We stopped updating this page in May 2001
In this page, usually at the end of each month, we summarize all our observations to produce our best estimates of which plants are blooming currently.
Also see:
- Observations of Plants Blooming With Locations for the very latest observations, since we try to update that page immediately after each SGM hike, and
- Most Common Plants Blooming in the San Gabriel Mountains for the blooms you are most likely to see along a trail now.
Latest observations: May 15, Mt. Hillyer ridge from Santa Clara Divide Road; May 21, San Olene Fire Road
Plants in bloom in May:
- Beginning: Deerweed, Orange Bush Monkeyflower, very small miner's lettuce, wallflower, spear-leaved agoseris (mountain dandelion), cupleaf ceanothus, (flannelbush fat buds), chaparral whitethorn, (rock buckwheat buds), buck lotus, (dusty maiden buds), (pine green-gentian buds), (Johnston's bedstraw buds), San Gabriel Mountains hulsea, bajada lupine, (muilla buds), silvermat lotus, (deer brush buds),
- Full: Cliff-Aster, masses and masses of Morning Glory, Prickly Phlox, Castor Bean, Golden Yarrow, Tree Tobacco, Spanish Broom, Showy Penstemon, Giant-flowered Phacelia, Red Valerian, Common Chickweed, Popcorn Flower, Windmill Pink, Woodland Star, Narrow-leaved Bedstraw, California Blackberry, California Everlasting, Felt-leaf Everlasting, White Nightshade, Imbricate Phacelia, Wild Sweet Pea [huge blooms this year], Purple Rockrose, Indian Pink, Paintbrush, Cinquefoil, Hedge Mustard, Tower Mustard, Mediterranean Mustard, Baby Blue Eyes, Clarkia, Purple Nightshade, Common Phacelia, California Thistle, Smooth Cat's Ear, Vetch, Filago, Parry's manzanita, shrub interior live oak, Johnston's monkeyflower, two gilia sp. (very small bluish one and a neon pink one), short popcorn flower, scarlet bugler, canyon oak, pygmy madia, happy plant, mountain violet, common linanthus, mountain mahogany, Burlew's onion, beautiful mats of Davidson's phacelia, Parish's larkspur, snowplant, blue dicks, squawbush, grape soda lupine, granite prickly gilia
April observations: April 18, Angeles Crest Highway, La Canada to Red Box; April 26, Eaton Canyon
Plants in bloom in April:
- Full: Sweet Alyssum, Common Chickweed, Bur Chervil, Popcorn Flower, Windmill Pink, Wild Cucumber, Eupatory, California Everlasting, Horehound, Morning Glory, White Nightshade, Wild Sweet Pea, White Sage, Yucca, Elderberry, Mule Fat, Black Locust, Wishbone Bush, Scarlet Bugler, California Poppy, Dodder, Orange Bush Monkeyflower, Bermuda Buttercup, Beggar-ticks, Deerweed, Golden Yarrow (large patches on dry gravel benches, best display, mixed with mustard, lupines and chia), mustards and sisymbriums, Silverleaf Lotus, Strigose Lotus, another one with an even smaller single flower, Sun Cup (at least three varieties, bistorta, micrantha, and californica, possibly cheiranthifolius), California Bush Sunflower (revitalized after latest rain), Spanish Broom, Tree Tobacco, Arroyo Willow, Coffeeberry, Hollyleaf Redberry, Blue-eyed Grass, Chia, Blue Dicks, Wild Canterbury Bells, Redstem Filaree (plus another species), Lupine (stinging, collar or truncate and Coulter's), Foothill Penstemon, Caterpillar Phacelia, Common Phacelia, Black Sage, Yerba Santa, Water Speedwell, Rose Clover, smooth cat's ear (lots), white-flowered phacelia (Phacelia longipes), mustard, popcorn flower, mountain mahogany, Indian paintbrush, hoaryleaf ceanothus, hairy ceanothus, chaparral whitethorn, rock cress, tree poppy
March observations: March 1, Big Tujunga Canyon to Angeles Forest Highway to Angeles Crest Highway; March 20, Angeles Crest Highway; March 24, Ben Overturff Trail / Sawpit Fire Road; March 25, La Tuna Canyon; March 26, Eaton Canyon Wash; March 26, Sam Merrill Trail, first mile
