Poppies, lupines, and oak, Figueroa Mountain
Claudia and I took a few days this past week to look for wildflowers. It doesn’t seem like a great year for flowers, at least compared to some past years, but we did find some nice patches.
Our first stop was Carrizo Plain National Monument. We had heard some promising reports from this area, and we found extensive patches of yellow hillside daisies along the south and east sides of Soda Lake. We also heard that there are large swaths of purple phacelia in the southern part of the monument, but we didn’t make it down that far. However the Temblor Range, on the eastern edge of the Monument, seemed very dry. There were patches of daisies in the Temblors, but none of the multi-colored hillsides you’ll see in the best years. If you’ve never been to the Carrizo Plain in the spring it’s definitely worth going, as you’ll find some large swaths of beautiful flowers on the valley floor, and a bit of searching will reveal mixes of different species that work well for more intimate scenes. But if you’ve been to the Carrizo in a great year you’ll probably be a little disappointed with the display this spring.
Our next stop was Figueroa Mountain, near Los Olivos in Santa Barbara County. There were some striking poppy-covered hillsides visible as we approached the area. As we drove up the narrow, winding road that traverses Figueroa Mountain we found some great views of nearby Grass Mountain with a vivid hillside full of poppies. But it was hard to find thick patches of flowers near the road. Most of the poppies right now are on other, neighboring mountains, not Figueroa itself, and they’re either on private land or require traversing private land to reach them, so you’re limited to distant views. On Figueroa itself there are many beautiful individual flowers, and one small patch of poppies next to the main road. There were other larger swaths of poppies, but all on steep hillsides that were difficult to reach. We finally ended up making a slippery descent down a very steep hillside to photograph a patch of poppies mixed with lupines.
On our last day we drove up the Big Sur coast, not to look for flowers, but just to see a beautiful area that we hadn’t visited in a long time. This was on Good Friday, so there was plenty of traffic, but we still enjoyed it. I’ve never spent much time photographing this area, but this small taste reminded me of how beautiful it is, and I hope to return soon.
We didn’t find any amazing flower displays during our little whirlwind trip, but that’s not surprising, as most of southern California has received below-average rainfall. But we had a great time exploring, and photographing the flowers we did find. One northern-California flower area that we’ve heard good things about lately is North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve near Oroville. If you’re been there recently, or know of some other good flower areas right now, let us know in the comments!
— Michael Frye
Hillside daisies among tansy phacelia, Carrizo Plain NM, CA, USA
Poppies and lupines, Figueroa Mountain, Los Padres NF, CA, USA
Lupines above the Pacific Ocean, Big Sur coast
Pacific coast near San Simeon
Related Posts: San Joaquin Valley Sunset; Redbuds and Poppies
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Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He is the author or principal photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite, Yosemite Meditations, Yosemite Meditations for Women, Yosemite Meditations for Adventurers, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters. He has also written three eBooks: Light & Land: Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom, Exposure for Outdoor Photography, and Landscapes in Lightroom: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide. Michael has written numerous magazine articles on the art and technique of photography, and his images have been published in over thirty countries around the world. Michael has lived either in or near Yosemite National Park since 1983, currently residing just outside the park in Mariposa, California.
N. Table Mountain near Oroville is off to a good start. Up on the plateau the goldfields are about 2″ high & the lupine in only about 4″ tall. Over the crest of the plateau things are a bit more advanced. Frying Pan Poppies are mixed in over the edges of the bluff. there are other species mixed in here & there. I haven’t been over to Bear Valley in Colusa County yet, I have seen a picture of the lower canyon near Hwy 20 that says it’s time to go.
Thanks for the report Bruce! We may have to check it out.
Thanks for info Bruce, we are headed right through there in a couple of days on our way to Yosemite, will definitely stop for a look.
Michael, you have got to be kidding about not finding any amazing displays. I love that top Figueroa Mountain shot, especially with the lone oak, and would *almost* drive down from San Francisco just to see that and get a snootful of that lupine-scented air.
