Natural History Wanderings

Updated 5/4/11 

Santa Monica Mountain National Recreation Area just published a new wildflower report.  They have new postings for Circle X Ranch Paramont Ranch, Wildwood Crest and Castro Crest. Below are the reports  and dates:

Circle X Ranch		Grotto Trail	Date: 05/02/2011
	There is still a lot of water in the creek and newts cavorting which makes this hike especially nice.  There is black sage, canyon sunflower, blue dicks, blooming sugar bush, sticky monkey flower and purple nightshade.  Past the second creek crossing there is a rock wall with water seeping down it.  It is completely covered in masses of creek monkey flowers with a gathering of Chinese houses, Santa Monica Mountain dudleya and willow herb clarkia below it.  Really lovely.  The trail up to the meadow has popcorn flower, deer weed, caterpillar phacelia, wild morning glory, California chicory and woolly blue curls.  The meadow is carpeted with Catalina mariposa lilies and spring vetch.  Continuing down through the chaparral there are star lilies, flowering yucca, golden yarrow, chamise, hedge nettle, blue eyed grass and hummingbird sage.  Look for more newts in the creek below.  – Dorothy Steinicke

Circle X Ranch

Canyon View Trail

Date: 05/02/2011

This trail does not have the lovely accompaniment of a nearby stream, but as the name suggests, there are wonderful views.  The beginning of the trail (branching off from the Grotto Trail) is nearly carpeted with yellow monkey flowers.  There are twining snapdragons, black sage, California buckwheat, chamise, blooming yucca, wild morning glory, blue dicks as well as purple clarkia, elegant clarkia, globe gilia caterpillar phacelia and gorgeous Perry’s phacelia.  There are some collarless poppies and blooming sugar bush as well as star lilies and butterfly mariposas.  We walked as far as the creek filled with step pools and lined with blooming red skinned onions, creek monkey flower and speedwell.  A lovely spot.  – Dorothy Steinicke

Paramount Ranch			Date: 04/29/2011
	Leaving the Western Town area I took the Coyote Trail and then wound around to the northwest and returned by way of an informal trail through the grassland.  In less than two miles I saw spring vetch, blue dicks, purple nightshade, golden yarrow, elegant clarkia (early), wishbone flower (late), elder flower, chia and chamise in bloom.  There was owl’s clover, flowering yucca, caterpillar phacelia and woolly blue curls.  In the deep shade there were Chinese houses, fiesta flowers, hummingbird sage, prickly phlox, sugar bush and cinquefoil.  In the grassland there were a lot of California poppies. – Dorothy Steinicke

Wildwood Park		Misc Trails	Date: 04/26/2011
	We started at the main trailhead on Arboles and heading west. The only annuals that seem to be doing well are the weedy one’s I’ll not mention by name here. It was a lovely hike on a lovely afternoon, but of the over thirty species found in bloom there was not much to write home about. Some of the highlights include purple sage, blue dicks, Several Catalina mariposa lilies in the grassy fields, chamise, California wild rose, California buckwheat, Turkish rugging, black sage, yucca, rattlesnake weed (the low prostrate one) caterpillar phacelia, chia, bush mallow, morning glory, golden yarrow, popcorn flower, wishbone bush, sugar bush, California blackberry, purple nightshade, and scarlet pimpernel. As you can see I gave up and added some of the weeds to this list just to make it a bit longer.. – ed.

Castro Crest Area		Backbone Trail	Date: 04/23/2011
	This is becoming one of my very favorite places to hike.  There are amazing views from the parking lot. Standing at the trailhead you can see golden yarrow, deer weed, woolly blue curls, black sage, chamise and wild morning glory in bloom. Descending through the chaparral there is blooming California everlasting, purple nightshade, chaparral current, sticky monkey flower and popcorn flowers.  Entering the wooded canyon bottom you cross and recross little streams.  I counted fourteen water crossings in all.  In that wooded shade there are milkmaids, miner’s lettuce, sweet pea, fiesta flowers, johnny jump ups, fuchsia flowering gooseberry and canyon sunflowers.  Rising up again through the chaparral there are California poppies and blue dicks. Walk as far as you like and return as you came. – Dorothy Steinicke

Go to their website to see all of their reports: http://www.researchlearningcenter.org/bloom/