In Southern California, the valleys and foothills are fading, leaving behind fruit and seed for next year’s germination. Above 4000 feet in elevation however, many spring wildflowers are just coming into glorious bloom.

Back in March when we first reported on the wildflower awakening on Figueroa Mountain in the Los Padres Nation Forest, there wasn’t hope for a super display this year. A wildfire had scourged the area in July of 2024. Certainly, some post fire annuals would show up, but with so much devastation and little winter rainfall, it was thought that wildflowers would be sparse and short-lived. A different story emerged, however. A field reporter returned to Figueroa Mountain five times over the spring to photo document an amazing wildflower succession over two months. You have read these chronicles in TPF’s Wildflower Hotline reports this spring. The 5th trip last week found, once again, the wildflower display was good with a variety of new species replacing the earlier spring blooms. Most of the California poppy and purple lupine displays have faded, as have the chia, blue dicks, globe gilia and fiesta flowers. Instead, the displays included several late-season flowers. The lovely ruby chalice clarkia, showy elegant clarkia, California hedge nettle, California cudweed, Catalina Mariposa lily, butter lupine, pacific pea, purple pagodas, fringed onion, miner’s lettuce, common phacelia, and scorpion weed were widespread. The presence of so many clarkias, a.k.a “farewell-to-spring,” makes one wonder how long Figueroa Mountain will continue to debut new wildflower species. It was indeed a successful wildflower season on Figueroa Mountain in 2025.

Driving along Hwy 74 in the San Jacinto Mountains, you will come upon Morris Ranch Road in Garner Valley. The road is lined with flowers in its uphill section, including a nice stand of grape soda lupine at the beginning of the south fork of the San Jacinto River. The Bajada lupine is in full bloom along the immediate roadside as well. The sunny yellow interior goldenbush is starting to brighten up the region while the smaller chia sage is filling in spaces between them making for a nice purple and yellow color combination. There are pleasing blooms on the lower part of the Cedar Spring Trail, including Davidson’s phacelia, prickly phlox, common forget-me-nots, baby blue eyes, and hairy lotus. Cupped leaf ceanothus, Eastwood manzanita, and pink bracket manzanita are in lovely bloom there too. On the sun exposed upper part of the trail, wild canterbury bells are a delight to behold dotting the landscape with their purple-blue color. Near the top of the trail, pretty pink Johnston’s rockcress was scattered about. This area is just starting to bloom well and should be good to visit during the next month or so if it doesn’t get too hot.

May 16, 2025

Welcome to the Theodore Payne Foundation’s 42nd year of the Wildflower Hotline. The Hotline offers weekly on-line and recorded updates on the best locations for viewing spring wildflowers in Southern and Central California.

In Southern California, the valleys and foothills are fading, leaving behind fruit and seed for next year’s germination. Above 4000 feet in elevation however, many spring wildflowers are just coming into glorious bloom.

Manzanitas and ceanothus species have faded from their bloom in most regions of Southern California below 3500 feet. In San Diego county’s Laguna Mountains, however, manzanitas and ceanothus are still putting on a spectacular show especially along the Garnet Peak Loop trail. I’ll add a note that the Pacific Crest Trail connects here in the Laguna Mountains as well. One scenic route to arriving to the Garnet Peak Loop trail is travelling along SR76 south from Palomar Mountain. Flowers along the south side of Palomar are mostly done. Clearly spring is mostly over there. However, starting in Santa Ysabel Valley to Julian, spring is still going full blast. Somehow the blue chaparral whitethorn is still blooming gangbusters there. Fields of cream cups and lupine are painting the landscape with pastel colors. The yellow lupine or California golden banner is in bloom in a field just before Julian and just past Julian, the white palmer’s ceanothus is in glorious full bloom. There are a few patches of goldfields just above Lake Cuyamaca, and some stunning areas of redbuds along Sunrise Highway. Also spotted is serviceberry in full bloom near the beginning of Garnet Peak Trail at Sunrise Highway. One month ago, there were essentially no flowers in this area, and very little annual germination. An amazing transformation occurred in the last month, to have tons of flowers here! On the Garnet Peak trail, the star bloomers are cupped leaf ceanothus and chaparral whitethorn producing slopes of white from the cupped leaf ceanothus and rivers of blue from the chapparal whitethorn. Close to Garnet Peak, pink bracted manzanita with its deep pink flowers, joined the show. There are also good patches of Eastwood manzanita in bloom in several places along this route. Garnet Peak is covered with rocky slopes of Laguna Mountain goldenbush, an endemic species to this area. There are abundant annuals and perennials in places. Close to the trailhead there are baby blue eyes, strigose lotus, coastal gilia, and Washoe phacelia among others. Garnet Peak was beautiful now, so make the trip soon.

