and others) |
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Paramount Ranch |
Coyote/Hacienda/Backdrop/Bwana Trails Loop |
Date: 6/3 |
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This was my first time hiking at
Paramount Ranch. We combined these trail segments to make a two mile
loop. There is a nice variety of chaparral, woodland, meadow and
riparian habitats. We left the western town and headed up into the
chaparral on the Coyote Trail. There were elegant clarkia, golden
yarrow, sticky monkey flower, chamise, black sage, slender tarweed, flowering
yucca, wild morning glory and Indian pinks. There were also foothill
penstemon and common madia, both of which are not commonly seen by me.
At that point the Coyote Trail turns back to the Western Town, we
continued on the Hacienda Trail. There we saw bush sunflowers, heart
leaf penstemon, golden stars and bush mallow. Heading up the hill on
the Backdrop Trail we saw white sage, gum plant, Turkish rugging, cliff
aster, caterpillar phacelia, chalk live forever and narrow leaf milkweed.
We returned to the western town on the Bwana Trail which goes through
the meadow and by Medea Creek. The flowers weren't fabulous but there
was a good variety and I enjoyed finding a few which I haven't seen in a
while. –
Dorothy Steinicke |
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Topanga Canyon State
Park |
Dead Horse Trail made into a loop |
Date: 6/2 |
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This hike is more notable for its
fauna than its flora at this time of year, but there are still flowers worth
visiting. Leaving the Trippet Ranch Parking lot up the paved road you
turn left on the Dead Horse Trail just past the pond. There are oaks on
one side of the trail and grassland on the other. Purple clarkia, gum
plant and slender tarweed line the trail. I saw ten deer in the meadow
today including four little spotty fawns. Ground squirrels are zipping
around and swallows are swooping down for insects. There are a few blue
eyed grass still in bloom. Also sticky monkey flower, narrow leaf
milkweed, vervain and chamise. The trail heads into chaparral and there
is blooming black sage, deer weed, California live forever and turkish
rugging. The trail splits with one branch going to the Dead Horse
parking lot and the other signed for Entrada Rd. Turn onto the trail
heading for Entrada. The only impressive bloom is a bright stand of
woolly blue curls. When Entrada Rd. is in sight watch for the trail
marker to the left signed for Trippet Ranch. Take that trail which
wanders around and ends up at the entry kiosk. This is an easy 1 mile
hike. –
Dorothy Steinicke |
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Circle X Ranch |
Grotto
Trail |
Date: 5/31 |
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Things are beginning to dry out -- a
process that will no doubt accelerate quickly now. There were quite a few leftovers from
earlier in the spring which will probably disappear fast. We counted over forty species in bloom. Flowering highlights included: yucca, chamise,
black sage, purple sage, California everlasting, wooly everlasting,
heart-leaved penstemon, elderberry, both purple and white nightshade, golden
yarrow, a lone wild cucumber, caterpillar phacelia, bush monkey flower,
scarlet monkey flower, creek monkey flower, elegant clarkia,
farewell-to-Spring, lance-leaved dudleya, woolly blue curls, a few bush
mallow just beginning to bloom, a couple of different tarweed, golden stars,
wishbone bush, blue-eyed grass, the native western thistle, hummingbird sage,
and durango root. Rating: Fair
to Good. – ed. |
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Malibu Creek State Park |
Reagan Meadows |
Date: 5/29 |
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This is the secret (free!) back end
of Malibu Creek State Park. Enter from Lake Vista Dr. just south of
Mulholland Hwy. There is a dirt parking area just inside the park.
Park there and walk up the paved drive to some park maintenance
buildings. On the other side of the buildings Reagan Meadow stretches
out in front of you. The meadow is filled with just about every clarkia
that we have; elegant clarkia, speckled clarkia, purple clarkia and
farewell-to-spring. These are interspersed with golden stars, vervain
and vetch. The trail is lined with slender tarweed and gum plant.
