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Available Reviews
Topanga State Park Latigo Canyon/Castro Crest Malibu Creek State Park Circle X Ranch Zuma Canyon Wildwood Park Corral Canyon Stunt Ranch Rivas Canyon |
Date of Review
07/20 & 06/22 & 06/03 & 5/29 & 3/4 & 2/19 & 2/5. 06/15. 5/29 & 5/15. 5/19. 5/11 & 12/29 & 11/27. 3/23. 3/19 & 1/1. 3/2. 1/31. |
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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. |
| Topanga State Park |
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7/20/20 |
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It is full-on summer. Even in this cool canyon the flowers are mostly gone. There is a lot of heart leaf penstemon and still a couple of Humboldt lilies valiantly holding on. Flower watching here is now a treasure hunt.
The first treasure is the thickleaf monardella that is growing in a dense patch along the trail about a quarter mile in. This species, uncommon in the Santa Monica Mountains, is thriving in the summer heat. Following the trail to the waterfall, (which is not currently flowing) there are only occasional pools of water in what would be the creek. But those pools are worth looking into, they are filled with tadpoles and interesting insect larva and nymphs. Also along the creek are some of the summer blooming flowers that only bloom in cool, shady canyons; white hedge nettle, coast boykinia, scarlet monkey flower and the interesting Durango root. Nothing is blooming in profusion, but it is all worth looking for. — Dorothy Steinicke 
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| Topanga State Park |
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6/22/20 |
| In the two weeks since I last posted this hike some things have changed. The water in the creek is almost entirely gone. Some humboldt lilies have finished blooming but many are still in full bloom. There are some lovely California thistles in the valley. In the chaparral section there has been an explosion of exquisite plummers mariposas. The scarlet larkspur has come up and is very striking against the masses of white California buckwheat. There is some dudleya in bloom and the slender tarweed is just getting started. — Dorothy Steinicke | ||
| Latigo Canyon/Castro Crest |
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6/15/20 |
I had never walked this section of the Backbone Trail before. It starts at a pull out on the east side of Latigo Canyon Rd about 8 miles in from the coast. The trail starts gently down and along the side of the canyon. Things are starting to get parched but there is still plenty in bloom. This was an area that burned in the Woolsey Fire nineteen months ago. A lot of the tall brush was cleared out and there are lots of flowers that have bloomed below. There was an entire hillside filled with Indian pinks. There are clarkias, California thistle and slender sunflower. The trail makes its way to the bottom of the canyon and there we found a lot of humboldt lilies in bloom. Climbing up on the other side we left the riparian area and re-entered chaparral where there were masses of slender tarweed, purple sage, rock rose, wooly blue curls and white pincushion. We found a large flat area filled with plummers mariposas, California everlasting and scarlet larkspur. We only went as far as the saddle where the trail crosses the road to the radio tower and then returned.
— Dorothy Steinicke
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| Topanga State Park |
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6/3/20 |
This is really two hikes in one. You start in the cool, shady riparian canyon and then can choose to climb into the exposed chaparral. The canyon floor is deeply shaded and there is still water in the creek. There are lush canyon sunflowers, bush lupine, heart leaf penstemon and wild roses. Most extravagantly, the humboldt lilies are in bloom and they are breathtaking. The plants are 5-10 feet tall with the orange freckled flowers dangling down. When you leave the canyon and climb into the chaparral everything changes. Now there are Turkish rugging, California buckwheat, chaparral yucca, yellow pincushion, white snapdragon, golden stars and exquisite plummers mariposas.
— Dorothy Steinicke
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| Topanga State Park |
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5/26/20 |
I think we missed the peak of flowers on this trail during quarantine but it is still lovely. The meadows are filled with clarkias, especially farewell-to-spring along with some goldenstar lilies, sticky gum plant and owl's clover. In the wooded areas there are heartleaf penstemon and Indian pinks. The chaparral has sticky monkey flower, cobweb thistle, native rock rose, deerweed and some beautiful notable penstemon.
