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Page Revised: 9/13/05 |
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Available Sites Circle X Ranch |
Date of Review 9/10/05. |
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What's Blooming photo
gallery: www.nps.gov/samo/bloom/bloom.htm |
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Circle X Ranch |
All Trails |
Date: 9/10/05 |
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Most of the trails at CXR pass
principally through dry sage scrub or chaparral, with only brief descents
into the moister riparian areas. Now in the depth of summer these dry
sections have very few flowers, mostly small summer species like twiggy
wreath plant, California sagebrush, sawtooth goldenbush and woolly aster,
with scattered leftovers from earlier in the year like slender tarweed and
California buckwheat. For example, a hike up to Sandstone peak failed to net
even ten different flower species, although it did yield the relatively
interesting Tejon milk aster and bush senecio. The riparian areas contain a larger
(although still small) variety of flowers such as scarlet monkey flower,
creek monkey flower, mugwort, California fuchsia, Fish’s milkwort,
annual paintbrush, California loosestrife, willow-herb, white hedge nettle, leather
root, cattail, a small unidentified Centaurium, and
again, scattered leftovers from earlier in the year. Other highlights
scattered about include narrow-leaved milkweed, chalk live-forever, wand buckwheat,
telegraph weed, bleeding heart, Spanish clover, field willow-herb, cliff
aster, and dodder. The roadsides often offer the greatest variety of flowers,
but these tend to be “weedy” alien species found along roadsides
everywhere. It is worth noting that the Grotto trail, the Mishe Mokwa trail,
and the Canyon View trail all still have some water flowing in their
respective riparian areas. Tadpoles, both frog and newt, still exist in quantity
near the Grotto. Compared to earlier in the year when
many of these same trails produced excellent displays of wildflowers I find
myself bestowing a rating of fair at best, with many sections of the trails
downright poor (strictly from a flower point of view). Interestingly enough,
for a confirmed flower watcher like myself this
allows me the freedom to enjoy other aspects of the area’s beautiful
trails that I sometimes miss during the height of the flower season. (TV) |
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Naturalist's rating: Poor to Fair |
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Point Mugu State Park |
Sycamore Canyon Trail
& Serrano Canyon Trail |
Date: 9/9/05 |
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On 9/9/05 I hiked along the Sycamore
Canyon Trail and then up the Serrano Canyon Trail to the grasslands and
returned. This is about a five mile hike with a 400 feet elevation change. I
was surprised to find over 50 species blooming and a fair amount of water
flowing in the creek down Serrano Canyon, providing the pleasant background
babbling of the brook. Starting out from the trailhead just off the PCH, I
was immediately confronted by the large number of what some might call a
catalogue of "noxious" plants. Included in these might be Western
ragweed, sweet fennel, tree tobacco, hedge mustard, horseweed, castor bean,
prickly lettuce, poison hemlock, datura, cockle bur, telegraph weed and morning
glory. Also found amongst this first group was mule fat, coyote bush,
vervain, mugwort, wild rose, ashy leaved buckwheat, bush monkey flower, giant
rye and cliff aster. Still blooming was bush mallow, laurel sumac, horehound,
deerweed, wooly aster, elderberry, Harding grass, white sweet clover and
cudweed. The bright red of both California fuchsia and hoary fuchsia and
heart-leaved penstemon were spotted all along the trail. Sow thistle and wild
heliotrope were spotted as well as narrow-leaved milkweed. Sawtooth golden
bush was fairly plentiful and a few slender tarweed and California sage brush
were also seen. Adding to the list was wand chicory, felt-leaf everlasting
and chalk live-forever. The poison oak was displaying a wide range of reds,
pinks and almost violet colored leaves. Several coffeeberry bushes were
bearing fruit and the walnuts were thick underfoot beneath the trees The
trail up Serrano Canyon crosses the creek many times giving an opportunity to
see the tadpoles and at nearly every crossing the scarlet monkey flower. In
these moist areas there was common plantain and more roses accompanied by
their brilliant red rose hips. Climbing up toward the grassland I spotted
California buckwheat, woolly blue curls, black sage, chamise, gum plant, rabbit's
foot grass and a single Spanish broom. For this time of year seeing this
many different species even in modest quantities is good and such a rating is
given. (RWM) |
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Naturalist's rating: Good |
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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.
(RWM). |
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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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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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