Welcome to the 30th Annual Wildflower Hotline, brought to you by the Theodore Payne Foundation, a non-profit plant nursery, seed source, book store, and education center dedicated to the preservation of wildflowers and California native plants. This a report for April 20, 2012. New reports will be posted each Friday through the end of May.

Celebrate Earth Day and California Native Plant Week! The late rains nudged the dormant wildflowers into bloom in some nearby areas, so get outside and enjoy Earth Day festivities with friends and family.

We’ll start this week in Palos Verdes at South Coast Botanic Garden. This is a very special garden to visit in the early spring. Most California natives are in the Mediterranean Garden section. Look for our favorite spring wildflowers, California poppy (Eschscholzia californica), clarkia (Clarkia unguiculata), Canterbury bells (Phacelia campanularia), arroyo lupine (Lupinus succulentus), bird’s eye gilia (Gilia tricolor), Chinese houses (Collinsia heterophylla) and five-spot (Nemophila maculata). Many colorful, bright perennials, including hummingbird sage (Salvia spathaceae), foothill penstemon (Penstemon heterophylla), seaside daisy (Erigeron glaucus), pitcher sage (Lepinchinia fragrans), Conejo buckwheat (Eriogonum crocatum), redflower buckwheat (Eriogonum grande var. rubescens), California brittlebush (Encelia californica) and blue-eyed grass (Sisyrhinchium bellum) are at their peak bloom. There is also the outstanding bush anemone (Carpenteria californica).

Spend Earth Day in Newport Beach walking the trails at the Environmental Nature Center. A visit here on a beautiful spring day is invigorating. California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) are bright and cheery everywhere in the garden. Sit and watch hummingbirds defend territory around their favorite sages, black sage (Salvia mellifera), Cleveland (Salvia clevelandii), hummingbird sage (Salvia spathaceae), and Munz’s sage (Salvia munzii). Shrubs and small trees provide shade and fragrance. California buckeye (Aesculus californica), Island bush poppy (Dendromecon rigida), fragrant mock orange (Philadelphus lewisii) and Western redbud are spectacular. Enjoy too, the California wild rose (Rosa californica) coming into bloom throughout the garden.

Prisk Native Garden located in Long Beach, is having an Open House event on Earth Day, Sunday April 22. See event notices below for more detail. The garden is in full bloom and ready to receive visitors. Mojave bluebells (Phacelia campanularia), meadowfoam (Limnanthes douglasii), globe gilia (Gilia capitata), blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum), wild canterbury bells (Phacelia minor), woolly blue-curls (Trichostema lanatum), elegant clarkia (Clarkia unguiculata), punchbowl godetia (Clarkia bottae), wind poppy (Stylomecon heterophylla), apricot mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua), popcorn flower (Cryptantha sp.), coral bells (Heuchera spp.) and four varieties of blooming penstemon: royal, splendid, desert or Palmer’s and Eaton's penstemons (Penstemon spp.) are in spectacular bloom. Help Prisk celebrate their hard work sustaining this beautiful habitat garden by visiting them during the Open House.

Prisk Native Garden, Long Beach. Photos by Mike Letteriello

 

The Habitat Gardens at Elizabeth Learning Center in Cudahy are “out-of-control beautiful” and dressed to celebrate Earth Day and California Native Plant Week. Again, this school garden is a slice of inspiring nature in a concrete and asphalt city. This week, the three paintbrush species (Castilleja spp.) are vibrantly electric with purples, oranges, yellows, reds and pinks. The Apache plume (Fallugia paradoxa) is also popping with white flowers all over. The ceanothus (Ceanothus spp.) has just released wave after wave of dark blue flowers. The prickly poppies (Argemone munita) are prolific with flowers. See last week’s hotline report for the exhaustive list of species flowering at this site. I’ve been told they are still all spectacular. The general public is always welcome to visit the gardens at the Elizabeth Learning Center from 8:00am to 4:00pm Monday thru Friday. Anyone interested in visiting just needs to get a Visitor's Pass from the Main Office and say they are here for the Habitat Garden Wildflowers.

