Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

Many visitors to the Carrizo Plain in 2018 were expecting to see the showy displays of wildflowers that earned the area the “Superbloom” designation in 2017…but they came away disappointed. So where did all the wildflowers go?

Spring Wildflowers in Northern Santa Barbara County

2018 has been a surprisingly good year for spring wildflowers. Except for the January deluge and some good March storms, this has been a fairly dry year. In late September, 2017, several spot fires burned along Rucker Rd. just north of Mission Hills near Lompoc, California. In spite of sparse rainfall, there has been encouraging regrowth on trees and shrubs and blooming of wildflowers.

Wildflower Alert

From time to time, our chapter has talked about creating a Wildflower Alert.  Well, there is a healthy display of wildflowers this year along the new ridge trail in the Reservoir Canyon Open Space near San Luis Obispo.  From the parking lot (see map), walk along the...

Carrizo Plain April 1 2017

Carrizo Plain April 1 2017

Images submitted by Nancy Chalk who attended the CNPS-SLO annual field trip to Shell Creek to view the Carrizo Plain wildflowers Images submitted by Steve Schubert who attended the CNPS-SLO annual field trip to Shell Creek to view the Carrizo Plain wildflowers Would...

Carrizo Plain March 23 2017

Carrizo Plain March 23 2017

The baby blue eyes are just emerging. The creek is flowing nicely. I saw a few wild alliums, baby blue eyes, purple owls clover and desert dandelion. I walked the creek as I look for lillies. Those are elusive! Anyway, besides gold fields and tidy tips and fiddlenecks … we are a couple weeks out from peak.

Carrizo Plain April 2006 and more

Carrizo Plain April 2006 and more

Richard Pradenas has shared his images from the Carrizo Plain Many of these images are from April 2006, some from August or October to show contrast of seasons. "I'm fairly certain I have the names of the flowers correct for all but #13 "WildPurpleGila"; if anyone can...

Carrizo Plain Wildflower Report March 12 2017

Carrizo Plain Wildflower Report March 12 2017

HERE’S WHAT’S BLOOMING ON THE CARRIZO PLAIN THIS WEEK Many people have asked when the wildflower season will peak. One guess is in two-four weeks, but we really can't say precisely as each season is different. "Still a little while until the peak, but getting...

Carrizo Plain Wildflower Report March 3, 2017

Carrizo Plain Wildflower Report March 3, 2017

Wildflower Report from the Carrizo Plain March 3, 2017: Right now we are starting to see Goldfields, Fiddleneck, and Filaree (Erodium cicutarium) pop up, but no wildflower color yet.