Desert Wildflowers Southern California

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Wildflower and Plant Descriptions with Photos

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April 2, 2013 Richard reports: On Saturday March 30, 2013, I went to Figueroa Mountain (near Solvang) and it was breathtaking. Thanks to Jeff (reported this on March 23). Wildflowers are at the peak and it might last a few weekends. Exact location (where the photos were taken) is 0.5 mile beyond the fire station on Figueroa Mountain Road.

April 1, 2013 Rena reports: On March 28, 2013, I saw the most beautiful array of wildflowers on Highway 180 driving east towards Squaw Valley on my way to Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Forest. I don't know the names of flowers, but there was lots of purple, blue, yellow, white, pink and orange wildflowers to be seen, along with tons of fuschia blossoms on tress. It was SO BEAUTIFUL. The best display that I can remember seeing in years. I wish I had my camera with me, but I did not. So I guess I'll just have to go back!

March 28, 2013 Gregg reports: On Monday (the 25th), I took a leisurely drive in Riverside County, from Palm Desert up Hwy 74 to Hwy 371, down to Aguanda and Hwy 79 until Temecula came into sight, where I turned around and went home. It's a wonderful drive through a variety of habitats, with a nice variety of wildflowers along all three highways. The best spots were along Hwy 371, where I found yellow pincushion flowers, Coulter's lupine, California poppies, California bells, Collar lupine, miniature lupine, Lemmon's linathus, Popcorn flowers, carpets of Goldfields, Groundpinks, Fiddleneck, yucca, desert rock pea... Along Hwy 79 I found Baby blue eyes, Red maids, Chaparral nightshade, Black sage, Stinging lupine, Broadleaf or Arroyo lupine (not sure which), Camissonia species... Along Hwy 74 one of the few wildflowers I was able to get out and photograph was Bajada lupine, making it a six lupine species day. Roadside wildflowers I wasn't able to pull over for along Hwy 74 included Arizona lupine, Ocotillo, Chuparosa, Beavertail cactus, Brittlebush...

March 25, 2013 ABDNHA reports: A field of prickly poppies, Crucifixion Thorn Natural Area near the town of Ocotillo, Ca on Interstate 8.

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March 25, 2013 Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve SNR reports: It looks like we won't have much of a wildflower season this year. Many of the poppy plants that germinated after the March rains didn't make it through the recent hot days, and several of the ones that managed to squeeze out a single flower have desiccated from the winds mid-bloom . There are about 60 poppy flowers in the whole park at this weekend's count, but the plants that haven't flowered yet may not make it much longer. The Joshua trees and Grape Soda Lupine have already started going to seed. We may not have a peak at all this year.

However, we do have rain in the forecast for this weekend. If it actually happens, we might get a little bump of flowers in a couple weeks.

We had very little rain this winter, so the poppies and other wildflowers were unable to germinate and put roots down early. There was a lot of late rain in March causing a large germination, but their shallow young roots are vulnerable to freezes and heat waves. Every year is different, so it looks like these last couple years have been low times in the cycle. Times like this make the good years even more special!

March 25, 2013 Larry reports: Wildflowers on Hwy 223 in Arvin, Ca.

March 25, 2013 Gregg reports: I hiked a couple miles of the Canyon Trail in Big Morongo Canyon Preserve on the 21st, and Coachella Valley Preserve on the 22nd. Wildflowers were spotty in Coachella; a little more 'wildflowery' in Big Morongo. Not an orgy of wildflowers. More like a sparsely attended Bacchanal, but a decent variety in both locations. Big Morongo highlights included white tidy tips, a couple or three species each of Cammisonia, Cryptantha, Mentzelia and willow. Also Coreopsis, globemallow, Mule fat, small patches of Wallace's woolly daisies, fiddleneck, and very short - no more than 6" tall - Coulter's lupine. There were also many small plants in bud. Coachella highlights were even smaller Arizona lupine (along the roadside), Cholla, Beavertail and Barrel cacti, Desert sand verbena, Spanish needles, Desert sunflowers Rock daisies, Desert trumpet, Rayless Encelia and Stream orchids.

Attached are photos from Coachella, of Desert sand verbena, Stream orchid and Arizona lupine, and from Big Morongo Cyn. a Camissonia sp. and Coulter's lupine. All were shot with a Minolta E-510 (I'm hoping to get a new camera this summer)...

