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AREA MAPS
1925 Kern Wildflower Postcard
March 29 2007
HWY 155
- Sequoia National Forest Lake Isabella Visitor Center
The Keyesville area is filling up nicely with plenty of goldfields.
The road to the Isabella Visitor Center has a few plants in bloom.
Baby blue eyes, goldfields, filaree, bird's eye gilia, and popcorn
flower are blooming near the highway. As you drive up the road find
more of the same, but also a really nice display of cream cups after
the mobile home.
HWY 178 - near Yankee Canyon
Along Hwy 178, brittlebush and silver lupine are blooming
sporadically.
FAY CREEK
The snow 2 days ago seems to have helped keep the bloom going, but
the cold seemed to have stunted some plants. Silver lupine is
beginning to bloom along with the annuals that continue.
March 26 2007
HWY 178
- Onyx to Walker Pass
A few Bigelow's Coreopsis were blooming near the summit of Walker
Pass, plus a few Joshua trees were beginning to bloom, nothing else
to report as far as annuals. Snow is expected tonight on the pass
and in the Kern Valley, hopefully it will provide more moisture to
germinate more annuals. Western Redbud are blooming just east of
Onyx near the Cottage Grove Cemetery .
March 26 2007
HWY 223
- Arvin Cutoff
Lupines, poppies were seen along Hwy 223 by Don Storm.
March 23 2007
KERN
RIVER PRESERVE - FAY RANCH ROAD
This week the walk around the creek near my home was much more
productive. Fay Creek is full of annual wooly sunflower and other
species are beginning to make a relatively nice showing. The
diminutive pygmy poppy is up along with Bigelow's monkeyflower,
Fremont's phacelia, scale bud, Sierra tidytips, checker fiddleneck,
tansy mustard, shepherd's purse, and filaree. Anyone wishing to see
these flowers should contact me and I can arrange a tour for a small
donation to the Kern River Preserve.
March 14 2007
KERN
RIVER PRESERVE - FAY RANCH ROAD
A walk along Fay Creek yielded little in the way of flowers, but
lots of little green patches hopefully will not dry out before they
have a chance to bloom. My yard has blooming fiddleneck and a couple
of species of mustard.
March 13 2007
SIERRA WAY KERN RIVER VALLEY
Many species are blooming now along Sierra Way from the South Fork
bridge to Rocky Point. I expect with the extended heat these will
fade quickly. The numbers are not great anywhere so far. Species
seen in bloom: brown-eyed evening primrose, California poppy, tansy
mustard, checker fiddleneck, forget-me-not, false gilia, lacy
phacelia, Bigelow's coreopsis, chia, globe gilia, bishop's lotus,
blazing comet, red-stemmed filaree, spider lupine, and California
goldfields.
March 5 2007
KERN RIVER CORRIDOR from Hart Park to Upper Richbar Campground
A run down to Bakersfield proved productive in the search for
wildflowers. Although the numbers remain sparse, I found dozens of
species in bloom.
In Hart Park across from Mirror Lake near the west entrance, the
usual field of California goldfields is in full bloom, nearby
bladderpod are blooming albeit weakly. At River and Canal streets
(near the east entrance), the usual field of exotic lawn species are
blooming, mustard, henbit, dandelion, and bird's eye speedwell;
quite pretty even if they aren't native.
At CALM I found western redbud blooming.
At the mouth of the canyon on Hwy 178 many species were in bloom but
only fiddleneck and popcorn flower were noticeable at highway
speeds. Once stopped the list of species mushroomed: blue dicks,
bird's eye gilia, fiddleneck, popcorn flower (2 species), white
tidy-tips, California poppy, miniature lupine, wild radish,
caterpillar phacelia, red-stemmed filaree, Acton's encelia, Sierran
wild cucumber, western tansy mustard, field mustard and peppergrass.
Stopping near the first powerplant inside the canyon yielded a few
more species; tree tobacco, California buckwheat, Piute bindweed,
Bermuda buttercup, Kern tarweed, common deerweed, fringepod, lacy
phacelia, small-flowered cudweed, and white fiesta flower. My final
stop was just east of upper Richbar campground where I found silver
lupine and buckbrush in bloom.
