Page Revised: 4/19/05

 

Available Sites

Zuma/Trancas Canyons
Circle X Ranch
Semler Park
Newton/Upper Solstice Cantons
Point Mugu State Park
Solstice Canyon
Cheeseboro/Palo Comado
Malibu Creek State Park

Date of Review

4/18/05 & 4/3/05
4/11/05 & 3/23/05 3/21/05
4/11/05
4/9/05
4/5/05
3/31/05
3/30/05
3/24/05

See the photo gallery of What’s Blooming at: http://www.nps.gov/samo/bloom/bloom.htm

In the interest of keeping this  What’s Blooming  page brief, but simultaneously providing access to past reports, we have created an archive of previous reports

 

The vast fields of wildflowers that some were expecting have not yet appeared, but we may still see them if the weather cooperates. Indeed, we are still waiting for that superlative display which will earn an ‘Excellent’ rating. Plant growth is definitely lush. If you do encounter an excellent site please let us know.

 

Many organizations are now offering guided wildflower walks. You can check the Spring calendar of the Santa Monica Mountains NRA, Outdoors, for more details. The on-line version of this published booklet can be found at http://www.nps.gov/samo/outdoors.

 

Upper Zuma Canyon

 

 Date: 4/18/05

 

 

         Today we hiked Upper Zuma Canyon and the wildflower display was very good to excellent. There were big stands of bush lupine, black sage, Spanish broom, fiesta flower, deerweed, wishbone bush, sticky monkey flower and canyon sunflower.   Other finds were star lily, globe lily, clematis, blue larkspur, Parry's phacelia, caterpillar phacelia, large flower phacelia, hedge nettle, meadow rue, and prickly phlox. Some of the streams are now dried up and the remaining streams are easily crossed.  (KJ)

 

Naturalist's rating: Very Good to Excellent

 

Circle X Ranch

Grotto Trail

 Date: 4/11/05

 

 

        This easy-to-moderate trail goes downhill about 1.5 miles through riparian, grassland, and chaparral habitats, in shade and sun, with dramatic views of Boney Ridge and a couple of waterfalls. We counted seventy four species in bloom, not counting a few that we did not recognize. The Grotto remains a bit more challenging to get to since the winter's rains because of the high water levels. We get frequent questions from children regarding the California Newt seen in the stream and pools near the Grotto. Flower highlights include Evening Primroses, Lilies, Phacelias, a grassy field full of Vetches, a huge crop of Chinese Houses, Blue Larkspur, Blue Dicks, Crimson Pitcher Sage, and Nightshades. The appearance of Clarkias (including Purple Clarkia on the Canyon View Trail), and seed heads of the Silver Puffs remind us that Spring is well along now.

        The complete list includes Deerweed, Red-stem Filaree, Black Sage, California Buckwheat, California Filago, Black Mustard, Yellow Monkey flower, Creek Monkey Flower, Bush Monkey flower, Yellow Sweet Clover, Mustard Evening Primrose, Small Evening Primrose, Bush Sunflower, Canyon Sunflower, Bur Clover, Morning Glory, Pineapple Weed, California Everlasting, Two-tone Everlasting, Common Chickweed, Pacific Sanicle, Windmill Pink, Mule Fat, Annual Bedstraw, Climbing Bedstraw, Narrow-leaved Bedstraw, Spring Vetch, Winter Vetch, Blue Dick, Purple Nightshade, White Nightshade, Black Walnut, Silver Puffs, Caterpillar Phacelia, Parry's Phacelia, Fiesta Flower, Blue Larkspur, Chinese Houses, Popcorn Flower, Eucrypta, Miner's Lettuce, Chamise, Scarlet Pimpernel, Blue-eyed Grass, Golden Yarrow, Catalina Mariposa Lily, Star Lily, Bigpod Ceanothus, Greenbark Ceanothus, Wishbone Bush, Hollyleaf Cherry, Hollyleaf Redberry, Strigose Lotus, Coastal Lotus, Yucca, Rattlesnake Weed (Daucus Pusillus), Cliff Aster, Stinging Lupine, California Blackberry, Thread Stem, Common Groundsel, Twining Snapdragon, Fuchsia-flowered Gooseberry, Crimson Pitcher Sage, Hedge Nettle, Elderberry, Willow-herb Clarkia, Sugar Bush, Curly Dock, Coffeeberry, Wild Sweet Pea, Sow Thistle, Prickly Sow Thistle, Annual Cat's Ear. (TV)

