Natural History Wanderings

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area reports via What’s Blooming.

Topanga Canyon State Park  Nature Trail 2/18/15

The grassy areas are filled with red maids, small highlights of bright color. Entering the woodland portion of the trail there are encrypt, snake root, wild cucumber, purple nightshade and wild sweet pea. Entering the chaparral portion you can enjoy the views of the mountainside cloaked in both blue and white ceanothus. Closer to hand there are succulent lupine, wishbone flower, popcorn flower, wild morning glory, California everlasting, bush sunflower and a few parry’s phacelia. On this hike I also saw my first rattlesnake of 2015.

Malibu Creek State Park Talepop Trail 2/16/15

On 2/16/15 , I hiked the Talepop Trail from the De Anza Park Trailhead. About 1/8 of a mile from the trailhead is a very nice display of California Golden Poppies. On the section of the Talepop Trail that goes down to Liberty Canyon there are nice displays of Blue Dicks and Lupine. I also saw Indian Paintbrush, Canterpillar Phacelia, Wild Cucumber, and one Mariposa Lily.

Topanga Canyon State Park Santa Ynez Canyon 2/15/14

I entered from the Pacific Palisades end of this trail and walked through the riparian section. The creek is almost entirely dry but the flowers are starting. The wild sweet pea is the most prevalent flower in the riparian area. There are also purple nightshade, big pod ceanothus, wild cucumber, California bay and fuchsia flowering gooseberry. At the base of the “waterfall” (no water falling) there were milkmaids in bloom. Climbing up into the chaparral portion of this trail there were blue dicks, wishbone flower, fiddle neck, popcorn flower, twining snapdragon, eucrypta, owl’s clover and California everlasting.

via What’s Blooming.