Natural History Wanderings

Antelope Valley Current Bloom Status: 3/12/15

The rain we’ve had this winter has resulted in a tremendous number of poppy plants germinating across the reserve, but the recent warm, beautiful days with a heat wave coming this weekend seems to be speeding up the season.  We’re now looking at an early peak unless we get more rain to sustain it, and it may be a shorter season than expected with the best bloom mid-March to early April.

On Tehachapi Vista Point Trail, the early-season grape soda lupine is in full bloom at the top with its sweet scent of grape soda, and flowers are on filaree, slender keel fruit, tiny forget-me-nots, pygmy-leafed lupine, and locoweed.

The best current showing of wildflowers is along Lightening Bolt trail to Kitanemuk Vista Point, and then you can continue east along the top to the first trail down to Antelope Trail North Loop.

Antelope Valley Current Field Researcher Notes March 11th, 2015

Poppy Trail North Loop: Flowers in bloom are: Filaree, Fiddleneck, scattering of Poppies, Suncups, Fringe Pod, Goldfields, Owl’s Clover, and Cream Cups.

Poppy Trail South Loop: Flowers in bloom are: Poppies, Filaree, Fiddleneck, Slender Keel Fruit, and tiny Forget-me-nots.

Tehachapi Vista Point Trail: Flowers are on Filaree, Slender Keel Fruit, tiny Forget-me-nots, Pygmy-leafed Lupine, Locoweed and Grape Soda Lupine.

Lightning Bolt Trail: Poppies are in bloom but there are still young plants that have not produced their first flower bud. The more mature poppy plants are starting to form their seed pods. Instead of just a poppy here and there you can now see nice patches of orange. Along the trail the following plants are starting to bloom: Lupine, Blue Dick, Fringe Pod, Wild Parsley, Forget-me-nots (there is a hillside of white on the north side of the trail), Rattlesnake Weed, Lacy Phacelia, Slender Keel Fruit, Fiddleneck, Filaree (starting to produce seed pods), Red Maids, Silver Puffs are starting to open their yellow flowers, California Asters have new leaves at the base of the plant and Wishbone/Four-O’clock have new green leaves but no flower buds as yet. Bunch grasses have new blades. When going up the trail, look to the west and you can see Fairmont Butte beginning to turn yellow with Goldfields.

Antelope Butte Trail: The trail has not been cleared of vegetation but still walkable. Poppies, Goldfields, Slender Keel Fruit, Filaree, Fiddleneck, Silver Puffs, and Pygmy-leafed Lupine.

Valley Vista Point Trail: Flowers in bloom are: Filaree, Fiddleneck, Poppies, Blue Dick, Goldfields, Slender Keel Fruit, a nice area of Forget-me-nots with Poppies at the top of the vista point, Pygmy-leafed Lupine, Mustard, Evening Snow, Suncups. There is a nice view of Fairmont Butte with Goldfields spreading up the butte and to the east there are patches of Poppies and Goldfields. There is a lot of Cheat Grass in this area and it is going to seed.

Antelope Trail North Loop: Flowers in bloom are: Fiddleneck, Filaree, Goldfields, Poppies, Slender Keel Fruit, Mustard, Blue Dick, Silver Puffs have the yellow flowers and a few have gone to the puff stage, few Lacy Phacelia, Forget-me-nots, and Pygmy-leafed Lupine. A few of the more mature poppies are forming their seed pods. The smaller poppy plants may produce one or two flowers and the even smaller plants are starting to wilt and not producing any flowers. Found a yellow poppy.

Antelope Trail South Loop: Flowers in bloom are: Fiddleneck, Filaree, Goldfields, Poppies, Slender Keel Fruit, Mustard, Blue Dick, Silver Puffs have the yellow flowers and a few have gone to the puff stage, few Lacy Phacelia, Forget-me-nots, and Pygmy-leafed Lupine. Did find a few Owl’s Clover.

Picnic Trail: Filaree, Fiddleneck, Goldfields, Poppies, and Slender Keel Fruit.

OBSERVATIONS:
Mourning Doves, 10 Horned Larks, Ravens
Painted Lady Butterflies, Darkling Beetles
Side Blotched Lizards
Not seeing any of the black soft-winged beetles in the poppies

WILDFLOWER SIGHTINGS
Avenue K from 70th St. West to 110th St. West: has fields of Fiddleneck and the brighter color yellow are Goldfields. There are patches of Poppies.
Lancaster Road to the Poppy Reserve there are Poppies, Goldfields, Fremont Pincushions, Fiddleneck, and Davy Gilia.