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Page Revised: 6/1/05 |
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Available Sites Topanga
State Park |
Date of Review 5/28/05 & 5/15/05
& 5/11/05 |
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What's Blooming photo
gallery: www.nps.gov/samo/bloom/bloom.htm 2. Cornell Rd between Mulholland
Hwy and Agoura Rd, especially from Cornell Way to Agoura Rd. |
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Topanga State Park |
Musch Trail |
Date: 5/28/05 |
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The hike from Topanga State Park (off
Entrada) to Eagle Rock via Musch Trail is spectacular right now. I have been
going there since I was young and right now it’s a real treat. This is a great hike when it’s socked
in at the beach and you want a little sun. If you want a really nice hike, I
would suggest going both ways on Musch trail and skip the fire road loop,
going back down the way you came gives a completely different
perspective. It’s about 1.5 hour
hike up to Eagle rock and a little less on the way back. I’d say
it’s easy to moderate on the way up.
The views from the top of Eagle Rock are also spectacular. I’m
not great at identifying flowers, but there’s the usual buckwheat,
monkey flowers, yucca, and golden yarrow. (MF) |
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Naturalist's rating: Very Good |
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Point Mugu State Park / Rancho Sierra Vista |
Satwiwa to the
Upper Sycamore Canyon waterfall |
Date: 5/26/05 |
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This 3-mile round trip starts out in
rolling meadows of non-native "grasses-gone-by" with a few
wildflower patches (tarweed, CA poppies). Once you head into the upper
canyon, however, the hillside is covered in color: caterpillar phacelia,
deerweed, ashy-leaf and California buckwheat, black sage, bush mallow, yucca,
silver puffs, chamise, laurel sumac, chicory, and toyon. Particularly
brilliant were patches of heartleaf penstemon (red), speckled clarkia (pink),
bush monkey flower (peach), and soap lilies (white star-flowers that open in
late afternoon). At the bottom of the shady canyon,
some silver lupine was still in bloom along with a few giant Humboldt lilies.
Crossing the creek and heading to the waterfall, the riparian area had some
good-sized canyon sunflower bushes and scattered coast figwort, hedge nettle,
blackberry, and a lone chaparral pea (the uncommon one). At the base of the
waterfall, the rare round-leaved boykinia was flowering below a big patch of
giant chain-fern. With the creek and falls still
running well, this walk (and its extension downstream) should be nice for
another month. Upper Sycamore Canyon is also known for its abundance of
nesting birds, especially flycatchers, and many are heard singing through
summer. (JG) |
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Naturalist's rating: Good |
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Point Mugu State Park |
Big Sycamore
Canyon Trail (lower) |
Date: 5/26/05 |
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From Sycamore Cove, the first two
miles of this road/trail are relatively flat, offering a
easy stroll along the flowing creek. As this abundant wildflower year tapers
off, less variety is seen but often in great profusion. Among the 20 or so
species were robust clumps of purple sage, pink bush mallow, canyon
sunflower, giant poison hemlock, golden yarrow, elderberry, blue verbena,
white morning glory and jimson weed. Especially spectacular was a
chaparral-covered hillside dotted with hundreds of huge yucca blooms and wide
swaths of orange monkey flower. In the Santa Monicas,
it's been an outstanding year for both and just keeps getting better. The
hills directly adjacent to the ocean—the coastal sage scrub, or soft
chaparral—appear to have the highest densities of yucca, our largest
member of the lily family (not a cactus). Take care at the stone-step creek
crossings and watch for whizzing mountain-bikers. ( JG) |
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Naturalist's rating: Good |
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Malibu Creek State Park |
Tapia Spur Trail |
Date: 5/23/05 |
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Wildflowers are excellent along the
Tapia spur trail which connects Malibu Creek State Park to Tapia Park. If you
are in the mood for a picnic and beautiful flowers, drive into the picnic
area at Tapia Park. The slopes there are covered with flowers. We parked near
the Salvation Army gate and started hiking the one mile trail. The slopes are
covered with golden yarrow, chamise, purple and black sages. We only covered
about half the trail and saw 50 species. Highlights were the masses of
canchalagua (rose colored stars with creamy centers) at the beginning of the
trail and all of the clarkias – purple, speckled and elegant scattered
all over. Along the way were willow herb clarkia, popcorn flowers and
caterpillar phacelia. The unusual (and hard to see) buckwheat, eriogonum citheraforme with its looping stems is in bloom on the
steep rocky slope that is also covered with spent seed pods of chia, yellow
pincushion, coulter’s lupine and yucca. This trail is well worth going
to. It has great variety of very interesting flowers, intensity of color and
almost complete flower coverage. (SB) |
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Naturalist's rating: Very
Good to Excellent |
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Circle X Ranch |
Backbone Trail |
Date: 5/23/05 |
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This is my report of the blooms which
we encountered on the hike on the Backbone Trail between the Sandstone Peak
trailhead and the vicinity of Tri-peaks on 5/23/05. I recorded 88 species
identified excluding the grasses and would rate the hike as very good.