 

Naturalist's rating: Very Good

 

Westlake Vista / Semler Park

(Triunfo Creek Park)

Pentachaeta Trail

 Date: 4/11/05

 

 

         This little-known trail is at the end of Lindero Canyon Road just beyond the intersection of Triunfo Canyon Road. Managed as Open Space by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the easy 1-mile trail is named for the endangered “Lyon’s pentachaeta,” a small daisy endemic to the Santa Monica Mountains and Simi Hills (only 20 known populations, this area one of the best). The trail traverses open hillside meadows mixed with chaparral, and though the grasses are starting to turn, the wildflowers are just hitting their stride. Most profuse were coast goldfields in wide patches with clumps of owl’s clover and blue-eyed grass mixed in – a stunning color-combo! Lots of chamise, golden yarrow, and dove lupine were also seen, with bright patches of Chinese houses hiding in the chaparral shade. Further on, another good combo mixed ground-pink with angel’s gilia and goldfields. Others in the profuse or patchy categories were woolly blue-curls, red maids, caterpillar phacelia, coast lotus, fiesta flower, chia, yellow pincushion, blue larkspur—and a few mariposa lilies and fairy lanterns. All-in-all, a unique mix of 45 species – don’t forget your camera!  (JG)

 

Naturalist's rating: Very Good

 

Newton & Upper Solstice Canyons

The Backbone Trail

 Date: 4/9/05

 

 

         This hike was the fifth of the NPS 2004-2005 Backbone Trail Series. We will be hiking the entire Backbone Trail, one part each month and reporting on the flowers seen. A couple of the early hikes that were rained out have been re-scheduled for April and May resulting in two hikes in each of these months. This hike was from the Kanan Dume Road Trailhead to the Corral Canyon Road trailhead, about 6.5 miles. This trail drops into cool oak groves and rises up to dry sage scrub several times along its length providing multiple opportunities to see a large variety of flowers. We recorded seeing 119 different species in bloom. Several of the flower displays were quite spectacular, especially among the blue flowers. We are still waiting for that superlative display that will earn an excellent rating.

        Highlights include masses of Fiesta Flowers, frequent Catalina Mariposa Lilies, Star Lilies, Indian Paintbrush, Monkey flowers, good quantities of both Parry's and Caterpillar Phacelias, Sunflowers, several different Lupines, Evening Primrose, Blue-eyed Grass, Chinese Houses, groves of Chamise, Crimson Pitcher Sage, Indian Pink, Woolly Blue Curls, California Poppies, Tree Poppy, many Blue Dick, and Globe Gilia. (BE & TV)

 

Naturalist's rating: Very Good

 

Point Mugu State Park

Chumash Trail /
La Jolla Loop Trail

 Date: 4/5/05

 

 

