GardenGates: Gardening and Landscape Design » California wildflowers

Wildflowers Peak at the California Poppy Reserve

Jane — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 19:44:12 +0000

Jane at the California Poppy Reserve

If you can, rush out to the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve soon. Fields of bright orange are visible for miles away as the poppies paint the hills. Swatches of blue from millions of blooming purple-blue Lupins intersect the orange and contrast with huge spreads of glowing yellow from masses of tiny yellow Goldfields. If the day-glow colors aren’t enough to amaze you, you can go picking through miles of trails at the reserve discovering the glittering seed heads of Silver Puffs, the red-purple of Owl Clover or find yourself scurrying after a patterned lizard to check out its designs.

The Poppy Reserve is located in Lancaster (northern Los Angeles County), just southeast of the Grapevine, 15 miles west of Lancaster center, and about 40 miles north of the Santa Clarita/Valencia area. You can find more information at http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=627.

Plan on brilliant color and blustering winds. The winds are typical of the high desert at this time of year. Wearing a hat is a good idea. Keeping it on your head may be a challenge. But it’s worth the effort to check out the wildflowers peaking at the California Poppy Reserve right now!

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California Wildflowers!

Jane — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 14:57:51 +0000

Local wildflowers back in 2003. Will this year be as good? Photo by Jane Gates

It’s the beginning of the California wildflower season and with the generous rains nature kindly donated to Southern California, the flowers ought to be spectacular this year. Here is a little informal video of an expedition I just made into the wilds in the hills behind my house at about 2000 feet of elevation in the inland chaparral just north of Los Angeles. The first of the spring wildflowers are starting to carpet the hillsides. Here’s a look at some of our first California chaparral wildflowers for the spring.

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California Poppies bloom in the desert

Jane — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 14:53:27 +0000

The California Poppy, (Eschscholzia californica) is a marvelously showy wildflower that can carpet hillsides in Southern California. Both the chaparral and desert areas should offer an exceptional show of California Poppies this year with the good winter rainfall after so many years of drought. I went off in search of the first blooms today and as I crested a hill, discovered the first stand of brilliant orange-yellow trumpets spattering the still moist terrain. It’s still early and there should be many more to follow. Check with the latest reports to see how intense the flowering is at the Poppy Reserve if you want to take a memorable hike through some of the more impressive fields of California wildflowers. Check out the Antelope Valley Poppy reserve with its miles of hiking trails through the Antelope Buttes near Lancaster, California — just northeast of Los Angeles, east of the ‘Grapevine’ at interstate 5.

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