Highlights to me include the 9 species seen or identified for the first time.
These include Calif filago, small-flowered flax, wind poppy, wild brodiaea, phlox-leaved
bedstraw, rattlesnake weed, yellow-throated phacelia and the subsequently
identified downy monkey flower. Though our main objective on the hike was to
see the rein orchids in bloom, we were still too early, but did spot over a
dozen readying themselves to bloom in the next few weeks. Other blooms seen in their color
categories, starting with white and cream were Calif buckwheat, chamise,
popcorn flower, prickly popcorn flower, yucca, white pincushion, morning
glory, Calif chicory, Calif everlasting, cliff aster, Catalina Mariposa lily,
big pod ceanothus, eucrypta, willow-herb Clarkia, star lily, white pitcher
sage, elderberry, hollyleaf cherry, bur chervil, white nightshade, red skin
onion, and large flowered popcorn flower. Other yellow/golden flowers seen were
hedge mustard, deerweed, yellow star thistle, golden yarrow, slender tarweed,
sticky madia, sow thistle, yellow monkey flower, yellow Mariposa lily, golden
star, mustard evening primrose, slender bedstraw, bush monkey flower, small
evening primrose, strigose lotus, fiddleneck, silver puff, rock rose, Chile lotus,
annual cats ear, common groundsel, yellow pincushion, coastal lotus, coast
goldfield, Southern tauschia, and slimy monkey flower. Violet/blues included redstem filaree, black sage, purple Clarkia, blue dick,
large flowered phacelia, caterpillar phacelia, fern leaf phacelia, Bajada
lupine, purple nightshade, wooly blue curls, globe gilia, speckled Clarkia,
sticky phacelia, Chinese houses, branching phacelia, prickly phlox,
peninsular onion, hairy leaf ceanothus, blue larkspur, tomcat clover, yerba
santa, and angels gilia.
Red/pink colors were represented by Turkish rugging, owl's clover,
scarlet pimpernel and windmill pink. Others seen were giant rye, curly dock,
lance leaf live forever, slender cotton weed, and
several tiny unidentified yellow flowers apparently of the evening primrose
and lotus families. Many Calif whiptail lizards were encountered and one bobcat
was seen when driving to the trailhead.
(RWM) |
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Naturalist's rating: Very Good |
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Topanga State Park |
Temescal Ridge Trail / |
Date: 5/15/05 |
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The Temescal Ridge trail is kind of a
hot and dry hike but the reward is seeing Braunton's milk vetch, a lovely
plant that is quite uncommon. The
other blooming plants are California buckwheat, golden yarrow, deerweed,
yucca, sticky monkey flower, caterpillar phacelia, eucrypta, canyon sunflower,
purple nightshade and elder flower.
There were lots of butterflies including brilliant sulfers. We saw one rattlesnake. Starting in the Dead Horse parking
lot off of Entrada Rd. This is a
fairly short but interesting trail that alternates between chaparral and
woodland. At the start there is a lot
of yellow: Golden stars, golden yarrow and chaparral yucca. There are a few remaining butterfly
mariposa lilies and blue dicks. There
is California buckwheat, elegant clarkia, vervain, globe gilia, and
caterpillar phacelia. Heart leaf
penstemon is making its first appearance.
There is a gorgeous stand of hummingbird sage that is still blooming. Soon you come to a bridge that is high
above a flowing creek, a nice place to stop and rest. Continuing on there is morning glory,
California chicory, a little greenbark ceanothus, purple nightshade, woolly
blue curls, popcorn flower, black sage, sticky monkey flower chamise,
deerweed, canyon sunflower and fiesta flower.
I saw my first slender tarweed of the season. As you walk along a meadow watch for deer
and bobcats. There is spring vetch,
blue eyed grass, elder flower and California everlasting. The trail ends by the pond at Trippet
Ranch, a good place to launch onto further hikes or return as you came. I always see more things on the return
trip. (DS) |
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Naturalist's rating: Good |
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Zuma Canyon |
Backbone Trail |
Date: 5/12/05 |
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On 5/12/05 we hiked along the
Backbone Trail from the Newton Trailhead to the Upper Zuma Falls and
returned. A rating of very good is given for the variety (95) and quantity of
flowering species observed. Starting at the trailhead we immediately
encountered elderberry, hedge mustard, red stem filaree, bur clover, sour
clover and sow thistle, the usual suspects. Spanish broom provided lots of
color as did greenbark ceanothus, black sage, toyon, bush monkey flower and
Italian thistle. Bur chervil, slender bedstraw, chamise and windmill pinks
were abundantly present as were speckled Clarkia, miner's lettuce, deerweed,
Calif. buckwheat and minute flowered popcorn flower. The small of tomcat
clover to the tall of Chaparral yucca were present. Sticky Madia, Calif.
everlasting, lacepod, common bedstraw and eucrypta
were next encountered along the trail. Numerous fiesta flowers and rigid
hedge nettles provided more color along the way. Canyon sunflower, Calif.
figwort, two-toned everlasting, Calif. chicory, pineapple weed, silver puff,
London rocket, scarlet pimpernel and purple night shade were next observed.
