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AREA MAPS
1925 Kern Wildflower Postcard
March 23, 2009 - Took Bena Road toward Hwy 223. It is very
green and starts to get orange with fiddleneck as you approach the
Caliente-Bodfish Road. The best displays are on Hwy 223 close to
Arvin. After you leave the oak woodland going toward Arvin, the view
opens so you can see the San Joaquin Valley, that is where the
flowers become good. Fields of owl's clover, sky lupine, Eastwood's
fiddleneck and popcorn flower sporadically fill the fields up to the
first few plateaus.
March 22, 2009 - Drove north along Sierra Way from Weldon
past Kernville all the way to Johnsondale. Flowers were dramatic
along the roadsides but few beyond. Quite a few Bigelow's tickseed,
lacy phacelia, caterpillar phacelia, popcorn flower, spider lupine,
checker fiddleneck, California poppy.
March 21, 2009 - The Fay Canyon area along Fay Ranch Road is
quite lovely, though not as impressive as other years. Flowers in
bloom include: California poppy, popcorn flower, owl's clover,
Bishop's lotus, checker fiddleneck, broad-flowered gilia, bird's eye
gilia, sandblossoms, white tidytips, Bigelow's tickseed, miniature
lupine, Wallace's wooly sunflower, phlox. Checked out the Migrant
Corner Trail on the Kern River Preserve, really dry and few flowers
except under the rocks along the road. Flowers in bloom include:
spider lupine, floriferous monkeyflower, cream cups.
March 5, 2009 - posted by John Wall on CalPhoto
In case anyone's curious this early, I popped into the south side of
Carrizo and was impressed by how green it was. However, not a
wildflower in sight. Even early arrivals like storksbill were
nowhere to be seen yet. I think it's still just too cold. There is
snow on a peak to the south.
Along the way on Rte. 166 just west of I5, at the north-facing base
of a tall mountain ridge, there is a stunning display of lupine --
and I mean it's stunning even from a mile away along the road. I
don't know if you can actually get close to the action, but it would
be great.
Also, Rte. 223 above Arvin, the base of the west-facing hills are
breathtaking with poppies and green grass. Again, I don't know if
you can get close to the action due to various property access
issues (no roads, private property). Argh. If you know how to get in
these places, they are going great right now.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwallphoto/3333362274/sizes/l/
March 5, 2009 - sent by David Clendenen - Resource Ecologist at
Wind Wolves Preserve in the Southern San Joaquin Valley of Kern
County
Just wanted to spread the word..... we are going to have a great
wildflower season at Wind Wolves. Please spread the word and come to
see us! The bloom is on the valley floor now, and moving up into the
canyons and foothills.
March 1, 2009 - posted by Susan Steele on Tri-county Natural
History
A friend and I went on a short hike in Red Rock St Park today. It
was glorious! Lots of flowers and a good variety (20-30 species).
All the yellow flowers against the red rocks were lovely.
While there weren't many bird species, what was there was actively
singing and Say's Phoebe's were carrying food already. I'm guessing
the flowers will be at a peak in the next 7-14 days and good through
the end of the month.
March 1, 2009 - from Charlie Callaghan - Death Valley National
Park -
http://www.dvnha.org/morning_report/WildflowerUpdate.pdf
In Death Valley, continuing light rains and cool temperatures have
enhanced the prospect for a moderate display of wildflowers this
spring. It is still a bit early to see much but pockets of Desert
Gold and Brown-eyed Evening Primrose along the roadsides south of
Badwater and the Encelia bushes blooming along the road to Scotty’s
Castle. The peak blooming period is hard to predict but currently we
believe late March to mid-April will afford the best wildflower
viewing opportunities.
February 28, 2009
There are some pretty decent swaths of Bigelow's Coreopsis along
Sierra Way between Weldon and Kernville. The best displays are
along the road cut overlooking the South Fork Wildlife area. North
of Stine Cove the Tansy Phacelia is beginning to bloom. Another week
with hopefully cool moist weather and this drive should be pretty
intense. The species I saw in bloom today include: Bigelow's
coreopsis, red-stemmed filaree, California poppy, thistle sage, chia,
brown-eyed evening primrose, globe gilia, checker fiddleneck,
forget-me-not, red maids, goldfields, tansy phacelia, popcorn
flower, California goldfields, Bishop's lotus, blue dicks.
