As the weather shifted and different areas around Southern California was reaching peak wildflower blooms, I had to use my time wisely and decide where I wanted to go and what sort of experience I was expecting. After the crowds of Chino Hills State Park and Diamond Valley Lake, I knew I would not survive the crowds of Antelope Valley Reserve. I decided that I would avoid areas that was popular and crowded and it was mandatory to experience a hike surrounded by wildflowers.

This left Carrizo Plain National Monument off the list. I felt fairly satisfied with my visit back in 2017. The current conditions included flooded or muddy roads so I decided that it was not worth the risk or the worry. And, strangely enough, they don’t really have very many hiking trails.

On April 1, our local hike was at the Purple Sage Trail at the Puente Hills Reserve. While the purple sage was not quite in bloom, the lupines were putting on quite a display. This suburban-urban hike is a quick local trip but I had forgotten something that was persistent in all the local area blooms: invasive mustard. Here, the mustard had grown taller than a person and grew into something fence-like, at the edges, and blocking views of the native preserved areas. From afar, you can see masses of lupine. At one spot, I came close to a hill and just pointed my camera upward. It would have been a great day for a drone. It felt good to see that our local area experienced a good bloom.

We headed to the desert on April 7, to Desert Hot Springs. We drove on the scenic route highway 62 and turned right on Indian Canyon Drive and captured the mountain and desert bloom view. There have been previous blooms when we drove past this area in years past and never stopped as we were in a hurry to get to Joshua Tree National Park. This time, armed with knowledge, we hiked at Mission Creek Reserve.

We had hiked Mission Creek in December as a scouting and hike experience. We enjoyed this place so much, I was itching to see how it looked with a wildflower bloom. The drive to the parking lot was filled with beautiful blooms. Walking on the trail, we passed by several different microclimates, fields of fiddlenecks in other areas. Throughout, there were clusters of goldfields, blue dicks, and chicory flowers. This reserve is also considered part of the Sand to Snow National Monument and yes, there is yet another snowcapped picture with wildflowers and a lovely stream as you walk along the trail. We were there in the afternoon and evening and witnessed a lot of bird activity with their chirps and songs.

As I am planning these trips, I use a calendar and between my work and my husband’s work schedule, I am guess which days would be good peak wildflower times for certain areas. This is based on previous visits and using Facebook wildflower group suggestions. Keeping in mind that with all the rain we had, everything was delayed by a couple of weeks. If there is ever a weekend where it is best to visit wildflowers, mid-April is always a guarantee.

I had already signed up for a hike in early April for April 15 through the Tejon Ranch Conservancy. I had heard about Tejon Ranch through previous drives and saw their signs and a news program several years back about the ranch conserving much of their area as natural habitat. I looked up their information but was confused by it all until I came across a social media post about hikes being offered. Because the land is private, the area can only be accessed through their escorts and there is an entry fee of $20 per person for the tour. It was considered a tour but it was really a relaxed visit with some information tossed in.

We were given permission and the opportunity to hike up a hill and visit the same spot from behind. Fields of California poppies appeared in one area and then disappeared, replaced with fields of goldfields. When we reached the top, the entire area became desert-like and it was like a line was drawn where the poppies would stop and the Mojave Desert would begin. Seeing this in person was such a fascinating lesson in our landscapes and deserts. As if experiencing all these blooms throughout California wasn’t impressive enough, this location was a true wonderment of our rich diverse habitats.

During previous visits to the Antelope Valley Poppy Fields Reserve, I will be honest and say it is a good visit but never one that I felt much fondness for. The hike is always windy and out in the open with the sun beating down on you, and while a field of dense poppies is impressive, it also felt a little “one-note” to me. At the Tejon Ranch Conservancy area in Antelope Valley, I finally understood the true beauty of this area. There were fields of poppies and phacelia, chicory and dandelions. Even this scene of this hill was reminiscent of something from Carizzo Plain NM. The guide said that it changes every year and sometimes its one side one flower, the other side another flower, but this year, it seemed to have mixed and the color was intense due to all the rain.

At the last two weeks of April, the weather heated up to above 90, far too hot for a hike and one that I did not want to risk in the desert. For a local suburban hike, we went towards the coast to Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach on April 29, and saw the lagoon being more full than I could ever recall in my lifetime. We also saw some remnants of what the area used to be with a few flowering areas.

I had signed up for a free lecture on the “superbloom” at the California Botanic Garden in Claremont (future blog on this lecture to follow) and walked around the grounds. Not to be overlooked, this native plant garden was having a spectacular moment. Their lupine area usually stood about 2-3 feet but because of the rain, they were about 3-4 feet this year with near perfect bloom. The lower level desert area also had wonderful popcorn flowers filling in the dirt ground throughout the garden.

When the heat came, I started to feel a bit of sadness that the superbloom was fading and due to the above 90 degree temperatures, it was happening all too fast. The blooms in Claremont was refreshing, like a recap of all the flowers I had seen during the past couple of months and a good reminder that it was not all completely over yet. So yes, I have two more visits schedule in May at higher elevations and another blog post will follow.