There are banks of sticky monkey flower here and there and thickets of
wild rose and elderberry. We passed one blooming mallow bush and saw
one lingering Catalina mariposa lily. We took the 'low trail' on the
way out and the 'high trail' or the "Deer Leg Trail" on the way
back to make a loop. The Deer Leg Trail goes under oaks and there we
saw golden yarrow, purple sage, deer weed, California buckwheat, cliff aster
and chamise. Best of all on this upper section we saw first one, then
two, then a small hillside of yellow mariposas. –
Dorothy Steinicke |
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Circle X Ranch |
Sandstone
peak trail |
Date: 5/23 |
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Things are still blooming pretty well
but I would guess they will dry out quick now. Quite a few leftovers from earlier in the
spring which will probably disappear fast. We counted over fifty species in bloom
including those found on the trail to the west of sandstone peak toward four
corners. Flowering highlights
included: golden yarrow, chamise, deerweed, black sage, california buckwheat,
yucca, bird's beak, golden stars, yellow mariposa lily, wooly blue dicks,
both lance-leaf and chalk dudleya, bush monkey flower, bush lupine,
heart-leaved penstemon, branching phacelia, caterpillar phacelia, a few
chinese houses, pitcher sage, purple clarkia, both red-skinned and peninsular
onion, soap plant, both white and yellow pincushion, one star lily, a couple
of different tarweeds, denseflower Rein orchid, purple nightshade, cliff
aster, the native western thistle,
Rating: Good. – ed. |
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Topanga Canyon State
Park |
Santa Ynez Trail |
Date: 5/21 |
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The beginning of this hike is along a
creek in a shady canyon. A good walk for a hot day. Just watch
out for the plentiful poison oak. In the creekside
area there is canyon sunflower, black sage, bush lupine, sticky monkey
flower, California bee plant, California buckwheat, blackberry, California
everlasting, wild rose, hedge nettle, purple and white nightshades,
elderberry, and large flower and caterpillar phacelia. Climbing up into
the chaparral portion of the trail that leads up to Trippet Ranch there are
Turkish rugging, yellow pin cushion, white snapdragon, star lily, golden
yarrow, deer weed, chamise and heart leaf penstemon. –
Dorothy Steinicke |
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Topanga Canyon State
Park |
Trippet Ranch Nature Trail |
Date: 5/20 |
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The Trippet Ranch pond is,
surprisingly, full of water. The water is full of tadpoles. There
are also mallards and a great egret. The milkweed in the meadow by the
old nature center are just about to bloom. Also in that meadow are lots
of purple clarkia. Continuing into the chaparral portion there are bush
lupine, bush sunflowers, black sage, elderberry, California buckwheat and
some lovely mallow along with some really stunning flowering yuccas. –
Dorothy Steinicke |
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Saddle Peak |
Backbone Trail |
Date: 5/16 |
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Today’s hike was number nine of
the NPS sponsored Backbone Trail hikes in the 2008 – 2009 series. We
are hiking west to east, one section of the Backbone Trail each month. With hot off-shore winds at the top
of the range the cool, fog-shrouded coast below us was tempting. But our route stayed inland and would
reward us with over 65 native species in bloom. From Saddle Peak to the top of Hondo Canyon
offered fabulous vistas and late spring bouquets of some of the hardiest
species: golden yarrow, bush monkey flower, sugar bush, California buckwheat,
deer weed, morning glory, and caterpillar phacelia. Once in the cool shade of
Hondo’s north-facing slopes we descended from chamise chaparral through
California bay woodlands and finally to sheltering oak riparian. Along the way we encountered a varied array
of species in bloom. The drier, higher
environs of slender tarweed and Turkish rugging segued into chaparral understories with 3 clarkia species still in all their
glory. By the time we reached Old
Topanga and its pocket grasslands we had glimpsed golden stars, star lily,
wooly blue curls, blue eyed grass, Chinese houses, fuchsia flowering
gooseberry, buttercups, wild brodiaea, and much more. On the climb from Old Topanga to
Trippet Ranch we saw only a few species in flower, but appreciated them all
the more due to their scarcity. Rating: Enjoyable. – R.
Waycott (and others) |
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Nicholas Flat |
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Date: 5/15 |
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We did a quick hike out to the pond
at Nicholas Flat and back to check on the water level and the red-winged
blackbirds. It was a nice cool day but
the wildflowers are definitely transitioning out of the grand displays of
early spring. This area has a lot of
weeds because the many years of ranching still lay heavily upon the
land. Nevertheless the pond is
reliable enough to support true aquatic plants and the song of the blackbirds
is worth hearing. The hike to the pond
is short, less than half a mile, but there is a lot of additional hiking to
be done if you wish. There is even a
trail that goes all the way down to the coast at Leo Carrillo State Beach.
Flowering highlights (few as they were) included golden yarrow, Indian
paintbrush, deerweed, caterpillar phacelia, morning glory, Chinese houses,
bush monkey flower, purple nightshade, a few crimson pitcher sage, canyon
sunflower, California chicory, greenbark ceanothus, sugar bush, purple
clarkia, sticky madia, mountain dandelion, black sage, blue-eyed grass, and
common verbena. Rating: Fair. – ed. |
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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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