Natural History Wanderings

Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve SNR had the following wildflower bloom report for 4/29/13

The spring wildflower season is over early. There was no rain over the winter so there were only a few flowers blooming for a short time and the hills stayed brown throughout the spring.

Mary Wilson from  Latest Poppy Reserve Research Field Notes and Observations site which is part of the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve has the following to add

You are all painfully aware there isn’t much happening at the Poppy Reserve so here are some areas you may be interested in.

245th St. West and Ave. D (Hwy 138) there is a small field of poppies – not like last year but nice.  Also as you get to the wash – look to the south east and there is another small field of poppies.  The wash had a few poppies, grape soda lupine, fiddleneck, forget-me-nots, goldfields, desert dandelion, and brow-eyed primrose.

Lancaster Road between 110th St. West and Munz Ranch Road has some poppies along the roadside.

Tehachapi Willow Springs Road – past Backus Road to Highline Road at Tehachapi.

Joshua trees have gone from their flowers to seedpods

When you see areas of the yellow flowers along the roadside – find a place to pull over because you will find a lot of the small flowers you cannot see while driving by.  Flowers found were linear-leaf goldenbush, coreopsis, comet blazing star, baby blue eyes, purple gilia, bitter bush, chia, Fremont pincushions, desert dandelion and lupine.

In the area approaching Highline Road there are scatterings of poppies.  These look like perennials as they are growing in bouquets, the petal length is up to 2 inches and they are the vibrant poppy orange color.

Highway 138 past the 15 Freeway toward Silverwood Lake – Patches of poppies (they are a yellow color), bush poppies, linear-leaf goldenbush, mountain lilac, primrose, yucca (Lord’s candles), and Spanish Broom.

Silverwood Lake Vista Point – can pull off on both sides of the road.

Mountain side of road – Bush poppies, forget-me-nots, Yerba Santa. filaree, chia, mustard, purple nightshade and bush money flowers.

Lake side of road – Spanish Broom – smelled wonderful.

Can continue on to Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area.  There is a $9.00 entrance fee but you could picnic by the lake or take a short walk on the bike trail to a meadow picnic area.

Lone Pine Canyon Road from Hwy 138 to Wrightwood.

Lower elevation had – mountain lilac, linear-leaf goldenbush, elderberry, yucca (Lord’s candles), scarlet bugler, bush poppies and purple lupine.