Wildflowers 2025 - Part 6

 Last Wednesday 5/14 we took another drive across Figueroa. We drove the loop starting with Happy Canyon Road up to Cachuma Saddle and then out Figueroa Mountain Road to Los Olivos. It was definitely getting late in the wildflower season and things are getting drier. But we still found quite a few different wildflowers.

Goat Rock on the San Rafael Mountains as seen from Happy Canyon Road.

Variable Checkerspot Butterfly

There were lots of Farewell To Spring wildflowers

Farewell To Spring (Clarkia bottae - aka Punchbowl Godetia)

Larkspur (not sure of which species)

Sage and Wild Mustard on the hillside

Purple Sage blooming

 
Seep Monkeyflower

Fairy Lanterns (aka White Globe Lily)

Golden Yarrow

Morning Glories

Yucca blossoms

Mud cracks left when a roadside puddle died up

Bush Monkeyflower on a rocky hillside surrounded by Bush Lupine

A Bush Poppy that may have regrown from the roots of a burned plant.

 

 

Popcorn Flowers and Common Phacelia

 

 

The Channels Islands were visible beyond the Santa Ynez Mountains.

 

 
Short Lobed Phacelia

 

 

Scarlet Bugler Penstemon

 

 
Hurricane Deck and then the Sierra Madre Mountains to the north.

 

Many burned trees were showing strong new growth.

 

 
Mexican Elderberry

 

 
Burned Yuccas putting up blooming stocks

 

Yellow Mariposa Lilies

 

There were LOTS of Chinese Houses this year.

 

 
Catalina Mariposa Lilies

 

A pretty purple Mariposa Lily

 

 
Sacred Datura blossom

 

Hummingbird Sage

 

 
Elegant Clarkia

 

  

Wildflowers 2025 - Part 5

 On Monday May 12th we took a drive along Alisal Road towards Nojoqui Park and found several types of wildflowers including lots of Fairly Lantern flowers.

 

Fairy Lanterns

 

 

Bush Monkeyflower

 

Farewell-to-Spring wildflowers were coming up.

 

 

 

Blue-eyed Grass

 

Indian Paintbrush

 

 

 

Wild Radish

 

 

 

Possibly Tangier pea

 

Purple Vetch

 

Probably Pacific Pea

 

 

Wildflowers 2025 - Part 4

 On Wednesday April 30, we made another trip to check that status of the wildflowers on Figueroa Mountain.

The Farewll-to-Spring wildflowers were starting to come up.

Still lots of Blue Dicks around

Grass Mountain still had a little color

 

There were many Catalina Mariposa Lilies

 

But the grasses were getting tall enough to hide lots of flowers.

 

 
Red Maids

 
Lanceleaf Liveforever  succulents starting to bloom

Crinkled Onion

 

 
Bigelow's Coreopsis

 

 

Pacific Pea

 

 

Lots of Golden Yarrow

 

 

Phacelia Imbricata

 

We really liked this alignment of these trees and clouds.

 

 
Several Western Wallflowers in the usual spot

 

 

Lots of Globe Gilia this trip

 

Also lots of Blue-eyed Grass

 

Variable Linanthus?

 
Indian Paintbrush growing up through a Manzanita bush

 

 
Purple Nightshade

 

 
Short Lobed Phacelia

 

 Scarlet Bugler Penstemon

 

 Popcorn Flower

 

 

 
Chia

 

 
Bush Poppy

 

 
Bush Lupines surrounding a Bush Monkeyflower

 

Lots of Chinese Houses this time