Welcome to the Theodore Payne Foundation Wild Flower Hotline. I’m Tom Henschel. The Hotline offers weekly on-line and recorded updates on the best locations for viewing spring wildflowers in Southern and Central California. All locations are on easily accessible public lands and range from urban to wild, distant to right here in L.A. 
In the Coast Ranges of California at Pinnacles National Park spring wildflowers are popping up along several trails that ramble through a diversity of habitats. Patches of purple pagoda are coloring shaded locales under trees in the riparian ribbons near water drainages. Black sage now in full, glorious bloom, prefers full sun and low moisture, so look for it on dry, rocky slopes in chaparral and sage scrub. Grassy hillsides are host to deep blue larkspur and sweet little cream cups, a poppy family member that prefers open grasslands and sandy soils. Commonly a smallish annual, chia grows in full sun and is unusually large and abundant this year after a recent fire swept through the region. Stands of purple owl’s clover are enjoying the full sun as well, and by the way, are a favorite larval food source for the Bay checkerspot butterfly.
Wildflowers are in peak bloom along some trails at Casper’s Regional Park in Orange County. Along the East Ridge trail, thousands of splendid Mariposa lilies can be spotted. It is always a delight to spot one or two of these beauties, but seeing them in such large numbers is a very special surprise. Chaparral yucca is prominently visible throughout the landscape with its lofty spikes of creamy white flowers standing tall as far as the eye can see. Near the top of Sun Rise Trail look for tomcat clover among the tall grasses. Hiking on the Dick Loskorn and West Ridge trails, lovely sightings include longleaf lupine, golden stars, and Catalina Mariposa lily. Perennials in prime bloom include sticky monkeyflower, deerweed and black sage. Don’t forget to enjoy the aroma of coastal sage scrub and chaparral in full bloom and bask in the great vistas of river terraces and sandstone canyons of the coastal Santa Ana Mountains.
The La Alba Trail in Murrieta, not far from the Santa Rosa Plateau, offers beautiful views of chaparral habitat and rewarding but challenging climbs. Trails present steep ups and downs, little shade, and limited trail markings. The area is frequented by enthusiastic mountain bikers, so staying on the main trail is key. Rattlesnakes are also known to inhabit the area, so be sure to watch your step. Along the trails, black sage, chamise, California buckwheat, deerweed and chaparral yucca, are all in full bloom. Scattered among these iconic members of California’s Coastal Sage and Chaparral communities, you’ll find larkspur along with splendid Mariposa lily, and blue dicks. An especially quirky sight is the bright orange California dodder covering shrubs in some places. Dodder is a parasitic vine that is common in scrub communities. If you are up to the challenge, it is well worth seeing gorgeous blooming chaparral habitat in the foreground with expansive views of the canyons and ridges of the Santa Ana Mountains beyond.

The Poppy Days Plant Sale is happening at the Theodore Payne Foundation, Friday and Saturday, April 3 & 4, where you can buy natives for your home garden. If you are unsure what is the best plant to add to your landscape, look no further than TPF’s Demonstration Gardens for examples of how mature, flowering native plants may present in your own garden. But first, as you park and walk towards the Administration Building, notice the bright sulfur-yellow flowers on Conejo buckwheat. Wouldn’t that look stunning in your own garden? At the La Fetra Nature Education Center, some very dramatic perennials are bursting with blossoms. White sage and a cultivar of white sage called ‘Desperado’ have branches full of fragrant whitish leaves and tall flower spikes that enjoy visits from bumble bees. Desert marigold also has whitish leaves, and both plants are conspicuous by design in a garden of greenery. Notice blue elderberry and a giant Nevin’s barberry in this garden as well; both soon to bear deep blue and bright orange berries respectively. The ripe fruit especially delights raucous mockingbirds and other berry foragers. At the Sales Yard and nearby Demonstration Garden, look at the gorgeous blooming palo verde and outstanding canyon sunflower growing in its understory. Pretty annuals like elegant clarkia, punchbowl clarkia and California poppy are displaying well there too. Other popular natives currently blooming include pink fairy duster, California bush sunflower, Santa Cruz Island buckwheat, verbena De La Mina, and bladderpod, all lovely and easy to grow. Two perennial members of the poppy family that are sure to catch your attention are the Island bush poppy with large yellow blossoms poking out of handsome grey-green foliage, and the dramatic Matilija poppy with 4–6-inch white flowers atop 4-foot stems rising from the ground. Follow your nose to the arching branches of the mock orange shrub. This is a must-have fragrance in any garden! Got cactus? If not¬, the beavertail and hedgehog—the plants, not the animals—are for you. The nearby TPF sales yard is staffed with experts who will help you satisfy that irresistible urge to buy plants! 


That’s it for this week’s report. Visit the theodore payne dot org to see photos of these and more wildflower sites. The Theodore Payne Foundation’s annual Native Plant Garden Tour is April 11th and 12th. For more information, please visit native plant garden tour dot org. The next report will be available on Friday, April 10th.