It looks like the late rains will produce some nice displays around
the county. There may not be huge fields like in recent years but I
expect to find localized blooms for the next few weeks. Pray for
more rain as with the temperatures in the 80's or with drying winds
the season may be very short.
March 3 2007
KERN RIVER VALLEY
On Wednesday, the Kern Valley experienced a snowstorm that left a
blanket of snow between 1-8 inches around the valley. There will be
flowers this year! Filaree are beginning to really grow and other
plants are sure to follow soon.
February 28 2007
KERN RIVER VALLEY
Blossoms are sparse this year as rainfall has been minimal up until
this point. The first harbinger of spring popped up last week along
Hwy 178 in the Kern River Canyon near the first powerplant. A few
Bermuda Buttercup and fiddleneck were blooming. Then today peaking
its lonely bloom through the quickly melting snow, a California
Poppy near the South Fork Wildlife area on Sierra Way.
Some Places to Look and what to Look for
All depend on sufficient spring rain and mild temperatures
KERN VALLEY DESERT
KELSO VALLEY
KERN CANYON
NORTH FORK KERN
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
SAN LUIS OBISPO
SIERRA NEVADA
SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS
KERN VALLEY - Kern County
Lake Isabella
Visitor Center @ Hwy 155: February - Mid April
baby
blue eyes, blue
dicks, cream cups, cushion catseye, fiddleneck, goldfields, hill sun
cup, owl's clover, popcorn flower, red maids, spreading fleabane,
filaree, slender keel fruit
Sierra
Way between Kernville and Weldon (Hwy 178): Late February - Late
March
bird's eye gilia, blue dicks, brown-eyed evening primrose,
California poppy, caterpillar phacelia, chia, coreopsis, deer vetch, encelia,
evening snow, fiddleneck, globe gilia, goldenbush, goldfields,
Kernville poppy, miniature lupine, mustards, owl's clover, popcorn
flower, stick leaf, filaree, thistle sage, slender keel
fruit,
white fiesta flower, deer vetch
Kernville to Wofford Heights: Early March - Early April
bird's eye
gilia, Coulter's jewelflower, rock cress,
Indian paintbrush, wild hyacinth, popcorn flower, and deer
vetch
DESERT - Kern & Inyo Counties
Walker Pass to Hwy 14:
Later February to Late March
Joshua tree, phacelia, Mojave sun cup, brittlebush
Hwy 14 to Short Canyon: Early March - Mid March
desert chicory, desert dandelions, phacelia, desert mallow
Short Canyon: Late February - early April
alyssum,
arroyo lupine, bajada lupine, bird's eye gilia, birds foot evening
primrose, bladder pod, blazing star, blue dicks, brittlebush,
brown-eyed Primrose, California poppy,
caterpillar phacelia, Charlotte's phacelia, chia, coreopsis, cream
cups, desert chicory, desert dandelion, desert mallow, desert
paintbrush, desert primrose, elegant lupine, Fiddleneck, four-wing saltbush, goldenbush,
golden poppy, golden linanthus, goldfields, grape soda lupine,
Indian paint brush, inflated buckwheat, iodine bush, Joshua tree, jewelflower, lacy phacelia,
miniature lupine, Mojave evening primrose, Mojave sun cups, nude
buckwheat, Parry's larkspur, pepper grass, pincushion, purple mat, popcorn flower,
sage thistle, sand verbena, spectacle pod,
tansy phacelia, yellowthroats, white fiesta flower
Red Rock Canyon
State Park: March
coreopsis, sun cups, primrose, goldfields
Death
Valley National Park: January - early April
Panamint catseye, brown-eyed evening primrose,
desert gold, creosote, and sand verbena.
