Natural History Wanderings

Yahoo Finance (an unusual place to find a wildflower report) has an article on Diamond Valley Lake

After five years of drought, the green hills surrounding Diamond Valley Lake will once again come alive with the bright oranges, blues, purples and reds of the region’s native wildflowers.

The wildflower bloom has already started and is expected to peak in mid- to late-March, when the hillsides will be a carpet of color, said wildlife biologist Bill Wagner.

“We’ve had a limited bloom the past few years scattered around the lake. This year is going to be spectacular, with broad fields of flowers covering the hillsides,” he said. “Because the hillsides are so saturated due to the rain this year, I think the bloom could go well into late spring.”

In addition to fields of orange California poppies—the state flower—visitors can expect to see blue royal lupines, purple canterbury bells, yellow ranchers fiddleneck, white popcorn flowers, and pink red maids, among other wildflowers. The best time to see poppies in blooms is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., as they need full sun.

Read full article and see photos at Wildflowers Bloom at Metropolitan’s Diamond Valley Lake after Years of Drought