Natural History Wanderings

Best Sites for California Wildflower Bloom Updates and Reports

• Wildflower Reports: What’s Blooming Where (Natural History Wanderings list of links to many wildflowers sites and bloom reports)
• Theodore Payne Wildflower Hotline (weekly report  of wildflower blooms mainly in Southern California)
• DesertUSA – Desert Wildflower reports (wildflower postings are updated almost daily; primarily covers desert regions)
• Calphoto: Where to photograph in California (yahoo discussion group that is a good source of wildflower bloom information; must sign up as a member to have access)

For some of the best spots to see California, Oregon and Washington Wildflowers in May click “Read More”  below

Top Northern California Wildflower Hotspots to Visit in May

(click on hotspots for informational postings on wildflower viewing)

• Butterfly Valley Botanical Area
• Henry Coe
• Mt. Diablo
• Pt. Reyes: Chimney Rock and Abbotts Lagoon
• Sagehen Creek
• Skyline Serpentine Prairie at Redwood Regional Park
• Plumas County
• blackoaknaturalist (often writes about wildflower bloom with photos in Plumas county)
• Yosemite National Park – lower montane wildflowers will be in bloom.  Here are two sites to check for information.
  • Yosemite Nature Notes
  • In the Moment a Landscape Photography Blog Michael Frye

Top Southern California Wildflower Hotspots to Visit in  May

(click on hotspots for informational postings on wildflower viewing)

• Hungry Valley (includes wildflower reports for Gorman Hills)
• Santa Monica Mountains
• Eastern Sierra/Bishop BLM

California Botanic Gardens 

(Botanic Gardens are another good place to see and photograph wildflowers)

• Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden
• University of California-Davis Arboretum
• Regional Parks Botanic Garden (Berkeley, CA)
• UC Botanical Garden (Berkeley,CA)
• San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum
• University of California, Santa Cruz Arboretum
• Santa Barbara Botanic Garden http://www.sbbg.org/index.cfm?
• Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (Claremont,CA)
• Huntington (San Marino, CA)

Natural History Wanderings posting with links to more botanic gardens: Botanic Gardens and Arboretum of California

Pacific Northwest Wildflower Websites

• Oregon Wildflowers
• Pacific Northwest Wildflowers
• Washington Trails

Southwest

• Wild in Arizona

Rocky Mountains

• Rocky Mountain Nature Photographers

Feel free to add your own favorite May wildflower hotspots as a comment.

Related Articles

• How To Read A Wildflower Report? (naturalhistorywanderings.com)