San Clemente Island White-Felted Paintbrush (Castilleja grisea) and owl’s clover (Castilleja sp.) Photos by George Nanoski

Visiting the Inland Empire and the San Jacinto Mountains, you will find many of the chaparral shrub species in flower along the Webster Trail (about a mile from Pine Cove and near Idyllwild). The top portion of the trail is in the pine forest. Sierra gooseberry (Ribes roezlii var. roezlii) is flowering and tucked away here and there among the shrubs and under trees are baby blue-eyes (Nemophila menziesii), southern tauschia (Tauschia arguta), and spring draba (Draba verna).The next portion follows an exposed ridge with chaparral species. It begins in a forest of manzanitas (Arctostaphylos glandulosa) in full bloom which transitions into big berry manzanita (Arctostaphylos glauca). The annuals include red-root cryptantha (Cryptantha micrantha) and sand cress (Calyptridium monandrum). On the ridge line you walk through chaparral whitethorn (Ceanothus leucodermis) with clusters of blue flowers with an intoxicating fragrance on one side, and a white-flowered ceanothus possibly buck brush (Ceanothus cuneatus var. cuneatus) on the other. Once crossing the dry ridge and dipping into the north fork drainage, the flora noticeably changes. Here you find the yellow flowers of bush poppies (Dendromecon rigida), purple nightshade (Solanum sp.), blue flowers of common phacelia (Phacelia distans) and bishop's lotus (Acmispon strigosus). Near the bottom there are chia (Salvia columbariae) and blue dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum ssp. capitatum) in bloom everywhere.

The areas east of Lake Henshaw still look good this week, however the nice displays of goldfields (Lasthenia gracilis) are fading fast. Around the junction of S2 and S22 where the PCT crosses S22, there are both white and blue ceanothus (Ceanothus spp.) in full bloom and the slopes look spectacular.

In Anza-Borrego Desert State Park this week at lower Grapevine Canyon there are a surprising number of species in bloom right along the road, including tons of Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens), desert dandelion (Malacothrix glabrata), pincushion (Chaenactis fremontii) and small flower poppy (Eschscholzia minutiflora). Hiking in Bitter Creek Canyon just beyond the spring, you find many flowering plants, including the Wallace’s woolly daisy (Eriophyllum wallacei), California goldfields (Lasthenia californica), desert calico (Loeseliastrum matthewsii), Bigelow’s monkeyflower (Mimulus bigelovii), common phacelia (Phacelia distans) and chia (Salvia columbariae).

The bush lupine (Lupinus excubitus) at the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve, is very showy now, and along the trails that take you through chaparral, bush monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus), chaparral beard-tongue (Keckiella antirrhinoides), American vetch (Vicia americana var. americana), black sage (Salvia mellifera), are blooming. Trees like the showy blue elderberry (Sambucus mexicana), and the much more subtle coast live (Quercus agrifolia) and Engelmann oaks (Quercus engelmanii) are beautiful in flower. Under the trees are Chinese houses (Colinsia heterophylla), and western buttercup (Ranunculus occidentalis). Chick-lupine (Lupinus microcarpus var. microcarpus), owl’s clover (Castilleja densiflora), popcorn flower (Plagiobothrys spp. & Cryptantha spp.), suncup (Camissoniopsis intermedia) are edging some of the trails. Tucked in among the shrubs are small patches of baby blue-eyes (Nemophila menziesii), and woolly lomatium (Lomatium dasycarpum). North Granite Loop Trail has balloon clover (Trifolium depauperatum var. truncatum), California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), and colorful splashes of ground pinks (Linanthus dianthiflorus).

Larkspurs (Delphinium patens) and (Delphinium parryi). Photos by Ron Vanderhoff

A very nice hike in the Cleveland National Forest along the San Juan Loop Trail, will yield you glimpses of at least 138 species of plants! The showiest include ropevine (Clematis pauciflora) scrambling up into shrubs and trees, chinese houses (Collinsia heterophylla), Parry's blue-eyed Mary (Collinsia parryi) ) and woodland star (Lithophragma affine), occupying little shady patches. Larkspurs (Delphinium parryi and D. patens) stand tall among the grasses. Many-flowered

linanthus (Leptosiphon floribundus), small-flowered meconella (Meconella denticulate), wide throated yellow monkeyflower (Mimulus brevipes), wild Canterbury bells (Phacelia minor), chia (Salvia columbariae) valley clover (Trifolium willdenovii) and five different Lupine species (Lupinus spp.) are scattered along the trail. 

