Natural History Wanderings

Santa Monica Mts. National Recreation Area just posted the following new wildflower hike reports:

Triunfo Canyon Park  Westlake Vista Trail  03-19-15

Westlake Vista Trail at junction of Triunfo and Lindero Canyon. This is the trail to the right, going up to the reservoir area; the Pentachaeta Trail is the one to the left.

Trail route and conditions: The route is flat for a few hundred yards until a junction with a trail going left. If you go straight here, you’ll come out at the flat area near the reservoir. For the best flowers, though, take this left fork, which now proceeds uphill and becomes more rugged. Continue taking the left forks at subsequent trail junctions except those that dead-end. A few spots will require caution if children are present as there are drop-offs. The trail will eventually come out along the ridge overlooking the reservoir from above. Hike down parallel to the fence towards the reservoir and the floral carpets you’ll see as you approach it, then return on the main trail from there.

Flowers: This trail appears to have the best variety of species of any trail in the region at present, with several dozen types in bloom. It’s also one of the few trails with actual carpets of flowers, not just individuals and small patches. The densest flowers include owls clover, goldfields, popcorn and phlox. Highly recommended, and don’t miss the floral mix near the corner of the reservoir fence!

Triunfo Creek Park Pentachaeta Trail 03/19/15

Took a trip to Triunfo today as despite living next to it for several years I’ve never noticed it! I opted to take the Pentachaeta Trail from the car park (sign posted). Was not disappointed with the displays of goldfields, purple owl’s-clover, foothill plantain and some other good plants.

The most common plants of the day were wild hyacinth, purple nightshade agg., miner’s lettuce (perfoliata), wide-throated monkey flower, shiny lomatium, Fuschia-flowering gooseberry, fiesta flower, caterpillar phacelia, “common” fiddleneck, cottonweed, western blue-eyed grass, fringed lianthus, California chicory, silver puffs, poison oak (in flower), everlasting nest straw, black sage. I was rather happy to find one of my long-standing “nemesis flowers” which was Padre’s shooting-star, there is a large congregation about 20-25 minutes down the trail but most have lost their flowers. Lots of wild cucumber (which I mistook for white bryony being from Britain and all) with vines over many shrubs and oaks.

Saw singles of Parry’s Larkspur, Parry’s phacelia, indian warrior, woolly blue-curls, mission woodland-star, chia, Calystegia sp, twining snapdragon, California peony, Pterostegia drymarioides and California poppy. There was a good comparison of musk filaree and red-stem filaree immediately by the car park in the rocks before the start of both paths (both non-native but interesting). Erodium botrys (non-native) also common along the trail. There was some sort of dodder off in the distance that I did not see well enough for ID.

There was a good patch of white form wild hyacinth about 5-10 minutes down the trail from the car park where the path bends to the left (east). Not many butterflies but several Sara orange-tip, California sister, Behr’s metalmark, white chequered-skipper and a fly-by duskywing sp. Lots of insect life about, my highlight was a snake fly (Agulla sp.) which I have not encountered before.

I still have some unidentified plants to go through, not that this post needs to be any longer than it already is. I mostly stuck to the main path to avoid disturbance, it is a rather rocky trail with hilly regions, but worth doing if you can.  ‑ James Bailey

Topanga State Park  Backbone Trail  03/17/15

Hiked today on the Backbone Trail eastbound from Piuma. The trailhead is located on Piuma Road, 1.2 miles E of Las Virgenes Cyn Road. On this trail there are lots of Fiesta Flowers, Fern Phacelia ,Mariposa Lilies, and tons of Blue Dicks! Other flowers that I saw were Western Wallflowers, Blue Larkspur, Yellow Monkey Flowers, Sticky (Orange) Monkey Flowers, Burr Clover, Stinging Lupine, Parry’s Phacelia , Sticky Phacelia , California Golden Poppies, Purple Nightshade, Eucrypta , Globe Gilia, Popcorn Flower, Fiddlenecks , Morning Glory, Black Sage, And Purple Sage.  ‑ Jim Garafalo

See older reports at  What’s Blooming.