— Dorothy Steinicke
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| Malibu Creek State Park |
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5/26/20 |
| This is another area that burned in the Woolsey Fire. There are some fire following flowers blooming but not as many as last year. There is a lot of clarkia (farewell-to-spring, purple and elegant) and a lot of golden yarrow making for brilliant displays of hot pink and rich gold. There is also a lot of California thistle, bush mallow, woolly blue curls, white sage and some very lovely notable penstemon. Some of the adjacent hillsides are completely covered in the fire following bleeding heart poppies, but most are not. — Dorothy Steinicke | ||
| Circle X Ranch |
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5/19/20 |
Circle X Ranch is gloriously in bloom and on its way to recovering from the Woolsey Fire eighteen months ago. The fire-following bleeding heart poppies are now six feet tall and are thickly present on many of the hillsides that burned although completely absent on a few of them. Wild morning glory is also ever present. The first part of the Grotto Trail is also thick with golden yarrow, white pincushion and rose snapdragon. The water is running in the creek and there is a lot of creek monkey flower and an occasional scarlet monkey flower. The rocky hillside up to the meadow is coated with elegant clarkia, turning the hillside a hot pink color. Small dudleya blooms poke out from the rocks. There are a very few Catalina mariposas still blooming in the meadow. Descending to the canyon floor, the trail passes through several places that did not burn and it is interesting to compare a mature landscape with a post-fire one. The post-burn parts are sunny and filled with yellow monkey flower, sticky madia and parry's phacelia. The unburned areas are shaded, cool and green. The area of the canyon floor did not burn and there is water in the creek as it passes through the grotto. It is deeply inspiring to see this beautiful landscape recovering from a devastating fire.
— Dorothy Steinicke
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| Malibu Creek State Park |
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5/15/20 |
| I visited the Cistern Trail at the Malibu Creek State Park. They have lifted some restrictions to parking and access to Malibu Creek. Great views from the trail to the rest of the park which is covered in morning glory and dodder now. Take the trail down into the canyon and it connects to the Lookout trail. I took the left fork towards Century Lake, which is closed. You don't have to go all the way down to see a great variety of species at every turn, but not in huge numbers like last year. At the top are matilija poppies, white snapdragon, popcorn flower, purple sage, deerweed, succulent lupine, golden stars, chenactis, whispering bells, California poppy, owl's clover and red-stemmed filaree. About a third of the way down are sticky monkey flower, elegant clarkia, indian paintbrush, fringed pink, scarlet bugler, bush mallow, golden yarrow, farewell-to-spring, Catalina Mariposa lily, cliff aster, thistle, wooly blue curls, yucca, wishbone bush and caterpillar phacelia. The trailhead is marked with a small sign on Mulholland between Cornell Rd. and Las Virgenes Canyon Rd. The trail is mostly single track with some steep areas. No portapotty. — Kathy Jonokuchi | ||
| Zuma Canyon |
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5/11/20 |
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The parks have reopened and the flowers are still blooming. Rejoice, wear a mask and keep your distance.
In the six weeks since the parks have been closed the mustard and milk thistle have grown tremendously tall and dense and lean into the trails. You don't want to have bear arms or legs around those thistles. The California natives are there too. There are wide swaths that are nothing but native plants. The Catalina mariposa lilies are just finishing. There is white and golden yarrow growing side by side. Lots of phacelias, lots of California everlasting, lots of purple sage. This area entirely burned in the Woolsey Fire of November 2018 and there are some interesting fire followers in bloom. One amazing thing is that the mountainsides rising from the back of the canyon are covered in wild morning glories, millions of them, to the point that it looks almost like snow from a distance. I don't think of morning glory as a fire follower but it must be. There are sticky phacelia which follow fires and lovely little San Luis blazing stars. Down on the valley floor there are tall bleeding heart poppies, flowers that only come after fires. Also on the valley floor there are scarlet bugler, creek monkey flower and purple clarkia among many others. Welcome back to your parks. — Dorothy Steinicke 
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| Wildwood Park (COSCA) |
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3/23/20 |
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In bloom: Lemonaid Berry, Chamise, Brittle Brush (aka Bush sunflower) Major bloom with 100's of millions of flowers. Wild Cucumber (man root) has set its spiny pods. Mediterranean mustard, black mustard has grown a foot in 3 days but not blooming.
Update, March 25th: Deer weed is in full color, black mustard grew another 18", purple sage has developed large buds but not open. sticky monkey flower-yellow, first blooms, soap plant first bloom, black sage developed buds but not open, everlasting pushing big buds, wishbone bush, purple nightshade, tansey mustard, a white and a yellow belly flower of some kind (very many of each). Bottom of Los Robles West: prickly phlox — Kenny Gaspar |
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| Corral Canyon Park |
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3/19/20 |
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As long as we are just keeping social distance and not yet required to shelter in place, hiking is a wonderful option. I hiked this trail on a rainy day when it was rather slick and muddy but I can see it would be wonderful on a day that wasn't wet.
