Natural History Wanderings

Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve SNR reports:

“It looks like this just isn’t a big year for poppies. We usually have our peak around this time, but it doesn’t appear that we’ll really have a “peak”, just an extended minimal display, possibly through the end of May.

This has been a rather unusual spring for wildflower displays.  Even though the first seed germination-triggering rain storm came early last fall, the first poppy blossoms were not seen until late February; a month or more later than past years with similar early rain storms.  The poppy display can be called, at best, modest; a disappointing season so far.

This year’s displays of owl’s clover, another favorite of Reserve visitors, have been better than most recent years.  In a couple of weeks, the silver puffs should be providing carpets of their silver spherical seedheads.  To date, more than 40 different wildflowers have bloomed this spring.

What Reserve trails are best right now?  It depends on what you are looking for.  Poppies are widely scattered so you can find some along any of the trails, but it looks like the best we’re going to get is along the beginning of the South Poppy Loop Trail.  Owl’s clover, our best wildlower showing this year, can be found along the North Poppy Loop trail toward the spring and just past it (see Current Photos).  Walking the Valley Vista trail, you will find the best displays of forget-me-nots, suncups, a tiny blue gilia, and, if you are there very late in the afternoon, evening snow.  A good hiking route for a variety of wildflowers would be around the North Poppy Loop Trail. More wildflower species and location details can be found here.

Poppies bundle themselves up when it’s cold and windy, so check the forecast before coming out.”