         The steep ascent from PCH via the Chumash trail is strenuous and has tricky footing in places. A walking stick might be a good idea. The reward is an unobstructed view of the coast just off of the Seabee firing range. This trail is principally coastal sage scrub but since it is literally right on the coast it shows a slightly different mix of plants than seen in the sage scrub more frequently encountered in the interior of the Rec. Area. At the top I always stop to look at the native bunchgrasses in the wide-open grassland. We continued on to the La Jolla Loop trail and took the lower branch back to the La Jolla Canyon Trail and finally to the Ray Miller Trailhead. Down below you can get the impression that summer is just around the corner as things are really beginning to dry out. We also did a very quick side jaunt up the Mugu Peak trail to see what was blooming near the creek. Parts of the La Jolla Loop Trail had a great deal of Poison Oak along the trail margin. It could be avoided if you were careful, but if you don't know what it looks like you have almost no chance of avoiding it. In addition, Mosquitoes were thick along a couple of short sections so repellent might not be a bad idea if you plan on stopping near the creek. Highlights include Indian Paintbrush, many Catalina Mariposa Lilies, Blue-eyed Grass, several different Lupines, Bush Monkey Flower, Bush Mallow, Southern California Locoweed, Sticky Cinquefoil, Chinese Houses, Larkspur, and Indian Pink. Altogether about eighty different species were encountered.

        The complete list includes: Deerweed, Indian Paintbrush, Black Mustard, Black Sage, Catalina Mariposa Lily, Wild Morning Glory, White Sweet Clover, Golden Yarrow, Bush Sunflower, Bur Clover Blue-eyed Grass, California Buckwheat, Stinging Lupine, Succulent Lupine, Bush Lupine, Bush Mallow, Parry's Phacelia, Blue Dicks, Oxalis, White Pincushion, Coastal Lotus, Lance-leaf Live-forever, Bush Monkey Flower, Toyon, Giant Coreopsis, Rattlesnake Weed (Daucus Pusillus), Yucca, Small Evening Primrose, Whispering Bells, Narrow-leaved Bedstraw, Wishbone Bush, Shiny Lomatium, California Filago, Snakeroot, Lemonade Berry, Red-stem Filaree, Southern California Locoweed, Horehound, Sow Thistle, California Sagebrush, Wild Cucumber, Cliff aster, Cheeseweed, Pineapple Weed. Eucrypta, Winter Vetch, Italian Thistle, Pacific Sanicle, Poison Oak, Wild Sweet Pea, California Blackberry, Hedge Nettle, Crimson Pitcher Sage, Scarlet Pimpernel, Annual Bedstraw, Strigose Lotus, Coulter's Lupine, Tomcat Clover, Field Clover, Woolly Aster, Sticky Cinquefoil, Fiesta Flower, Purple Nightshade, Chinese Houses, Climbing Bedstraw, Larkspur, Miners Lettuce, Indian Pink, Curly Dock, California Wild Rose, Greenbark Ceanothus, Bigpod Ceanothus, Southern Tauschia, Caterpillar Phacelia, Peninsular Onion, Mule Fat, and Prostrate Coast Goldenbush.  (TV).

 

Naturalist's rating: Good to Very Good

 

Zuma & Trancas Canyons

Zuma Loop Trail

 Date: 4/3/05

 

 

         About 25 species of wildflowers are in bloom in the lower canyon area. Dominant species include: bush and canyon sunflowers, scarlet pimpernel, black sage, and fiesta flower. Other species along the higher portion of the loop trail include Catalina mariposa lily, Indian paintbrush, bush lupine and blue-eyed grass. There is still a good amount of water flowing through Zuma Creek. All creek crossings are passable with some rock hopping. (KL)

 

Naturalist's rating: Good

 

Solstice Canyon

Solstice Canyon Trail

 Date: 3/31/05

 

 

         Along the easy 1.25 mile trail to Tropical Terrace, flowers are sparse. Sages, sunflowers, and poppies are common in the re-vegetation area, but outside of that only single specimens are showing here and there. Near the Keller House are the bright oranges, purple and yellow of nasturtium, bull mallow and oxalis – all non-natives. We counted ten species blooming along the by pass road and only 5 more on the way up to the Tropical Terrace. White nightshade and hedge nettle made a nice grouping in the shaded area just before the Sostomo Trail cut off. (SB)

 

Naturalist's rating: Fair

 

Cheeseboro & Palo Comado Canyons

China Flat Trail

 Date: 3/30/05

 

 

