The Year of Spectacular Wildflowers
By David Powdrell
In the course of a lifetime, we get an occasional spectacular display of bright color, bold blooms, and blankets of natural beauty. Thanks to the significant level of rainfall this year, the wildflowers in Santa Barbara County are already putting on quite a show. Bold yellows, deep purples, electric oranges, and soft blues line the local bluffs and local trails.
California poppies, canyon sunflowers, evening primrose, lupine, prickly phlox, purple sage, woolly blue curls, bush poppies, deerweed, bush monkey flowers, and the elusive Humboldt Lily are in full force. Other previously dormant seeds are sprouting up too.
March to May is typically the best viewing window. With so many trails in our local foothills with varying levels of difficulty, I hope you’re able to get out and see some of the splendor. Keep an eye out for poison oak and poison ivy, watch for fallen trees, and stay on the marked trails, but catch this exciting display of natural beauty if you can.
There’s magic in rainwater.
David Powdrell - Co-author, "Wildflowers of the Santa Barbara Foothills" and "A Field Guide to Common Plants of Santa Barbara" with Hugh Margerum.
Humboldt Lily
Wild Iris
Cactus Flowers
Deerweed
Canyon Sunflower
Chalk Live Forever
15 Comments
-
-
-
Mar 25, 2023 02:53 PMIs Figueroa Mountain Rd open?
-
1
-
-
Mar 25, 2023 04:14 PMFig Mtn road is open according to Los Padres Forest Watch:
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/8a708ff13fc24d64b06a0a883e3139f9
-
3
-
-
Mar 25, 2023 05:03 PMBut as a County Rd. it's closed on Figueroa Mountain Rd. just past Ram Ranch and both entities agree that it's closed from 1/2 way up Happy Canyon to McKinley Trail Head. All of the campgrounds are closed there by LPNF.
-
1
-
-
Mar 25, 2023 05:16 PMGood catch Tagdes ... this county map shows the road is closed before the first hairpin:
https://www.countyofsb.org/2116/Road-Closures
-
3
-
-
Mar 25, 2023 04:28 PMGreat photos Dave. I often see Canyon Sunflowers on the west side of Gaviota State Park (which is still closed). Didn't know you had two books published:
https://www.amazon.com/Common-Barbara-Foothills-Southern-California/dp/0975404806
https://www.amazon.com/Wildflowers-Santa-Barbara-Foothills-Powdrell/dp/0975404814
That looks like a chia sage in your field guide. I call them "Space alien death stars" haha.
-
-
-
Mar 25, 2023 06:13 PMAgreed, it's wise to watch out for poison oak, but no need to worry about poison ivy when hiking our local trails -- it doesn't grow in California.
-
2
-
1
-
Mar 25, 2023 06:14 PMThere's no Poison ivy in CA.
-
-
-
Mar 25, 2023 06:29 PMHopefully, we’ll see. Thus far the hills may be too saturated. If it’ll be such a great year, it’ll be late. A lot of what I see this spring is pointing towards a delay.
-
1
-
-
Mar 25, 2023 08:11 PMDrove up to Fig Mountain Friday 3/24. Really too early as there wa
-
-
1
-
Mar 26, 2023 07:01 AMAny word on Caruso plains
-
4
-
-
Mar 26, 2023 09:33 AMThe Miramar has lots of flowers, just not wildflowers.
-
1
-
-
Mar 26, 2023 09:58 AMAnd on another note, according to the BLM website, the Carrizo Plains Natl. Mon. has little to no wildflowers as of last week and it's extremely muddy with several people getting stuck. Waiting for yesterday's update.
-
-
-
Mar 26, 2023 10:30 AMThanks so much for your beautiful photographs. I appreciate your reminder about poison oak.... I learned mugwort is a natural antidote to Poison Oak exposure you can scrunch up some leaves and rub a poultice onto the affected skin. Just don't uproot the plant.
-
-
-
Mar 29, 2023 03:06 PMCarrizo plain has some flowers, bottom has many flowers next to lake area and hills just some slopes are yellow. All is very green. Soda Lake Road is just fine, and off road is fine too. 58/ 7 mile road intersection is closed.
-
-
-
Mar 29, 2023 08:40 PMNot a lot of flowers out there at the moment, still hasn't warmed enough.