Natural History Wanderings

Santa Monica Mts. National Recreation Area reports on 6/24/15

things are really drying out and that the SoCal drought continues. In that case the true flower connoisseur must begin using their craft to find the treasure. It is out there every month of the year.

They also have just posted a wildflower report for Santa Ynez Trail in Topanga Canyon State Park but note that it is for 06/10/15 and may be outdated

Trailhead at the very end of Vereda de le Montura Street off of Palisades Drive in Pacific Palisades. You can also access this trail from Trippet Ranch.

When all the flowers start withering away it is time to investigate the cool, dark, shady canyons. This is one that is home to several varieties of flowers that I don’t know in any other places. Like in any moist, shady canyon there is a LOT of poison oak. Long pants and long sleeves are recommended.

The humboldt lilies are out in the riparian area and they are hard to beat, so beautiful that they seem to illuminate the area around them. The cream bush, one of the “specials” of this canyon, is just coming into bloom. Additionally there is a lot of California buckwheat, California chicory, large flower phacelia, honeysuckle, Indian pinks and black sage. I actually debated with myself whether or not to head up into the chaparral, figuring everything up there would be done. I would have missed so much if I had not gone! There is a lot of scarlet larkspur and a number of gorgeous plummers mariposas, also white snapdragon, fleabane aster, white pincushion, Santa Monica dudleya, slender tarweed and the beautiful, tiny sapphire wool stars. When I returned I took the spur to the “waterfall” to see if there were any additional flowers there. The only ones I encountered were farewell-to-spring and another “special” coast boykinia growing on a wall above a puddle of what is left of the creek.