        On 3/30/05 we hiked the China Flat Trail in the Cheeseboro/Palo Comado canyon preserve. The trail was badly rutted by the recent rains, but dry. The flowers were out in large quantities with 82 species identified, warranting a very good rating. Starting immediately at the trail head just off Lindero Canyon Rd. we found a profusion of blooms starting with the mundane prickly sow thistle, sour clover, red stem filaree, hedge mustard, horehound, popcorn flower and bush sunflower. A large stand of Chilean clover and some windmill pinks, bur clover and scarlet pimpernel were scattered along the trail. Chamise, small evening primrose, black sage, hoary leaf ceanothus, bush monkey flower and wooly blue curl were also abundant. Yerba Santa was found all along the trail. The foliage was quite ragged, but many blooms were present. The lavender rock rose (Cistus), mule fat, blue dick, and masses of the long billed filaree were also seen. Annual cat's ear, owl's clover, dove lupine, purple nightshade, and wild cucumber had several representatives in bloom. Many small flowers were present in amongst the grasses including Chile lotus, Minute flowered popcorn flower, strigose lotus, silver puff and angel’s gilia.

        Proceeding further up the canyon we found Calif. buckwheat, mustard evening primrose, fern-leaf phacelia, morning glory, violet snapdragon and chia. Eucrypta, wishbone bush, stinging lupine, yellow monkey flower and common groundsel were also flowering. Deerweed was starting to bloom and many yellow pincushions were present.  We spotted slender bedstraw, tumbling mustard, two toned everlasting, and both the common Calif. poppy and the collarless poppy. Lace pod, Calif everlasting, fiddle neck, collared lupine and cobwebby thistle were plentiful. Several prickly phlox, black mustard, velvet leaf everlasting, sun cup and snake root were seen. The bright blue flowers of the hairy ceanothus and lots of miner's lettuce and some annual bedstraw were found. Fiesta flower, chickweed, spring vetch, pineapple weed, and dandelion were also found. Several elderberry were blooming as were small flowered fiddleneck, western ragweed, shepherd's purse,  and a single purple Clarkia.

        Grasses in bloom include soft brome, wild oats, hare barley, golden top, slender oats, rip-gut brome, Madrid brome, and red brome.  (RWM)

 

Naturalist's rating: Very Good

 

Rancho Sierra Vista

Satwiwa Loop / Hidden Valley Overlook

 Date: 3/29/05

 

 

         As the meadow grasses go to seed, the hills and canyons are coming into peak bloom with nearly 60 wildflower species seen. The high part of the loop—a half-mile stretch between the windmill and Upper Sycamore Canyon Trail—continues to show the best variety. Notables included hedge nettle, snake root, the last shooting stars, dove lupine, blue-eyed grass, continuing ceanothus, Indian pinks, black sage, fiesta flower, and miner’s lettuce. Better yet, the Hidden Valley Overlook Trail—often “overlooked,” but with great ocean views—turned up a profusion of mariposa lilies and golden yarrow, with lots of bush sunflowers, wishbone bush, and the first CA buckwheat and bush mallow. With this much on the lip of Upper Sycamore Canyon, the trail to the stream, waterfall, and down-canyon should be overflowing with flowers.  (JG)

 

Naturalist's rating: Good to Very Good

 

Circle X Ranch

Canyon View Trail

 Date: 3/27/05

 

 

        The Canyon View Trail is really one of the best for flowers.  Right off the bat there is chamise, blue dicks, California buckwheat and black sage in bloom.  In the frequent exposed rocky places there is an array of yellow monkey flower, larkspur, parry's phacelia, mustard evening primrose, popcorn flower and chia.  There are big patches of globe gilia along the trail.  In one spot there are caterpillar, big flower and parry's phacelia all growing together.  There is golden yarrow, sticky monkey flower, deerweed, stinging lupine, purple nightshade and woolly blue curls. There are more star lilies this year than I have ever seen before.  There are several lovely groups of mariposa lilies.  There are creeks which are frequently dry that are now flowing with water.  By these creeks red-skinned onion and annual paintbrush are blooming.  There are many clumps of rock rose.  . (DS)

