Natural History Wanderings

Santa Monica Mountain National Recreation Area just published a wildflower on update on 1/20/12. Here is their update

I’ve hiked most of the trails up here at Circle X this past week and have little to add to previous reports. It’s still too early for most of the flowers but slowly more things continue to make an appearance. The most significant thing I noted is how dry it is. This week I visited five different fields that are usually full of shooting stars but all of them show only a few plants in bloom. Most of the plants have withered and the leaves have curled up and turned yellow. I suspect they are done for the season. I’m also wondering how the ceanothus are doing. The plants I looked at were very dry. When I examined them withered flowers and unopened buds fell off the branches with only the lightest touch. Hopefully the rain they are predicting for this weekend is not coming to late to save this year’s flowering season. Time will tell. See you on the trails. – ed.

Point Mugu State Park   Backbone Trail   Date: 1/14/2012

Today’s hike was the first leg of the NPS 2012 Backbone Trail hike series.  We are hiking west to east in 8 segments, one every two weeks.
On a clear January day the ascent from the shoreline always provides a plethora of terrific vistas in all directions.  Less so with plants in bloom due to this year’s rare rain pattern.  Along the ridge we found and added a few more.  Likewise, descending on Wood Canyon Vista, but the walk up Sycamore Canyon to Danielson revealed little.
The perennials were putting on a better show than the annuals.  Some of the blooms were near solitary.  The following native species were noted in bloom: Mule fat, Deer weed, Busch mallow, Sedge, Bladder pod, Lemonade berry, Hedge nettle, Ashy-leaved buckwheat, Big pod ceanothus, Prickly phlox, Morning glory, 4 o’clock, Bush sunflower, Chaparral currant, Green bark ceanothus, Lessingia, California buckwheat, Paint brush, Golden yarrow, Shooting stars, Canyon sunflower, Wild cucumber, Purple nightshade, Chaparral sweet pea, Peony, and Monkey flower.  – R. Waycott (and others).

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