Please share your wildflower pictures for Southern California, including the date and location. We will post your photos on our Wildflower Reports page, so others can learn where and when to view the spectacular displays.
- E-mail your digital photos and reports to Jim@desertusa.com. Use Wildflower Report as the subject of your e-mail. Let us know where you took the image, the date, and how you would like us to give you photo credit (first name, etc.)
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Note: Spring is one of the most beautiful times of the year in the desert, but it can also be a time for caution. Rattlesnakes lie dormant during the cold fall and winter months and awaken from hibernation in the warm months of March and April. Another reason to stay on the trails. More…
2026 Southern California Wildflower Reports
March 27, 2026, DUSA Reports: Antelope Valley, California Poppy Preserved Flowers are starting to fade because of the heat and other factors. Check their cameras out for the latest views. https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=31189
March 23, 2026, DUSA Reports: Important Visitor Notice: Many of the roads around the Antelope Valley poppy fields are private residential roads. Please respect posted signs and do not drive down private roads. Residents have experienced increasing traffic and disruptions during the bloom season. Visitors can still enjoy and photograph the poppies from public roads and designated viewing areas. Your cooperation helps keep these beautiful desert landscapes open and welcoming.
March 21, 2026, John Reports: Southern California, Antelope Valley, March 17, 2026. Pictures 1 and 2: A large grove of Joshua trees are in bloom, with Goldfields carpeting the ground in the area. About one mile north of W Ave D (Hwy 138) on 170th St. W. Picture 3: The most dense display of California poppies in area. About a half mile south of W Ave D on 120th St. W (dirt road with power lines).
March 17, 2026, Larry Reports: Finally, a decent bloom this year. I have to say that I don’t think it is a Super Bloom, although I will say it is the best bloom since 2019. Last week I went to the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve and was a bit disappointed. It was good, but I really didn’t see anything like the photos that I saw on the internet. Yesterday I saw a video taken from a small plane flying over the Reserve and could see that the actual reserve wasn’t that great, but that there were some patches outside the reserve that were very nice. Attached are some photos taken 3/16/26. The first few were taken at the intersection of 110W St and Ave G. If you are taking 110W north, when you get to Avenue G turn right and in a short distance you will come to a dirt road. You can take photos right at the intersection. If you head north on the dirt road you will see more poppies. Eventually there are fewer flowers and, I think you are better off turning around. I have one photo that I took 3/16/26 going south up Munz Ranch road that shows a view of the Poppy Reserve. I then included a photo of approximately the same place that was taken in 2019 when there was an actual super bloom. The last 2 photos were taken at the intersection of Munz Ranch Road and Elizabeth Lake Road. If you are traveling south it is on the right side of the road. The spot has Lupine, California Goldfields and Lace Philacelia, along with the Poppies.
The above photo was taken in 2019 as a comparison to how it looks in the previous photo, taken 3/16/26
March 12, 2026, Gale Reports: These were taken on March 11th, 2026, at 140th St. West & Avenue D, as well as 110th St. West, between Avenues E & F. A high abundance of Poppies, Purple Owl’s Clover, and Goldfields were spotted, as well as a small sprinkling of Grape Soda Lupine. The Joshua Trees are also currently blooming, as shown here (if you drive north on 140th St. West from Avenue D, you’ll spot them on your right).
March 11, 2026, Gale Reports: These photos were taken on March 8th, 2026, near the Pearblossom Hwy on/off-ramps off of the 14 Fwy, in Palmdale, CA. Large patches of Poppies, Goldfields, and Lacy Phacelia dot the landscape & mountainside, all dominated this year by a majority of Douglas’ Fiddlenecks (the yellow, fiddlehead-like blooms shown in the background). Also seen were smatterings of Wild Hyacinths, seen here up close (my first time ever witnessing them around here!).
March 9, 2026, Malathi Reports: West side of the Antelope Valley near Lancaster, California – Road 120th St W (dirt road) between Avenue I and Avenue D. Gets more and more spectacular towards Avenue D. Plenty of flowers on Avenue G between 90th and 110th as well. Photos taken 3/5/26 around 12-1 pm.
March 7, 2026, Antelope Valley, California poppy reserve Reports: Contrary to the news articles, this is not a “superbloom” year. While there is no definition of what a superbloom is, when many people envision one at the Poppy Reserve, they think of carpets of poppies over the hillsides that stretch as far as the eye can see. This is not one of those years. It is clear that more time will not improve the bloom conditions. Some poppies are already producing seed capsules. Visitors will be wowed with lots of wildflowers, especially owl’s clover, but not acres of poppies. That being said, it is GORGEOUS. How long will the bloom last? That entirely depends on the weather. If we get warmer temperatures, the bloom may be over sometime in April. If it is cooler, the bloom could last longer. Only the Mojave Desert knows. Click here for live views of the Poppy Reserve!
March 4, 2026 Rena Reports: The area in the Antelope Valley on Avenue D between about 120th St. West and 150th St. West is blooming quite nicely right now. These photos were taken on March 3rd.
March 1, 2026 Jennie Reports: A brief wildflower report from the Red Rock Canyon State Park on Feb 26, 2026. There are isolated spots of flowers in the park, as shown in this photo of the desert dandelion.
