On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
For years, I follow the weather and relevant websites concerning the predictions and progress of the Spring wildflower bloom in California. One of the better sites.
This year was spectacular due to the historic rainfall, but it is likely that the next year may be even better based on an historic El Nino that is coming. In particular, Death Valley may get an historic superbloom based on the devastating Fall rains that closed the park for a month. Death Valley was not good this year as it is triggered by its own cycle, and the key is some Fall rain. Well, we had epic Fall rains this year.
One of my favorite destinations is the Carrizo Plains in the inland coastal mountain ranges. Its in an obscure location not near anything. The first few pictures are just a taste of what I saw.
Owl’s Clover (actually a kind of paintbrush) and goldfields.
Not too far from the Carrizo Plains is another favorite destination — Figueroa Mountain in the San Rafael range, which is inland Santa Barbara County. There is a spectacular drive that starts in Los Olivos, Figueroa Mountain Road, and loops through the range and comes back out on Happy Canyon Road/Armour Ranch Road and back to the 154 near Santa Ynez. It has tremendous diversity along the route as it transitions numerous plant zones, as well as some of the best outcrops of serpentinite in the State.
I have a spot that I always visit for the unique blend of lupine and California poppy that grow together in spectacular fashion.
I also was in the Sierras a lot this year, and the bloom was spectacular there also. One of my favorite blooms is the Alpine Columbine, which was more prolific than ever and just spectacular. They are pure white, but they also hybridize with regular red columbine, and develop pink and salmon tones.
Ending with another image from Carrizo Plains. This is not my image, although I saw a lot of these. These are Desert Candles. Very unique, and also found in the Mojave Desert.
Baud
I’ll never get tired of pictures of California.
sab
@Baud: Pictures are great, because it is impossibly expensive to actually live there.
When I did live there I was a tax accountant, so I never did get to see springtime poppies in bloom. By the time tax season was over we were in the nine month long dry season. Everything frizzled up.
Ohio may be dull but at least we have rain and green things growing nine months of the year.
OzarkHillbilly
Beautiful. Thanx dmbeaster
AJ of the Mustard Search and Rescue Team
WGdmbeaster these are amazing, wow! Thank you for sharing.Nelle
My traveling days are in the wane. (I’ve traveled more than most and used more than my share of carbon miles.) So I travel by books and photos such as this. These are just gorgeous. Your spirits must have soared
RedDirtGirl
That first picture looks like a painting! How gorgeous!
AJ of the Mustard Search and Rescue Team
@AJ of the Mustard Search and Rescue Team: Whoops, dmbeaster, thank you for sharing!
Betty
Nature the artist! Gorgeous.
Winter Wren
Spectacular – thanks for sharing!
Mai Naem mobile
Beautiful pics.
Trivia Man
Amazing. Has the Influencer plague discovered these yet? Local cities and counties should look into laws now – maybe “when a Bloom Event is declared, no vehicles may park on the roadside except for medical or mechanical emergency.”
I know some New England towns did that for leaf season this year.
HeartlandLiberal
Wow! Just wow! Thanks for posting these beautiful pictures, and for the very clear and informative text that accompany them. Did I say: WOW!
AM in NC
What a thing to wake up to – thank you so much for sharing these! Absolutely spectacular. What a marvel!
Quinerly
These are gorgeous. Thanks for posting with the details.
I’m working on a 2.5 week trip out to CA and NV middle to end of March. Hoping for some blooms in and around Death Valley. Been reading that it is highly possible. Hope my timing will be right. Have a great day!
Mike in Oly
Absolutely spectacular! Thanks so much for sharing.
Albatrossity
An epic wildflower bloom on the Carrizo Plains is truly the experience of a lifetime! Thanks for these images; it must have been amazing to see in person.
Jess
I drove through that area many years ago during a superbloom and was blown away. However, it’s important to bring along heavy-duty windshield cleaning supplies; you’ll need to scrape off masses of butterfly corpses every few miles.
As for Figueroa Mt. Drive, I lived there for two years! (And later, so did Michael Jackson.) I went to Midland School for my last two years of high school. Such a great place. 3k acres backing on National Forest, and a herd of horses so we could go riding up in the hills. We (the students) lived in primitive cabins, chopped wood for shower fires, and did all the basic maintenance and service work. These days the school is seriously into organic farming and produce most of their own food.
Anyway
Wow, these are amazing! thanks so much for sharing.
Chacal Charles Calthrop
@Trivia Man: certain locations in California are starting to do just that: https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article272265818.html
Almost Retired
These are fabulous! We did the same trip, and filled up my phone with photos, but yours are far more vivid. Great thing about Carizzo Plains is that it’s far enough away from Los Angeles that it doesn’t get the Instagram crowds trampling the wild flowers with their selfie-sticks. Like at the Poppy Reserve in Lancaster. Hope we get another super boom this year.
pieceofpeace
Splendid! Thanks for sharing.
mvr
Those are some amazing photos! In a way the vast landscape shots are most impressive just because of the scale and also extra complexity. But they’re all great.
And I do love those California poppies in the wild.
Thanks.
Manyakitty
Gorgeous, life affirming images. Thank you!
UncleEbeneezer
Wow! Stunning pics.
StringOnAStick
I love seeing fields of CA poppies and associated wildflowers, thank you!
One of my first vivid memories is picking mushrooms among the blooming poppies near Coalinga, CA. The intensity of the colors! Now I know that it was pretty risky since my parents didn’t know squat about mushrooms and what we were picking has some deadly analogues.
I have CA poppies in our native landscaping front yard; I know they reseed aggressively and can be a pest but I love the colours and just pull up the excess seedlings. They come in a whole range of colours now though the traditional orange is the most robust.
stinger
How amazingly beautiful! Thanks!
way2blue
Lupin & poppies are California spring for me. Thank you dmbeaster for the stunning photos of Carrizo’s super bloom. . El Nino, please do come back this year… We need the water.
BeautifulPlumage
Wow, just beautiful! and it looks like you timed it really well. Dead thread, but wondering how long these bloom periods tend to last?
Dan B
@way2blue: If Seattle and Portland to Bannon, Oregon are any indication El Nino seems to be here. It pounded rain all night and is heading to 57°+ which may melt much of the snowpack. We’ve got more Atmospheric River on the way today. Not sure if any rain will make it to Southern California but there are several months to go.
Dmbeaster
@Quinerly: Contact me. I love taking people on bloom tours, plus I have been to Death Valley 20+ times and love repeat visits.
The link in the post is great for monitoring the bloom
Dmbeaster
@StringOnAStick: My favorite poppy is the coastal version, which is both vibrant orange with some yellow. Here is a link.
https://bluemoonnative.com/cdn/shop/products/Coast_poppy_copy_900x.jpg?v=1608348876
I love wildflowers.
Dmbeaster
@BeautifulPlumage: They come and go quickly. But the timing varies depending on location and altitude. Death Valley may be in Super bloom in February or March, but Sierran wildflowers from June to August.