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Page Revised: 8/29/09 |
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Available Site Reviews Solstice Canyon Topanga State Park |
Date of Reviews 8/24. 7/16. |
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What's Blooming photo gallery: http://www.researchlearningcenter.com/bloom/bloom.htm |
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It's been quite a while since I've
updated this site, mostly because this time of year people stop sending me
flower reports. In addition, most of the hikes I've done recently have left me
with little to report about from a flower perspective. In my case this is
because most of my recent hikes have not been flower hunts but treks through
chaparral and sage scrub either on business or just for exercise. Yesterday I
went down into a deep drainage to look for an elusive fern and met quite a
number of things blooming down near the creek's edge. While a few of our
plants merrily bloom the summer away in dry landscapes, some that we normally
think of as spring-time flowers can still be found if you search in sheltered
locations harboring moisture. For example, the black sage and california
buckwheat where I live are still blooming nicely because I throw a little
water at them every other week or so. Some of the dry landscape plants you
might keep an eye out for include California fuchsia, some of the perennial
mustards, cliff aster, telegraph weed (and a number of other plants with
“weed” in their name), twiggy wreath plant and it's relatives,
some of the sages and mints, mugwort and its relatives, and I’ve
recently run into the western virgin's bower in a number of different
locations. There are also a lot of
plants blooming now with small green flowers that we tend to overlook. I find this is a good time of year to carry
a hand lens and expand my definition of “flower.” If you are looking for inspiration
you might try using the Flower Finder and searching on “Summer”
in our Photo Gallery (see the link
above) I predict you will be totally surprised
by the length of the list you receive. – ed. |
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Solstice Canyon |
Solstice Canyon & TRW Trails |
Date: 8/24 |
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At Solstice on Aug. 24, Jack and I saw a fair number of blooms. We
only walked from the main parking along the Solstice Canyon Trail to the bridge
and up the trail beside the creek (TRW trail). We were going to go to the
Keller house, but it was just too hot. Western Virgin's Bower climbing all
over one of the mallows. Other mallows were blooming profusely throughout the
area. Beside the creek on the shaded TRW trail were blooming bird's beak,
mugwort and false tarragon. One yellow, one white, with very similar leaves.
Lots of crimson monkeyflower in the damp areas, We also saw some tarweed,
ashyleaf buckwheat, and white everlasting. Laurel sumac is still blooming.
Solstice creek was crowded with young alders growing in the creek bed. It
will be interesting to see what happens t them when it rains. – Sheila
Braden & Jack Gillooly. |
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Topanga Canyon State
Park |
Santa
Ynez Trail |
Date: 7/16 |
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The Humboldt lilies are still in
bloom and are the first flowers you encounter on this trail. They are spectacular, dangling overhead
like chandeliers. A few other special flowers
are blooming but not much overall.
There is a patch of blooming monardella, some scarlet monkey flower
blooming in the creek bed, coast boykinia growing from a rock wall above a
pool. Otherwise there is just some
bush mallow, cliff aster, and California buckwheat. The waterfall is down to the merest trickle
but the pool underneath was full of newts.. –
Dorothy Steinicke. |
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Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area 401 West
Hillcrest Drive 805-370-2301 |
If you
would like to contribute to the wildflower report: e-mail: or phone
Tony at 310-457-6408 |
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