With a massive bloom of speckled clarkia, spring is winding down in the foothill country of the southern Sierra. Intermingling with the speckled clarkia, the spring madia are still in bloom. Also, prominent both along the highways and the trails, are the fragrant California buckeye, an abundance of bright yellow rock bush monkey flower and creamy white blooms of blue elderberry. Along oak grove trails one will still find colorful patches of mustang clover and the elegant Ithuriel’s spear. While the speckled clarkia is the one most impressive, two other farewell-to-spring species are found here and announcing the long hot quiet summer season: elegant clarkia and the lovely four spot clarkia.

This Mother’s Day weekend, treat Mom to a wildflower walk at one of our local gardens.

Spectacular blooms are on view now at the California Botanic Garden. Heading up the list of unusual colors is the sulfur yellow Conejo buckwheat. Electric and royal blues, bright pinks, and lavenders are represented by several penstemons and an array of sages. Pretty but prickly are colorful hedgehog cactus, cholla cactus species, prickly pear cactus and beavertail cactus. Evening primrose, phlox species, yucca and agave are quite dramatic even if they are dressed “only” in white blossoms!

At the Theodore Payne Foundation, showy penstemon is a prolific bloomer decorating TPF's gardens in vivid purple. Also exciting, the first of the Matilija poppy, or fried egg flowers have opened along the parking, inviting visitors to explore more in the garden. Chia can be found blooming around the demonstration gardens, Wildflower Hill, and the sales yard along with California brittlebush, common sunflower, many sages. Both prickly pear and beavertail cacti are also very showy.

Be sure to check out gifts for Mom in the Theodore Payne Store, including hanging planter baskets, cards by Lesley Goren, watering cans, Monarch seed collection, or a gift card!

The La Alba Trail along the Murrieta Hogbacks runs adjacent to the Santa Rosa Plateau. Unlike the relatively easy to moderate trails of the Plateau, the La Alba hiking loop is more challenging, but rewards with the iconic sights, sounds and fragrance of pristine coastal sage scrub, one of the most cherished plant communities in California. Everything is in full bloom. Keystone species like black sage, California buckwheat, sagebrush and deerweed are in prolific bloom and attracting pollinators. Nice pockets of wildflowers include Mariposa lily, baby blue eyes, goldfields, and phacelia. It is also a habitat that is popular for birders. Adding to the enjoyment are stunning views of the surrounding Santa Ana Mountains wilderness.

At Figueroa Mountain, it’s "hide and seek" wildflowering in several places where the maturing tall grasses conceal many individual blooms. For those willing to wander, the mountain holds several flowering finds: bouquets of small white Cream cups, scattered purple Wine Cup Clarkia, pink Checker Bloom, and vibrant Dudleya dotting the hillsides. White Globe Gilia mixed and vivid lupine are plentiful.

In areas burned by the Station Fire, annuals are taking advantage of the lower competition for resources. Bright orange poppies and blue-white lupine blanket the hillsides in the burn scar, contrasting with the charred skeletons of oaks and pines and the ash-covered ground. Nature’s resilience is evident as almost every fire-blackened tree and bush has fresh green growth at its base.