Curly dock, blue dick were accompanied by elegant Clarkia, Parry's phacelia,
chia, bigpod ceanothus and several small stands of large flowered popcorn
flower. The aptly named caterpillar phacelia as well as wishbone bush,
mountain dandelion, fern leaf phacelia, horehound and several stands of
Chinese houses, one group containing several plants with pure white flowers
were seen. The bush lupines were in bloom and several groups of large
flowered phacelia were spotted. Sugar bush, scarlet pitcher sage, checker
bloom, blue larkspur, snow berry and holly leaf red berry were also
exhibiting blossoms. It was especially exciting to find
numerous large patches of globe lily all along the trail. In the past we had
only spotted an occasional plant. We saw wild blackberry, golden yarrow,
purple Clarkia, bull thistle, blue-eyed grass, snake root, horkelia, morning glory, yellow monkey flower, small
evening primrose and Turkish rugging. A fair quantity of wooly
blue curls were in bloom as were the star lily. A few prickly phlox,
globe gilia, hillside penstemon and Catalina Mariposa lily were also in
bloom. A special treat to me was the discovery of a small bush of speedwell
in bloom, the first time I have seen it in the SM mountains. Slimy monkey
flower put in its appearance as well as golden star, Indian pink, creek
monkey flower, white pincushion, cliff aster and sticky phacelia. One nice
stand of owl's clover was passed, Spanish clover was present and vervain made
its appearance. The hike was concluded with the observation of tree tobacco
and slender sunflower. Grasses identified along the way included golden top
and soft brome. (RWM) |
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Naturalist's rating: Very
Good |
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Topanga State Park |
Nature Trail |
Date: 5/11/05 |
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The trail leaves the picnic area by
the pond. Immediately there are lots
of fiesta flowers and miners lettuce along with quite a bit of poison oak. Passing the nature center, the woods have a
bit of purple nightshade but not much else.
But when you enter the chaparral portion there are morning glories,
sticky monkey flower, bush lupine, deer weed, black sage, bush sunflower,
California buckwheat and caterpillar phacelia which is now completely
unrolled. There is vervain, California everlasting, chamise, white nightshade
and golden yarrow. Returning down the
fire road there is a veritable wall of elegant clarkia growing on the road
cut. Returning to the nature center
there are still golden stars and blue-eyed grass. I saw an entire blooming meadow and stepped
off the trail to investigate. Endless
Chinese houses, really spectacular. I also went a little way up the Musch
Trail. Not really enough to make a
report but I went to the place where the geophytes always grow. There is an amazing amount of purple owl's
clover and the farewell-to-spring has started. (DS) |
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Naturalist's rating: Good |
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Circle X Ranch |
Backbone Trail below
Triunfo Peak |
Date: 5/9/05 |
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We began our hike at the Mishe Mokwa
trailhead and walked east until intersecting the Triunfo Peak access road. We
then took the access road toward the peak and then back down to the backbone
tail to retrace our steps until intersecting Yerba Buena Road at about mile
7.6. We completed the loop by taking Yerba Buena back to the Mishe Mokwa
trailhead, a total of about five miles. The trail has become quite grassy in
places and the foxtails are beginning to be annoying. We encountered about 95
species in bloom although the lack of dense stands of flowers prevents a
rating above good. Highlights include Woolly Blue Curls, Catalina Mariposa
Lily, Blue Dick, Yucca, California Buckwheat, Chamise, Purple Clarkia,
Willow-herb Clarkia, Black Sage, Scarlet Pimpernel, Golden Yarrow, Yellow
Monkey Flower, Bush Monkey Flower, Lance-leaf Live-forever, Coast Goldfields,
Golden Stars, Wild Morning Glory, Yellow Pincushion, White Pincushion,
Red-skinned Onion, Peninsular Onion, Purple Nightshade, Fiesta Flower,
Caterpillar Phacelia, Parry's Phacelia, Large-flowered Phacelia, Pitcher
Sage, Mustard Evening Primrose, Bleeding Heart, Fire Poppy, Hedge Nettle,
Canyon Sunflower, Chinese Houses, Star Lily, Sugar Bush, Rock Rose, Brewer's
Red Maids, Sticky False Gilia, Heart-leaved Penstemon, Slender Tarweed, Bush