 

Naturalist's rating: Very Good

 

Malibu Creek State Park

High Road to Visitor Center

 Date: 3/24/05

 

 

        If you take the path marked ‘back country trails’ (Crags Road), you will still see some good patches of wildflowers like globe gilia, wild morning glory, small flowered lotus, owl’s clover, fiddlenecks and chia, but it is becoming increasingly difficult as the non-native grasses have really surged ahead. Shrubs and small trees like mule fat, greenbark ceanothus and elderberry have the advantage as they are above the grasses.  There is a nice display of eucrypta, chia, Parry’s phacelia and caterpillar phacelia near the white sage and in the shady spots fiesta flower is blooming. On the rocky slopes sticky monkey flower provides splotches of gold.  Views of the creek are still excellent.  (SB)

 

Naturalist's rating: Fair

 

Circle X Ranch

Backbone Trail below Triunfo Peak

 Date: 3/23/05

 

 

        This trail is one of the newest sections of the Backbone Trail has been crafted with much care (when the trail was new someone did a good chunk of it in a wheelchair). As the trail has aged grass is taking over in places and displacing the pioneering wildflowers. The recent heavy rains have exposed rocks and caused several slides including one place were it is necessary to leave the trail to get around several massive boulders.  The gentle slope of the trail encourages water to pool on the trail making mud a frequent acquaintance after a rain.  The trail itself runs about six miles from the Mishe Mokwa trailhead to Yerba Buena Road at about mile 9.10.  I decided to come back on Yerba Buena and make a loop of it, adding another two miles (and about ten flowers to the count).  Be careful if you choose to do this since Yerba Buena has very little shoulder in some places.  On the weekends the heavier, often fast traffic might make this not a good idea.  Including the road, 96 different flowers were seen blooming.  However, much of the trail is not heavily flowered so I have only given this trail a “good” rating.

        Highlights include many Hollyleaf Cherry, the deep blue Hairy-leaved Ceanothus, several different species of Lupines, Prickly Phlox, Wild Morning Glory, masses of Blue Dicks, many Star Lilies, Chia, frequent encounters with Parry's Phacelia, a beautiful Fuchsia-flowered Gooseberry, several areas with Twining Snapdragon, Catalina Mariposa Lily (along the road), some Blue Larkspur, Chocolate Lily, Chinese Houses, Bush Monkey Flower, and a small creek surrounded by Red-skinned Onion.

        Also seen blooming were Annual Cat's Ear, Popcorn Flower, California Buckwheat, Wild Cucumber Golden Yarrow, Red-stem Filaree, White-stem Filaree, Annual Bedstraw, Narrow-leaved Bedstraw, California Filago, Eucrypta, Mountain Mahogany, Hollyleaf Redberry, Miner's Lettuce, Black Sage, Black Mustard (and three other unidentified mustards), Elderberry, Scrub Oak, Coast Live Oak, Purple Nightshade, Sow Thistle, Prickly Sow Thistle, Common Groundsel, Chamise, Greenbark Ceanothus, Bigpod Ceanothus, Hedge Nettle, Fiesta Flower, Two-tone Everlasting, California Everlasting, Canyon Sunflower, Bush Sunflower, Pacific Sanicle, Southern Tauschia, Yellow Monkey Flower, Creek Monkey Flower, Narrow-leaved Fringe-Pod, Pigmy Weed, Deerweed, Strigose Lotus, Coastal Lotus, Coulter's Lupine, Stinging Lupine, Bush Lupine, Collar Lupine, Henbit, Windmill Pink, Silver Puffs, Rock rose, Mustard Evening Primrose, Small Evening Primrose, Woolly Blue-curls, Bleeding Heart, Wishbone Bush, Horehound, Spanish Broom, Bigberry Manzanita, Bur Clover, Virgin's Bower, Skullcap, Rattlesnake Weed (Daucus pusillus), Owl Clover, Shooting Stars, Yellow Pincushion, Coast Goldfields, Poison Oak, Pineapple Weed, California Plantain, Woolly Lomatium, Field Clover, California Poppy, Chaparral Current, Turkey pea, Wild Radish, Cheeseweed, White Sweet Clover, Yellow Sweet Clover, and Blow Wives.  (TV)