February 27, 2009
In the Kern River Valley, the road to the Lake Isabella Visitor
Center off of Hwy 155 is not blazing yet, but many baby blue eyes,
red maids, goldfields and others are blooming well.
February 27, 2009 - posted by Kimberly Perkins on Tri-county
Natural History
I went up to Carrizo Plain National Monument on Saturday, February
27th. The day was cloudy, so photo ops were few and far between. I
still did manage to take a few pics tho. The Highway 166 side is
starting to bloom. I came across lots of Filaree, Goldfields,
Fiddleneck and Phacelia. I even came across a small herd of
Pronghorn antelope, too, as well as several hawks (Red Tailed and
Ferruginous). I couldn't go on some of the side roads, because of
the mud. The Highway 58 side is still pretty brown, but I imagine it
will liven up with color in the next few weeks. There is a lot of
Fiddleneck blooming from Buttonwillow up to Carrizo Plain on the
Highway 58 side, and the hillsides and fields are turning into seas
of gold. I posted some pics on my blog
http://kimmerzy.blogspot.com
if you want to see.
February 26, 2009
Spring
has arrived in a big way. While I have toiled inside for the past
few weeks, reports of wildflowers in the Kern Canyon were begging me
to
attend to the more important task of getting the word out that the
recent rains are boding well for a nice wildflower season.
In the Kern River Canyon at least 20 species are blooming and in
some areas it is just plain spectacular. From the mouth of the
canyon to Lucas Creek along Hwy 178 there are beautiful washes of
orange with poppy and fiddleneck dominating the verdant slopes.
Other areas are
muted lavender with phacelia. Take your camera and head out now.
More rain should hold the displays for a while but a heat wave
surely will fade some areas quickly. Poppies close at night and
under heavy cloud cover so head out when the sun is shining but
avoid the hours between 11 and 2 as the angle of the sun drowns out
the color of the flowers.
Also, along Alfred Harrell Hwy between Panorama Drive and Hart Park
in Bakersfield the hills are supporting abundant blooms and these
blooms appear to be just starting so the days ahead should be
amazing.
I have also received reports of flowers in the Ridgecrest and
Inyokern areas and desert slopes. I hope to check them out this
weekend. Others are reporting the Bena Road area by Hwy 223 and Hwy
58 is alive with orange as well.
The flowers seen in bloom on the 26th and 27th of February include:
California Poppy, Bladderpod, Fiesta Flower, White Fiesta Flower,
California Man-root, Caterpillar Phacelia, Tansy Phacelia, Common
Phacelia, Fiddleneck, Popcorn Flower, Bishop Lotus, White Layia,
Common
Madia, Tree Tobacco, Annual Wooly Sunflower, Baby Blue Eyes, Evening
Snow, Dense False Gilia, Broad Flowered Gilia, Evening Snow, Phlox,
California Goldfields, Red-stemmed Filaree, Slender Keel Fruit,
Miner's Lettuce, Bigelow's Coreopsis, Scale Bud, Oak Gooseberry,
Blazing Star, California Mustard, Owl's Clover, Henbit, Dandelion,
Bermuda Buttercup, Hill Suncup, Red Maids, Forget-me-not,
Peppergrass, Mountain Dandelion, California Buckwheat, Coulter's
Jewelflower, Bird's Eye Gilia, Bigseed Bisquitroot... that's all I
can remember for now.
February 8, 2009 - from Charlie Callaghan - Death Valley National
Park -
http://www.dvnha.org/morning_report/WildflowerUpdate.pdf
A strong storm has brought one to two inches of rain and significant
flooding throughout the park the last few days. This has greatly
increased our prospects for spring wildflowers in Death Valley. Much
of the park received an early rainfall in October and a parkwide
rain, nearly one half inch, just before Thanksgiving. This early
rain, followed by warm temperatures allowed a widespread sprouting
of annual wildflowers seeds. Some of these such as Desert Gold,
Brown-eyed Evening Primrose and Sand Verbena have already been
observed blooming along park roadsides in the southern and northern
ends of the park.
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 |