This area burned in the Woolsey Fire and the black mustard has come back with a vengeance but there are also wonderful native wildflowers lurking among the mustard plants. There are large patches of bush sunflowers and wild morning glory is all over everything. Patches of hubby's phacelia have returned this year. The hillside is dotted with butterfly mariposa lilies. There are a lot of blue dicks, vetch, Indian paintbrush and lovely lupines. Be well. Enjoy the outdoors while you can. — Dorothy Steinicke 
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| Topanga State Park |
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3/4/20 |
Musch Trail from Trippet Ranch to Musch Camp. In the month since I last wrote about this trail a lot has changed. The white big pod ceanothus are no longer in bloom. Now is the time for the lovely blue greenbark ceanothus that aren’t quite as prevalent but still very lovely. There are not nearly as many flowers in bloom as there were this time last year, but they are still worth going to see. Early on this trail I spotted a patch of skullcap, a pretty little flower that is not widespread in the mountains. The bright yellow buttercups have also come into bloom as have the canyon sunflowers. Wild cucumber, purple nightshade, California everlasting and wild morning glory continue to bloom. Here and there, blue dicks are blooming in the open areas.
— Dorothy Steinicke
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| Stunt Ranch |
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3/2/20 |
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We haven't had much rain in the past two months but there are still flowers coming. This trail begins along a creek and in this riparian area there are milkmaids in bloom as well as wild cucumber, purple nightshade, California bay trees and miner's lettuce. Coming up into the meadow there are a few blue dicks and some vetch. In the chaparral there are greenback ceanothus, California everlasting, Eastwood Manzanita, fuchsia flowering gooseberry and flowering ash trees. I was most excited to see a blooming wild peony.
— Dorothy Steinicke
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| Topanga State Park |
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2/19/20 |
This is a trail between Trippet Ranch and the Dead Horse Parking lot. It alternates chaparral with patches of woodlands. In the shady woodlands miner's lettuce is coming into flower. The chaparral areas are filled with blooming eastwood manzanitas, a fair amount of flowering wild cucumber, a bit of purple nightshade and fuchsia flowering gooseberry and just above the bridge the first blooming wild peonies that I have seen this year.
— Dorothy Steinicke
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| Topanga State Park |
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2/5/20 |
Musch Trail from Trippet Ranch to Musch Camp. In these weeks of winter weeks big pod ceanothus is covering the hillsides and making everything look white. There are also other early flowers in bloom; wild cucumber, eastwood manzanita, California everlasting and the occasional purple nightshade.
— Dorothy Steinicke
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| Rivas Canyon |
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1/31/20 |
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Rivas Canyon Trail is a trail that connects Temescal Canyon and Will Rogers State Historic Park. It is accessed from the road in Temescal Canyon, the trail is on the right.
This is the season of big pod ceanothus, it covers the mountainsides and its honey-like scent pervades the air. On the trail it is particularly striking when it is paired with the still scarlet toyon berries. Ceanothus are by far the predominant bloom but there are also wild cucumber, cliff aster, sugar bush, California everlasting, purple nightshade and twiggy wreath plant in bloom. This trail also offers stunning ocean views. — Dorothy Steinicke 
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| Corral Canyon |
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1/1/20 |
This is an area that burned thoroughly in the Woolsey Fire 14 months ago. It looks to be recovering well with new dense growth of chaparral on the hillsides and recovering oaks and sycamores on the valley floor. Not much was in bloom today, only cliff aster, twiggy wreath plant, wild morning glory and some clumps of slender sunflowers. However I saw plenty of signs of flowers to come. If we continue to get rain, and maybe even if we don't, this promises to have a spectacular spring bloom.
— Dorothy Steinicke
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| Zuma Canyon |
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12/29/19 |
1 month and 5 inches of rain since the last time I did this hike. There are actually fewer flowers in bloom but the hillsides are turning deep green and there is water flowing in the creek. The ashy buckwheat and cliff aster are still prevalent but there are some spring flowers that are popping up; locoweed, fuchsia flowered gooseberry and hedge nettle among them. This is a lovely hike and promised to only get better.
— Dorothy Steinicke
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| Zuma Canyon |
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11/22/19 |
We'd had the first rain of the season and I was eager to see the impact on Zuma Canyon, an area thoroughly burned a year ago in the Woolsey Fire. At first glance the canyon looks brown and dried out but a more thorough look shows the recovery that is taking place. The oaks, sycamores, black walnuts and toyon all have fresh new growth. While the area around the parking lot is choked with the dried remains of fifteen-foot invasive mustard plants, once you are away the dominant plants become rye grass, ashy buckwheat and mountain mahogany. The ashy buckwheat is in full bloom and is lovely. That is the only plant that is blooming profusely but the usual autumn plants are all there to some degree; sawtooth golden bush, California fuchsia, cliff aster and cudweed aster. I was surprised to find some spring blooming plants also in bloom; bush mallow, purple and white nightshade and sticky monkey flower. There is water in the creek in the back of the canyon and there I found some creek monkey flower. It is encouraging to see this beautiful space making a recovery and refilling itself with beautiful California native plants.
— 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"