Ha, well, it’s all relative I guess. But you’re right about the lupine-scented air. I wish I had smell-o-vision for some of the lupine images.
Michael,
All really nice!
Cheers,
Alyn
Thanks Alyn!
Those hillside daisies are so cheerful mixed in with the tansy phacelia. We are just beginning to get snowdrops and crocuses. It will be a few weeks before the woodland wildflowers start showing up.
Thanks Vivienne, and I hope you have a nice spring out there.
Followed the link on Sandy Steinman’s Natural History Wanderings to your site. Thanks for the honest assessment of the wildflower displays.
I live down in Orange County and even though we’ve had a decent amount of rain this winter, the wildflower displays have been marginal down this way.
My wife and I have seen Anza Borrego State Park, Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, the Carrizo Plain National Monument and the Antelope Poppy Preserve during the outlier wet winters that produce outstanding wildflower displays.
A few years ago we caught a good wildflower display in variors parts of Oregon. What was fun about that trip was that the flowers were different varieties from what we’re used to seeing in Southern California. And, the numerious waterfalls were gorgeous!
This year we may have to give Washington state a try. We’ve never been up that way. Washington state has three national parks. I’ve just got to do some research to determine when would be the best time to travel up there. It can be a bit soggy.
Anyway, thanks again for the update on your latest trip.
Have fun!
Jimbo
Jimbo, thanks for your report and assessment. You said that you’ve had a “decent amount of rain” this winter, but you’re still below average, right? This report would seem to indicate that Orange County is well below average, with Irvine at 40% of normal since October 1st:
http://www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/awipsProducts/RNOWRKCLI.php
Those are some pretty discouraging numbers for all of southern California. But on the other hand, as you suggest, Washington State got lots of rain and snow this winter, so it should be a good flower year up there. I’ve seen wonderful photos of wildflowers from Mt. Rainier and Hurricane Ridge (in Olympic NP) in past years, but I wonder if the bloom will be very late in those places this summer, because it’s going to take awhile for all the snow to melt. It might be August or September before the flowers really get going in those spots.
Yes Jimbo we had a great winter up here. I expect July/ August for the best flowers, Rainier, St. Helens, Mt Baker. Last year was a disapointmenting season. Columbia Gorge starting in very soon, then there’s the Palouse ect……..
Jon
I was up on North Table Mountain on Good Friday. I would agree that it’s off to a good start. I’ve seen a much more prolific bloom in the past, but it’s looking like it’ll be a fine year. (Although this outing was more about spending time with the kiddos and some others who had never been there, here are a few of photos: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxBjwrF6rh9vMXhUT1RGSHRaTWs&usp=sharing )
Phantom Falls was flowing pretty well last week, but the water on Table Mountain is so dependent upon recent rains, that it’s hard to say what it might look like today or in a week.
I’ve also heard good things about the bloom along the Buttermilk Trail at the South Yuba River State Park, just out of town here in Nevada City (CA). The bonus there is that you get to see the very long covered bridge as well as a bunch of wild flowers.
Cheers, and as always, thanks for the photos, updates, and tips Michael!
~Peter
Cute little girl! And thanks for the reports about Table Mountain and the South Yuba River.
So lovely and my favorite choice of floral scenery. (The wildflowers in the fields surrounding my property are quickly drying up with our 80+ degree weather.) As always, thanks for your intrepid travels.
When you get a moment, check out the latest floral pics in the Los Padres National Forest in SoCal.
http://laist.com/2016/04/03/los_padres_poppies.php#photo-5
(Scroll further down the page to see the pics that were posted on Instagram. I couldn’t help but think of you!)
Oops…forgot to mention the aerial wildflower pics from Death Valley’s Superbloom.
https://story.californiasunday.com/death-valley-superbloom?mc_cid=4f89773118&mc_eid=026320041f
Nice, thanks!
Thanks Ann. Looks like they climbed up Grass Mountain. There’s a trail there that goes through private property, but you can get a permit to use it.