Natural History Wanderings

Calphoto has a new posting for Wind River with some brief updates for other Southern California wildflower spots:

Got to Wind Wolves Friday afternoon & stayed there Friday night. Spring

Wildflower Trail was desiccated–not promising. Ranger told me flowers were

better in the canyon, and especially good on the Reflection Pond trail. She was

not wrong. Beginning at the trailhead, lots of fiddleneck & two lupine species;

lovely owl's clover patch a little ways in. But the highlight was the Reflection

Pond trail: hillsides of daisy, lupine, poppy, and phacelia, and lots of variety

locally (wind poppies, blazing star, streptanthus sp., etc.). It's 4 miles each

way with a stiff climb at the end, but well worth it.

Other notes:

–Gorman Post Road: whole lotta not much.

–Ripley: nuthin.

–Caliente-Bodfish Road (Saturday): Some lupines just out of Caliente. Fields of

fiddleneck up in the high section between Caliente and Walker Basin. Some

goldfields near Havilah. Lots of phacelia & some lupine on the descent into Kern

Basin.

–White River road (Sunday): some fields of fiddlenecks west of Jack Ranch Road.

Lots of chick lupine along the road west of White River.

See older reports and links to photos at calphoto (must register to access)