Lupine, Blue-eyed Grass, Turkish Rugging, Birds Beak, Sticky Cinquefoil,
Fuchsia-flowered Gooseberry and Heart-leaved Penstemon. (TV) |
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Naturalist's rating: Good |
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Malibu Creek State Park |
Crags Road / Bulldog Road |
Date: 5/3/05 |
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The hike into Malibu Creek State
Park from the west end (Crags Drive) to the MASH site and including the lower
3/4 mile of Bulldog Motorway is really lovely right now. As of 4/30 and 5/3, species blooming included
purple clarkia (Clarkia purpurea),
farewell-to-spring (Clarkia bottae), elegant
clarkia (Clarkia unguiculata), globe gilia (Gilia capitata), chaparral gilia (Gilia angelensis),
common linanthus (Linanthus parviflora), blue-eyed
grass (Sisyrinchium bellum), woolly morning glory (Calystegia malacophylla ssp. pedicellata), poison
hemlock (Conium maculatum), scarlet bugler
(Penstemon centranthifolius), foothill penstemon
(Penstemon heterophyllus), chinese houses (Collinsia heterophyllus),
California milkweed (Asclepias californica),
blue dicks (Dichelostemma capiatatum),
golden yarrow (Eriophyllum confertiflorum),
owl's clover (Castilleja exserta),
blue larkspur (Delphinium parryi ssp. parryi),
spreading larkspur (Delphinium patens ssp. hepaticoideum), western vervain (Verbena lasiostachys var. lasiostachys),
black sage (Salvia mellifera), crimson pitcher sage
(Salvia spathacea), silver puffs (Uropappus lindleyi), smooth
cat's ear (Hypochaeris glabra),
creek monkeyflower (Mimulus
guttatus), sticky monkey flower (Mimulus aurantiacus), sticky
madia (Madia gracilis), hareleaf
(Lagophyllum ramosissimum),
miniature lupine (Lupinus bicolor), broad-leaved lupine (Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius),
bush lupine (Lupinus longifolius), scarlet
pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis), water speedwell
(Veronica anagallis-aquatica), slender cottonweed (Micropus californicus), golden
stars (Bloomeria crocea),
spring vetch (Vicia sativa), purple nightshade (Solanum xanti), fiesta flower (Pholistoma auritum), California
chicory (Rafinesquia californica),
caterpillar phacelia (Phacelia cicutaria), rock
phacelia (Phacelia egena), Spanish broom (Spartium junceum), deerweed
(Lotus scoparius), yucca (Yucca whipplei),
woolly blue curls (Trichostema lanatum),
chamise (Adenostema fasciculatum),
prickly phlox (Leptodactylon californicum), fiddleneck (Amsinckia
menziesii), fairy lanterns (Calochortus albus), catalina mariposa
lilies (Calochortus catalinae),
chia (Salvia columbariae), wild rose (Rosa californica), yellow pincushion (Chaenactis
glabriuscula), canyon sunflower (Venegasia carpesioides), california everlasting (Gnaphalium
californicum), popcorn flower (Cryptantha intermedia),
bur-chervil (Anthriscus caucalis),
perennial peppergrass (Lepidium latifolium),
buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), and many other
things that I can't remember off-hand.
(MC) |
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Naturalist's rating: Very
Good |
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Lower Zuma Canyon |
Zuma Canyon Trail / Zuma Loop Trail |
Date: 5/3/05 |
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The lower section of Zuma Canyon has
a heavy burden of "weedy" non-native species. As you move out and
up you begin to see more native species and a greater overall diversity of
flowers. The Zuma Loop trail is better than the Zuma Canyon trail in this
respect. Altogether about 80 different species encountered. Highlights include Elderberry, Bull
Mallow, Milk Thistle, Nightshades, Coast Figwort, Sunflowers, Speedwell,
Popcorn Flowers, Lupines, Monkey Flowers, Henbit, Hedge Nettle, Fiesta
Flower, Blue Dick, California Buckwheat, Heart-leaved Penstemon, Red Bugler,
Yucca, Wild Morning Glory, Yarrows, Indian Pink, Chamise, Cutleaf Geranium,
Catalina Mariposa Lily, Indian Paintbrush, Blue-eyed Grass, Toyon, Purple
Sage, Slender Tarweed, Locoweed, and Wild Sweet Pea. (TV). |
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Naturalist's rating: Fair
to Good |
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Santa
Monica Mountains National Recreation Area 401 West
Hillcrest Drive Ph.
805-370-2301 web. www.nps.gov/samo |
Thank
you for your
contributions: Sheila
Braden |
If you would
like to contribute to the wildflower report: e-mail: or phone
Tony at 310-457-6408 |
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