Woodland star (Lithophragma affine) and fiesta flower (Pholistoma auritum). Photos by Ron Vanderhoff

Still in the Santa Ana Mountains, a walk in the remote Pine Canyon, a tributary of Silverado Canyon reveals nice displays of climbing snapdragon (Antirrhinum kelloggii), paintbrush (Castilleja affinis), chaparral yucca (Hesperoyucca whipplei), and long-leaved lupine (Lupinus longifolius) Lastly, but best, is an unusually large patch of at least 50 rein orchids (Piperia sp.).

Harford Springs Preserve in Western Riverside County has monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus) and (Mirabilis californica) tucked in among the many large boulders scattered in the landscape. Patches of the many-stemmed woolly sunflower (Eriophyllum multicaule) and golden yarrow (Eriophyllum confertiflorum).

Along the foothills of the Southern Sierra Nevada from Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, Western redbud (Cercis occidentalis) is spectacular with it’s reddish-pink blossoms and the blue of lupines, the silver bush lupine (Lupinus albifrons) and spider lupine (Lupinus benthamii). Standing out too are showy yellow of patches of madia (Madia elegans).

At Pinnacles National Monument on the High Peaks trail, enjoy the gold and red colors of goldfields (Lasthenia gracilis), wallflowers (Erysimum capitatum), and paintbrush (Castilleja affinis var. affinis). The pretty little bitter root (Lewisia rediviva) is also blooming on this trail, but keep a sharp eye out because it is well camouflaged sitting in the decomposed granite and gravelly soil. Check out the checker lilies (Fritillaria affinis var. affinis) and Johnny-jump-ups (Viola pedunculata) along the Old Pinnacles Trail and find fringed onions (Allium

fimbriatum var. fimbriatum) as you scale the Balconies Cliffs Trail. Climbing vines of pipestem (Clematis lasiantha) and purple morning glory (Calystegia purpurata ssp. purpurata) are hanging out along the Bear Gulch Trail. Cream cups (Platystemon californicus), gilias (Gilia spp.), chia (Salvia columbariae), California (Eschscholia californica) and tufted (Eschescolzia caespitosa) poppies, silver bush lupine (Lupinus albirons), common yellow chaenactis (Chaenactis glabriscula), popcorn flowers (Plagiobothrys nothofulvus) and golden yarrow (Eriophyllum multicaule) are seen dotting the landscape all around the park.

California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) are spectacular throughout the Figueroa mountains along Figueroa Mountain Road, while other wildflowers are declining. There are still a few Chinese houses (Collinsia heterophylla) and hummingbird sage (Salvia spathaceae) in bloom. A little further up the road you will see the distinctive red of paintbrush (Castilleja sp.). Cream cups (Platystemon californicus) are flowering as you approach the second cattle guard and further, along the serpentine formation, look for prickly phlox (Linanthus californicus), and golden-orange wall flowers (Erysimum sp). Mariposa lilies (Calochortus spp.) are coming up among the tall grasses in the meadows. The poppy bloom on the burned area about a mile up from the Ranger Station is very, very showy. Continuing on, at a large dirt turnout about a mile beyond the Davey Bown trailhead, some chocolate lilies (Fritilaria biflora) are still in bloom, and beyond that are carpets of goldfields (Lasthenia sp.) with tidy tips (Layia platyglossa), coreopsis (Coreopsis sp.) and buttercups (Ranunculus californica). Paintbrush (Castilleja sp.) is applying flecks of red on the rock wall faces. At Ranger Peak look for baby blue eyes (Nemophila menziesii), miner’s lettuce (Claytonia sp.) and purple phacelias (Phacelia spp.). It continues to be colorful to Cachuma Saddle, then at Susnset Valley, ceanothus (Ceanothus spp.), golden yarrow (Eriophyllum confertiflorum), chia (Salvia columbariae), poppies (Eschscholzia spp.), Coulter lupine (Lupinus sp.), Chinese houses (Collinsia heterophylla), monkeylower (Mimulus aurantiacus) and prickly phlox (Leptosiphon californicus) are blooming nicely. Happy Canyon has a plethora of wildflowers— all of the mentioned above and much more! Go see it!

