Driving for hours um i mean flowers.

Me and Cricket went up the 5 fwy. over the grapevine and saw this at the bottom.

lupine at grapevine

 

but this was not our destination we had further to drive.we continued to the 166 exit and shot past those agricultural fields and on to the Carrizo Plain National Monument.  We turned off onto a dirt road and came in a back entrance to the monument. There were some road survey crews there along with cows, of course.All the Southern slopes were sprayed various shades of yellow.We drove down along the san andreas fault. The fog clouded the hills a little. The smell was intense. 

soad lake

 

We drove around soda lake then returned back thru the Monument, looking for antelope. but alas saw noneWe came back to L.A. via Ojai. A long twisting road through the mountains.

Chocolate Lily – Fritallaria Bicolor

The vertible holy grail to flowollers(wildflower followers).  I found it where I would least expect it. In Los Angeles and my backyard, Griffith Park. Iwas just about  to embark on an hours long drive for the hope of seeing this very flower .  Little  did I think it could be so close, as my fav little flat spot in Griffith Park. I had hiked out there to see if how the my zigadenus, star lilies were doing. This natural grassy glade also had some blue eyed grass and a blue dicks or two. The star lilys hadn’t opened yet.  But to my astonishment I see this big dark brown hanging flower, all alone.Immediately,  I knew it was a chocolate lily. I screamed. I saw no others Fritallaria bicolors in bloom there, but I did learn more about the -park through them. More later

Fritalleria bicolorchocolate lily

Fire follower

This is some of bloomage in the  Griffith Park burn areas.

lots of phacelia minor, crypantha, heart-leaved four o’clock, and morning glory

Anza

Wildflowers near L.A.

I went on a hike in Wildwood park in Thousand Oaks. Wildwood and several other parks merge to form a large open space, much needed in this land of suburbia. It makes this place so unique and valuable. I was interested in checking on some endemics that grow there. I took Santa Rosa trail which goes over Montclef ridge  I was surprised at how nice and greened up it was. The red and buff  volcanic rock made the prefect backdrop, especially coupled with the blue skys. I saw many of the early spring flowers like shooting stars and blue dicks.I also saw  a lot of stuff just starting to flower. Crypantha, california poppies, phacelia, fiddleneck,chia, wishbone bush, everlasting, gilia,bladder pod, shiny lomatium, buckwheat,lupine, rattlesnake weed, goldfields and some flowers I don’t know. Things are looking good in L.A.

Climate Geek

I have been following the rain totals for California at this website http://www.calclim.dri.edu/

I tried this last year and it seemed to pay off.  Here is the latest.

I have overlayed it on a road map for reference. 

Looks like a couple areas in southern california deserts  might have some  really good blooms.

The area near southern entrance to Joshua Tree, and the mojave near Afton canyon.

Griffith Park starting to bloom

the annual wildflower season is starting in Griffith Park.

this was on the north side in Royce canyon near the sandstone caves

these are type of bulb

wildflower links

Wildflower Fanatics Weblinks

Carol Leigh’s California Wildflower Hotsheet

DesertUSA – Desert Wildflower reports

Theodore Payne Wildflower Hotline

Joshua Tree

Carrizo Wildflower Report

Santa Monica Mountains

Nature Alley (Kern, Inyo, & Tulare Counties)

Anza-Borrego

Cool Plants for Warm Times

Warming climate chills Sonoran Desert’s spring flowers

ScienceDaily (2009-12-20) — Global warming is giving a boost to Sonoran Desert plants that have an edge during cold weather, according to new research. Although overall numbers of winter annuals have declined since 1982, species that germinate and grow better at low temperatures are becoming more common. As a result, the composition of the desert’s spring wildflower display is changing, according to new research. … > read full article

griffith in bloom

today i  saw penstomen, 2 lupines, deerweed, deer bush, sunflower, 2 purple phacelias, morning glory, crypantha, pearly everlasting, bush monkey flower, cucumber.

It seems way early but somethings are already going to seed.