Natural History Wanderings

Hungry Valley OHV has a new wildflower report for 5/25/19

Yes, we still have poppies! The cold and rain this past week have extended the blooms of some flowers and new species are still budding out. It is always exciting to see what new flowers have started to bloom each week.

The hillside near the north entrance still has poppies. Watch for more poppies, the large bush lupine and the sunflower-like balsamroot blooming along Spaghetti Pass and in the grasslands. There are some outstanding patches of the vibrant poppies along Wheatfield Trail, and as you drop into the valley near Edison Campground.

Please be aware that when it rains and the roads get too wet, the grassland area is closed to protect the fragile soil. Once it opens, you can take the self-guided flower trail through the grasslands and find a nice variety of flowers along Powerline Road and Stipa Trail. There are two turnouts near the junction of Stipa and Powerline where you can park and walk around to admire the blooms. Watch for the desert dandelions on some of the hillsides near Powerline as you approach Stipa. Be aware that the tall grasses are hiding some of the flowers!

You will likely still find the pygmy lupine on the hillsides mixed with the poppies, and the yellow sun cups may still be blooming near the junction of Powerline and Stipa. Tiny white and pink Chinese houses and owl’s clover may still be in bloom along Stipa near the Condor Trail junction. Since the grasslands are closed from the rain, we have not had access for a few weeks to check the flowers in this area.

A wide variety of flowers continues to bloom along Schmidt Ranch Road. Look for the pink flowers on the buckwheat and the yellow pincushions on the road bank near the Maxey Road shortcut junction. If you look close, you may spot a few of the pinkish succulent stalks of the dudleya, with their small yellow flowers, hiding among the bushes at the base of the bank. Along Schmidt, between Maxey and Cougar, there is still a vibrant display of the lavender thistle sage with some white scorpion weed mixed in among it.

The red-tipped Indian paintbrush and the golden yarrow are blooming in many areas of the park, as well as the goldenbush. There are also quite a few of the elegant orange desert Mariposa lily scattered among the bushes along Maxey Road. There are a few giant four o’clock bushes at the southern junction of Maxey and Schmidt Ranch.

Scarlet bugler is blooming in many areas of the park with a nice display at the turnoff to Smith Forks Campground. Prickly poppies are beginning to be seen in a few areas. Look for their large showy flowers reminiscent of a fried egg! The similar-looking thistles are also beginning to bloom with their pink or lavender flowers.

The yuccas are flowering throughout the park, but they are especially thick in the area between Aliklik and Lane Ranch Campgrounds with hundreds of stalks now blooming above the spiky leaves. If you wander through the yuccas, there is a nice mix of flowers blossoming there. Look close for the tall purple larkspur peeking out among the shrubs, as well as the yellow pincushion flowers. The desert Mariposa lily and the vivid magenta beavertail cactus flowers are vibrant spots of color here and throughout the park.

The white flowers of the desert primrose are open in the mornings; they are blooming profusely along the road between the south entrance and Lane Ranch Campground now. Other blooms in the south are the lavender flowers on the yerba santa shrubs, and the elderberry with their lacy white flowers.

Make plans to visit Hungry Valley now while the poppies are still blooming in the park. However, you will need to wait for a warm sunny day to find them open. Please remember that the warm weather that brings out the flowers also brings out the snakes. Though rattlesnakes are dangerous, they are rarely deadly. They are not normally aggressive, but they will defend themselves if they feel threatened. Watch your step as you view the flowers and give snakes plenty of room to get away.

Please protect the flowers by not stepping on them and do not disrupt the plant’s life cycle by picking the flowers. Plucked flowers means less seeds for the animals to eat, and for future propagation. (It is also illegal and may result in a citation.)

Please keep California clean by disposing your trash responsibly; litter ruins the view and harms plants and animals.

Download the wildflower map for the self-guided tour, or you can go by the entrance station and pick up a wildflower brochure. Just ask! Please remember that there is a $5 entrance fee for the park.

Wildflower Viewing Tips:

• High clearance vehicles are required for the self-guided tour along dirt roads
• Don’t park on dry vegetation; it can cause a fire
• Hungry Valley SVRA is an OHV park and there will be traffic on the trails
  • o   Keep windows open to listen for approaching vehicles
  • o   Pull over to allow vehicles to pass
  • o   Don’t block the roads while viewing flowers- find a turnout
  • o   Honk when approaching blind corners
• Keep away from rattlesnakes
• All plants, animals, geologic and historic features are protected

Park Map

Wildflower Map