 

Naturalist's rating: Good

 

Circle X Ranch

Mishe Mokwa and Sandstone Peak Trails

 Date: 3/21/05

 

 

        This six mile loop is quite popular, and while it often lags the nearby Canyon View trail in flower diversity, it more than makes up for it in grandeur of views. If you don't want to do the whole six mile loop and are mostly interested in flowers then the section from the trailhead to split rock usually shows three-quarters of the flowers of the whole loop. The trail is still muddy in places because of persistent springs along the trail, but most of the mud is shallow or avoidable.

        On 3/21/05 we hiked the Mishe Mokwa Trail primarily to view the chocolate lilies before they were done for the season. We were not disappointed, perhaps a dozen were blooming in the usual section along the trail. I noticed that quite a few of the plants exhibited the cut stems where a lily should have been. The trail was muddy is places, but readily traversed. Including the grasses some 69 species were found in bloom almost all in good quantities. A rating of good is assigned for this display.

        White and yellow flowers made up two thirds of the blooms. The whites included chamise, Calif. buckwheat, Catalina Mariposa lily, big pod ceanothus and lots of popcorn flower. A single cliff aster but a fair amount of wooly lomatium and miner's lettuce was seen. The usual morning glory, holly leaf red berry, eucrypta, wild cucumber, and two-tone everlasting were also present. A very unusual white bloom was found among a stand of Parry's phacelia, exhibiting the same leaves and large exserted white anthers of the typical deep purple Parry's phacelia. Perhaps this was Parry's ghost. Lace pod, holly leaf cherry, virgin's bower, poison oak, Calif. saxifrage, Calif. everlasting, and sandbar willow made up the rest of the white shaded blooms.

        The yellow/golden colors were represented by bur clover, deerweed, golden yarrow, sow thistle, strigose lotus, silver puff and a small evening primrose tentatively identified as yellow sun cup. Also in this group were common groundsel, yellow monkey flower, slender bedstraw, southern tauschia, snakeroot, Calif. collarless poppy and bush monkey flower. Rounding off this list were both mustard and miniature evening primrose, canyon sunflower, coast goldfield, and American winter cress. The red tinged colors were represented only by wild sweet pea, owl's clover and chaparral current.

        The violet/blue/purple color group contributed red stem filaree, black sage, blue dick, wooly blue curl and chia. Also seen were stinging lupine, purple night shade, chocolate lily, Parry's phacelia, and both dove and collar lupines. A violet snapdragon, some globe gilia, hairy leaf ceanothus and blue larkspur were also contributors. A strange green gall was found in several locations on a hoary leaf ceanothus. Also an unusual sight was the mass of what is believed to be spore cells rising above the thick moss with their little round green capsule supported on a 1/4 to 1/2 inch stalk.

         Grasses are plentiful and they included slender oats, Madrid brome, foxtail barley, golden top, red brome, blue grass, soft brome, and broom sedge grass. Some less frequently seen bird's foot fern was also seen.  (RWM)

 

Naturalist's rating: Good

 


 

 

Contact Information:

 

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

 

401 West Hillcrest Drive
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

 

Ph. 805-370-2301

 

web. www.nps.gov/samo

 

Thank you

 

for your contributions:

 

Sheila Braden
Burt Elliot
Jack Gillooly
Kathy Jonokuchi
Ken Low
Robert W. Maughmer
Dorothy Steinicke
Tony Valois

If you would like to contribute to the wildflower report:

 

e-mail:
Tony_Valois@partner.nps.gov

 

or phone him at 310-457-6408