March 25, 2013 Keith reports: Took this picture on 3/23/13 near Glamis, Ca. Never seen one before.

Ghost Flower

March 23, 2013 Jeff reports: These photos where taken at Figueroa Mountain at sunset last night 3-21-13. Wildflowers are starting pop,the next two weeks should be good.

March 22, 2013 Gregg reports: We have a nice a variety of wildflowers, but not great abundance, in the Desert Hot Springs.CA area, mainly along North Indian Canyon Dr., between Mission Lakes Blvd. and Twentynine Palms Hwy., and in Mission Creek Preserve, a couples in on the west side of Twentynine Palms Hwy. Wildflowers included Emory Indigo bush, Brittlebush, Bladderpod, Creosote bush, Pygmy and Desert poppies, a few Cryptantha species, Desert Canterbury bells and other Phacelia species, a couple Gilias, lots of Desert dandelion and Pincushion flowers, a couple small primrose species, Mojave yucca, Wallace's woolly daisy, a small Blue Dicks species, a bit of Fiddleneck, and Whispering bells.

The photos were all shot on March 19th, with a Minolta E-510. The close-up of the Canterbury Bells and the Desert Poppy were shot along North Indian Canyon Dr.; the others were photographed in Mission Creek Preserve. Hopefully I'll get some more wildflowers today up at Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, and next month up in Oregon.

 

March 21, 2013 Alexandra reports: These pictures were taken north of Barstow, CA on blm land off of Copper City road. Many of the plants are only inches high, but there are lots of them, and they have not yet reached their peak. Seen out there were Fremont phacelia, mentzelia sp. , false woolly Daisy (carpets in places), desert parsley, lace leaf phacelia, and assorted gilias. I did see some California poppy plants but no blooms yet.

March 20, 2013 Gary reports: We took these pictures east of Lake Elsinore off of El Toro Road just before reaching (second and far eastern) intersection of Lindell Road, about 5 miles east of the I-15 freeway, (all dirt roads but recently graded and quite accessible). Many Calif Poppies beginning and fully in bloom. They may max-out this coming week-end (Mar 23) or even next weekend. Also visible were a blue shade of broad-leaf gilia, and some sort of purple blooms that appear similar to wild garlic. Nothing much is visible from the freeway.

March 20, 2013 Sandi reports: Just letting you know that wildflowers are in abundance at Tejon Ranch, situated in Southern California between the Sierra Nevadas, the Mojave Desert, and the Angeles National Forest. I took a road trip there this past weekend (on March 16), and here's what I saw. (Note: Tejon Ranch is private property)

March 18, 2013 Joe reports: Taken off the San Jacinto River Trail, in the Lake Elsinore area, on March 13, 2013. The trail starts near Summerhill Park, which is off the Railroad Canyon Road highway exit. When you reach what looks like a water treatment plant (less than a mile from the trail entrance) and walk along the fence in that area, you'll reach the spots where these photos were taken. Before reaching it, you'll also see patches of phacelia, poppies, wild hyacinth, desert bluebells, fiddleneck, yellow evening primrose, broad-leaf gilia, and popcorn flower among the wildflowers on the sloping hills.

While I would generally agree with "HO"s assessment of the Lake Elsinore wildflower bloom (3/13/13) off of Railroad Canyon Road, I don't think the person viewed the areas nearby that I explored. It's still worth a visit, if you're in the vicinity.

Wild cucumber (I believe) wrapped on a cholla, with a nice poppy background.

One of the denser patches of broad-leaf gilia.

March 17, 2013 Theodore Payne Foundation reports: - Carrizo Plain National Monument - due to low rainfall, very little is flowering there now. Keep fingers crossed for the next few weeks.

March 15, 2013 Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve SNR reports: The poppy plants are now the size of golf balls (see blurry picture below), and none are blooming yet but there's still a lot of them. This heat the last couple days crisped a few of them, but there's still plenty that are marching on! I hear it's cooling down over the next few days so that will give them a chance to get those roots deeper. We've only had 1.3 inches of rain this winter, so we're about 6 inches short. Their roots aren't very deep after the late rains brought late germination (they would normally start their roots in October or November), so we'll see how long they can make it- but the number of sprouting plants is rather surprising so we hope for more surprises!

More reports on Page 2