March 1, 2026 Gale Reports: This swath of Goldfields was seen carpeting an empty lot at 30th St. East and Avenue J. There are several other undeveloped pieces of land around the Antelope Valley that are experiencing a similar explosion of color, either with Goldfields or Redstem Filaree (a common weed that sprouts tiny purplish blooms, also captured here). Hoping this is a sign of a possible superbloom this year. Fingers crossed for the coming weeks!
Feb 27, 2026 Donna Reports: Did an early scouting trip this morning in the Antelope Valley. Still early, but it looks like a banner year is coming with the warmer nighttime temperatures! The best poppy blooms with Lupine and Chia were along the Munoz Ranch Road. Johnson Road, off Munoz Ranch, didn’t have much yet. The promise of really good color at the Poppy Reserve is exciting. Much further west (280th), there were already some good fields as well. The north side of the 14 freeway at the pass through Acton had some nice spots as well.
Feb 7, 2026 Daisy Reports: Took these photos Saturday, February 7, 2026 on Phantom Trail – Mulholland Drive.Many great patches of wildflowers on this trail! Now is definitely a great time to hike this one, thank you to Bob for the suggestion!
Feb 6, 2026 Bob Reports: Santa Monica mountains recreational area. News for three trails. I’ll start with the best one
Phantom Trail – Mulholland Drive (opposite side of road from Cistern Trail – goes north to Liberty Canyon Road). Large quantity of blooms. I’ll them in roughly descending order by quantity. Ceanothus (mostly blue, some white) – covers entire hillsides in places; California brittlebush; mustard; datura; lupine; Indian paintbrush; four o’clock; popcorn; Caterpillar phacelia; filaree; California poppy; wild cucumber; purple nightshade; bush poppy; California aster; sugar bush; and Parry’s Phacelia. Most of the bloom looks early yet, more to come within a week. The approach to the trailhead along Mulholland in either direction has denser lupine than the trail, mostly on the north side of the road, and more west of the trailhead than east of it.
Triunfo Creek Park – ceanothus (white), purple nightshade, peonies, shooting stars, spreading phlox, mustard, monkeyflower, blue dicks, goldfields. Only the ceanothus is dense. More flowers on the Westlake Vista (reservoir) side than on the Pentachaeta side.
Lake Eleanor Ridge trail (parallel to Westlake Blvd on the east side) – ceanothus (white), purple nightshade, peonies, shooting stars, spreading phlox, mustard, chocolate lilies, four o’clock, blue dicks, lupine, wild Canterbury bells. Only the ceanothus is dense; most of the shooting stars have gone to seed even though they usually don’t even start until Valentine’s Day (I saw a few starting on the Saturday after Thanksgiving this season!).
Jan 22, 2026 Dennis Reports: Taken January 22, 2026. There are nice patches of Desert Sand Verbena, Annual Evening Primrose, and Desert Lily just off of I-8 on Grays Wells Road near the California/Arizona/Mexico border. The area is at the southern end of the Imperial Dunes and camping is allowed on BLM sites there.
Jan 19, 2026 Scott Reports: pringtime in January? These blue phacelias, California poppies and Bigelow coreopsis think so. If this were a superbloom, that hillside would be carpeted in blue, orange and yellow. This is one of the secret gardens of California poppies in the eastern Sierra that is accessed by 4×4 on occasionally maintained dirt roads. It is about 1,000 ft. above CA-14. Meanwhile, down on the desert floor, there is wholesale desiccation. What was green new growth a few weeks ago is now browning. That damage cannot be undone
Jan 9, 2026 Scott Reports: My first desert candle of 2026! About a mile or two northeast of California City. There are several groves in the area, but I only looked at this one. This was the only stalk I saw. Is that a bee I see, or is it a bee fly?
Jan 4, 2026 Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve
This iconic poppy reserve, home to thick blankets of California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) and other wildflowers, relies heavily on sustained winter moisture for superb fields.
While statewide rainfall patterns have varied, plenty of above-normal rainfall totals have been recorded in parts of Southern California’s interior valleys and foothills, contributing to improved prospects for poppy blooms.
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Southern California Inland Fields
Areas like Lake Elsinore’s Walker Canyon and surrounding inland ridges have already shown sporadic blooms in years with good fall/winter rain. Based on CA rainfall data, many inland valley stations are reporting rainfall totals well above normal for this point in the season, which boosts the chances of poppies and lupines lighting up hillsides in the near future.
Poppy Outlook
- Early conditions now favor vibrant poppy fields, particularly where winter rains have pooled in gentle slopes and valley grasslands.
- Peak timing for inland poppies is typically late February through April, potentially starting as early as mid-February in warmer, low-elevation locales.
Photos tips: Most digital point-and-shoot cameras have a macro function – usually symbolized by the icon of a little flower. When you turn on that function, you allow your camera to get closer to the subject, looking into a flower for example. Or getting up close and personal with a bug. More on desert photography.
Mojave Desert Wildflowers – This book is the standard by which all other wildflower books are measured. The author, Jon Mark Stewart, has combined super photography with concise information. This book has an entire color page for each wildflower covered, with a discussion of the wildflower. 210 pages with 200 color photos. More…
Desert Wildflowers and Plants Field Guide Kindle Edition
Other DesertUSA Resources
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