KELSO VALLEY
Kelso Creek: Early
March - Early May
Bigelow's monkeyflower,
bird's eye gilia, desert dandelion, desert star, Fremont's
phacelia, goldfields, Joshua tree, Kelso Creek monkeyflower, Mojave
sun cup, Pringle's wooly sunflower, purple mat, pygmy poppy,
sandblossoms, silver cholla, sinuate gilia,
filaree, white layia, white tidy tips,
Jawbone Canyon (east
slope of the Piute Mountains): Late March - Early April baby
blue eyes, California poppy, locoweed, miniature lupine, popcorn flower.
KERN CANYON
Hwy 178: Early March
- Mid May
baby blue eyes, bindweed, bladderpod,
California poppy, coreopsis, Coulter's jewelflower, fiddleneck,
gilia, lupine,
miner's lettuce, mustard, owl's clover, popcorn flower, Bermuda
buttercup
NORTH FORK KERN - Kern & Tulare
Counties
Mtn 99: (north of Kernville Kern and Tulare Counties):
Mid April - Late May
bajada lupine, bush monkeyflower, California
Yerba Santa, common monkeyflower, death camas, dudleya, fiesta
flower,
fleabane, golden violets, golden poppies, granite monkeyflower,
grape soda lupine, Ithuriel's spear, Kern
County larkspur, phacelia, popcorn flower, red maids, western wallflower,
wooly pod
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY -
Kern & Tulare Counties
Hwy. 99: early - mid February
stone fruit orchards
Rancheria Road: Early March
blue dicks, California poppy, fiddleneck, lupines, popcorn flower
Northeast Bakersfield: Early March
blue dicks, owl's clover, phacelia
Bena Road - east of Bakersfield:
Early March
bladderepod, California
poppy, chia, fiddleneck, locoweed, lupine, owl's clover, phacelia,
popcorn flower, white tidy tips
Caliente Creek Road:
Early March
lupine, fiddleneck
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY
Carrizo Plain National Monument: early February - late April
fiddleneck, filaree, tidy tips, thistle sage, owl's
clover, encelia, eriophyllum, parry's mallow, unexpected larkspur
Shell Creek Road: February - Late March
lupine, owl's clover, gilia, yellow blazing star, common tidy tips,
sierra tidy tips, pale yellow layia, desert dandelion, goldfields,
grassland suncup, California evening primrose, Parry's mallow,
scarlet buglar, branched Indian clover, white-tipped clover, tomcat
clover, cows clover, yellow sweetclover, bur clover, bishop's lotus,
redstem filaree, broad-leaf filaree, chaparral nightshade,
fiddleneck, popcorn flower, forget-me-not, chia, thistle sage,
Indian paint brush, linear leaved goldenbush, yellow yarrow,
divaricate phacelia, blue dicks, California
poppy, freckled milkvetch, baby blue eyes, desert pincushion, yellow
pincushion.
SIERRA NEVADA - Kern & Tulare
Counties
Sherman Pass Road: Early May - Mid July
blue dicks, columbine, death camas, golden ear drops, Monardellas, shooting stars
Nine-mile Canyon Road (Hwy 14. to Kennedy Meadows): mid May -
mid June
grape
soda lupine, pink gilia
Cherry Hill Road:
Sequoia National
Forest: Mid June - Late August
butterfly mariposa
lily, lupine,
mountain collomia, harlequin monkeyflower, pink gilia, phacelia,
monkeyflower, Indian
paintbrush, clover, lotus, tinctureplant, snow plant, crimson columbine, mountain blue bells, Parry's
larkspur, cinquefoil, shooting stars, wild onions, blue-eyed marys,
knotweed
Piute Mountains:
Sequoia National Forest: early June - mid July
brodiaea, desert calico, Horkelias, mariposa lily, monkeyflowers, milkweeds, Monardellas,
Palmer's mariposa lily, penstemon, phacelia, Spanish bayonet, vetch
SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS - Kern &
Los Angeles Counties
Antelope Valley Poppy
Preserve: mid March - late April California poppy,
coreopsis, cream cups, Davy gilia, fiddleneck, globe gilia, golden
carpet, goldfields, paintbrush, lupine, phacelia, thistle sage,
yellow throats |