Poppies (Eschscholzia californica) along Figueroa Mountain Road. Photo by Helen Tarbet

At Stough Canyon Nature Center in the Verdugo Mountains take an Earth Day hike with the family along Stough Canyon or Wildwood Canyon Roads. Enjoy the colorful and fragrant, black sage (Salvia mellifera), bush sunflower (Encelia

californica), monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus), purple sage (Salvia leucophylla), sugar bush (Rhus ovata) and the arroyo lupine (Lupinus succulentus).

If you are visiting Vasquez Rocks Natural Area and Nature Center off Hwy. 14, look for patches of goldfields (Lasthenia gracilis) along the canyon bottoms and golden bush (Ericameria sp.), monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus) and black sage (Salvia mellifera) among the rocks and boulders of the canyon. Recent rains are encouraging dormant poppies at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve to come out and show off their colors. Fiddleneck (Amsinckia sp.), goldfields (Lasthenia gracilis), Mojave suncups (Camissonia sp.), and forget-me-nots (Cryptantha sp.) are starting to bloom here and there. Grape soda lupines (Lupinus excubitus) are still putting on a nice show too. The best hiking route at this time is going up the Tehachapi Vista Point trail and back along the South Poppy Loop Trail. Just over the crest at the top, a nice patch of poppies can be seen on the south-facing slope. Another good spot to visit is Kitanemuk Vista Point, where a lovely patch of purple lacy phacelia (Phacelia sp.) can be seen.  If you're up for a long hike, a lightening-strike fire in September burned the south-east end of the park, and several healthy patches of poppies can be seen along the lower Antelope Buttes Vista Point trail.  It's about a 3 mile round trip and it's not a carpet of poppies, but they're good looking flowers without all the grasses crowding them out.

That’s it for this week. Look for our next report on Friday, April 27 and check back each week for the most up to date information on southern and central California wildflowers.

NATIVE PLANT & WILDFLOWER EVENTS:

California Native Plant Society Chapters & California Native Plant Week

Chapters statewide are celebrating California native Plant Week April 15-22 with events and activities. Go to the CNPS website to check out what is going on in your area.

CNPS-Los Angeles Santa Monica Mountains Chapter

April 21, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. Native Plant Week Symposium, Wildflower Show and Plant Sale, Sepulveda Garden Center. For more information go to: http://lasmmcnps.org/

CNPS-San Diego Chapter

April 28 & 29, San Diego Chapter will hold its Inaugural Native Garden TourGo to www.cnpssd.org/tour for more information.

CNPS-San Gabriel Mountains Chapter

Eaton Canyon Plant Walks: Second Sunday of each month except July and

August. Meet in front of Eaton Canyon Nature Center at 9:00 a.m. Then go on a leisurely walk, about 2 hours, through the native plant garden that surrounds the Center and into the nearby wild areas. The walk is different each time — what's leafing out, flowering, in seed, etc., determines what your leader will talk about — and different leaders bring different points of view.

Antelope Valley California Poppy Preserve

Jane S. Pinheiro Interpretive Center opens on, March 18th from 10am - 4pm weekdays and 9am – 5pm weekends for the duration of the wildflower season.  Hungry Valley SRAThe first weekend of Hungry Valley Wildflower Tours will begin on April 21st & 22nd due.

Figueroa Mountain

There will be a guided drive and stroll wildflower tour of Figueroa on Saturday, April 21, 2012. Interested parties are asked to meet at the Figueroa Station by 9:15. The tour will run from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bring water, a lunch, comfortable shoes and a camera (ok, the camera is optional, but you’ll wish you had)!

Prisk Native Garden Open House is on Sunday, April 22 (Earth Day), 1:00 – 4:00 pm. Prisk Native Garden is located in Long Beach near the corner of San Vicente and Los Arcos. (Around corner from school address at 2375 Fanwood Ave., Long Beach 90815.) Admission free. Take Palo Verde turnoff in Long Beach. Further info: letteriello@charter.net or Mike at 562-481-5216.