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Page Revised: 9/9/05 |
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Available Sites Rancho Sierra Vista |
Date of Review 9/6/05 |
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What's Blooming photo
gallery: www.nps.gov/samo/bloom/bloom.htm |
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Rancho Sierra Vista |
Miscellaneous Trails |
Date: 9/6/05 |
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About 30 species encountered, but
none in profusion and many could be considered “weedy.”
Highlights include Woolly Aster, Telegraph Weed, Slender Tarweed, Gum Plant,
Twiggy Wreath Plant, Field Willow Herb, Turkey Mullein, Vinegar Weed,
California Buckwheat, Wand Buckwheat, Scarlet Gaura, Mugwort, California
Fuchsia, California Wild Rose, Common Vervain, Bristly Ox-tongue and even a
California Poppy along one of the drainages.
(TV). |
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Naturalist's rating: Fair |
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Charmlee Park & Arroyo Sequit |
Loop Trails |
Date: 9/1/05 |
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On 9/01/05 we hiked the loop trails at
Charmlee Park and the nearby Arroyo Sequit. We were hoping to spot some
California goldenrod seen here several years ago. We were rewarded with
sighting one such plant right at the parking lot of Charmlee Park. We got an
additional bonus at Sequit later when we found a number of western goldenrod
as well. At Charmlee we recorded 31 species in flower and at Arroyo Sequit
another 19 for a total of 50 different species in bloom. For this time of
year this is considered good and such a rating is given. Taking the loop
trail in a counter clockwise direction we first encountered, surprise, Santa
Susanna tarweed, horseweed, narrow-leaf tarweed, wooly aster and bird's beak.
A splash of red was provided by California fuchsia. Hedge mustard was present
as was bush mallow, turkey mullein, giant rye, prickly lettuce, scarlet
pimpernel and little horseweed. Baccarus, bush monkey flower, wand chicory
(twiggy wreath plant as some prefer), and a late deerweed. A small white
flower was seen and later identified as sand spurry. Sawtooth golden bush was
plentiful as was ashy leaf buckwheat. Black sage, cliff-aster, bush lupine,
laurel sumac sweet fennel, morning glory, narrow-leaved milkweed, tree
tobacco, telegraph weed and chamise concluded sightings at Charmlee. At Arroyo Sequit we spotted wild
rose, mugwort, Indian pink, western lettuce, and slender sunflower as we
started out the trail. Spearmint, western ragweed, Spanish clover and a few
Calif thread torch were seen. The western goldenrod was then seen accompanied
by vervain, gum plant and artichoke. Felt-leaf everlasting, chalk
live-forever, datura and horehound were also present. Between the little
house on the property and the parking lot a magnificent century plant has
sent up a 25 feet tall stalk loaded with flowers. |
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Naturalist's rating: Good |
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Point Mugu State Park |
Chumash Trail |
Date: 8/18/05 |
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On 8/30/05 I hiked the Chumash Trail
to the top of Mugu Peak. The trail head is the most northwesterly of the trails
in the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area and is just off the PCH
opposite the CB's firing range. The drying out continues, though the
temperatures along the trail were quite cool, since the Pacific Ocean is in
sight over nearly all of the 1240 feet climb to the top of Mugu Peak. It is
just as well, since the trail in nearly straight up the entire way. This was
the poorest showing of the year with only 17 species found blooming. A poor
rating is correspondingly assigned therefore. Leaving the trailhead I spotted sweet
fennel, ashy leafed buckwheat, velvet leaf everlasting and saw toothed golden
bush. Several laurel sumac were still blooming and a
few deerweed flowers were encountered. Some fountain grass and a fair amount
of wand chicory was present. Also a few straggling
slender tarweed and California everlasting were noticed. A few toyon were still blooming amongst all the little green
berries. Hedge mustard, cliff aster and gum plant were seen in scant
quantities. Reaching the saddle back leading into La Jolla Valley, I decided
to continue up to the top of Mugu Peak, having never done so before. The
extra 430 feet climb yielded a few wooly asters and Indian pinks and a single wand buckwheat. I roused the curiosity of a
soaring turkey vulture, who continued to circle me and passed within eight or
ten feet on several passes. I assured him that I was not quite ready to be a
meal, finished my lunch and returned without incident to the trailhead. (RWM) |
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Naturalist's rating: Poor |
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Circle X Ranch |
Grotto Trail |
Date: 8/18/05 |
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Well into summer now we counted only
37 different species, and several of these were only lightly represented. The
area’s summer flowers are now pretty well represented, although some,
like the Sawtooth Goldenbush, are still only in bud. Highlights included
California Fuchsia, Narrow-leaved Milkweed, Bush Mallow, a few Heart-leaved
Penstemon, Mugwort, Wild Tarragon, Woolly Aster, some Bird's Beak, Twiggy
Wreath Plant, a nice display of Tejon Milk Aster, Creek Monkey Flower,
Scarlet Monkey Flower, Cliff Aster, Fish's Milkwort, Leather Root, and
Spanish Clover. (TV) |
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Naturalist's rating: Fair |
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Santa
Monica Mountains National Recreation Area 401 West
Hillcrest Drive Ph.
805-370-2301 web. www.nps.gov/samo |
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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