Page Revised:11/24/06

What's Blooming photo gallery: http://www.researchlearningcenter.com/bloom/bloom.htm
What's Blooming archive: http://www.researchlearningcenter.com/bloom/archive/index.htm
Calendar of Events: http://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/outdooractivities.htm

This time of year it is not easy to find hikes that provide great displays of wildflowers. Indeed, most of the volunteers who provide the backbone of the flower reports for this site use this time of year to take a break and just enjoy the view. I’ve walked many trails in the last few months but our hot summer has left us with very little to look at. I would not have rated even one of these trails above “poor,” at least from a flowering perspective. However, there are plants which are specifically adapted to blooming this time of year and they seem to be doing as well as usual. From a flower rating perspective they tend to be small or spindly or otherwise not what the general public thinks of as attractive (it is interesting to note how many of the flowers that bloom this time of year have the word “weed” in their name.) But if you have an eye for their delicate beauty they can be as rewarding as any of their more dramatic cousins.

If you do run into something special or otherwise worth noting please let us know.

Contact Information: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area 401 West Hillcrest Drive Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 805-370-2301 www.nps.gov/samo	Thank you for your contributions: Bonnie Clarfield Burt Elliot Dorothy Steinicke Greg Sweel Jack Gillooly Judy Joy Lively Kathy Jonokuchi Ken Low Lynne Haigh Matt Friedman Michael Charters Ralph Waycott Richard & Agnes Thaler Robert W. Maughmer Sheila Braden Tony Valois	If you would like to contribute to the wildflower report: e-mail: Tony_Valois@partner.nps.gov or phone Tony at 310-457-6408