Plants in bloom in March:
- Beginning: common eucrypta, miner's lettuce, woodland star, chaparral nightshade, wild sweet pea, elderberry, poison oak, sugarbush, Mediterranean mustard, Spanish broom, wild Canterbury bells, wishbone bush, orange bush monkeyflower, California poppy, suncups, telegraph weed, eupatory, morning glory, chaparral nightshade, caterpillar phacelia, wild radish, deerweed, golden yarrow, wallflower
- Full: redstem filaree, tumble mustard, chickweed, white forget-me-not aka popcorn flower, silk tassel bush, arroyo willow, hoaryleaf ceanothus, big leaf maple, tree poppy, wild cucumber, chaparral whitethorn, Indian paintbrush, beggar-ticks, tower mustard, coast live oak, baby blue eyes, hairy ceanothus, fiddlenecks, pineapple weed, tansy mustard, silverleaf lotus, sweet alyssum, common groundsel, tree tobacco
February observations: February 11, Eaton Canyon; February 20, Marshall Canyon, Equestrian Center to ridge next to Cobal Canyon
Plants in bloom in February:
- Beginning: field mustard, yellow sweet clover, windmill pink, henbit, yellow lotus, two-toned everlasting, sow thistle, purple nightshade, horehound, wild radish, morning glory, fiddleneck, miner's lettuce
- Full: mule fat, felt-leaf everlasting, western bitter-cress, wallflower, Mediterranean mustard, alyssum, London rocket, oriental mustard, wild cucumber, dodder, California croton, castor bean, deerweed, golden currant, red-stem filaree, California buckwheat, white nightshade, tree tobacco, castor bean (flowers and seeds), chickweed, common groundsel, pineapple weed, arroyo willow
- Fruit: toyon (green and red berries)
January observations: January 9, Mt. Wilson Toll Road, Horse Trail and Eaton Canyon Service Road
Plants in bloom in January:
Note that telegraph weed, tree tobacco and at least one of the species of sunflowers can be found in bloom nearly year-round.
- Beginning: sugarbush (buds), collar lupine (Lupinus truncatus), wild morning glory, California evening primrose (Camissonia californica), rose clover, Spanish broom, black mustard, popcorn flower
- Full: mule fat, cliff aster, twiggy wreath plant, white nightshade, coffeeberry, California croton, wild cucumber, red-stem filaree, alyssum, dodder, rattlesnake weed, castor bean, deerweed, felt-leaf everlasting, two-tone everlasting
- Ending: California buckwheat, long-stemmed buckwheat, goldenaster (Heterotheca sessiliflora ssp. echioides), beggar-ticks, Mediterranean mustard
- Fruit: toyon (red berries)
For date and location of the observations, see Observations of Plants Blooming With Locations. More descriptions of blooming plants, along with many other natural observations, can sometimes be found in Jane Strong's Seasons of the San Gabriels and San Gabriel Mountains Leaf Log.
To identify an unknown plant, use the 2001, 2000 or 1999 Bloom Identification Guide, each giving a month-by-month record of when plants bloomed in the SGM.
Plant List for San Gabriel Mountains Bloom Identification Pages: Sort by Common Name or Latin Name
For general places to look for wildflowers, see Jane Strong's Wildflower Locations in the San Gabriel Mountains.
An analysis of the Number of Plants Blooming By Month In 1999.
Plants blooming now outside the SGM
Plants Blooming In The San Gabriel Mountains - 1997 and 1998 Observations
Go to:
Copyright © 1997-2003 by Tom Chester and Jane Strong.
Permission is freely granted to reproduce any or all of this page as long as credit is given to us at this source:
http://tchester.org/sgm/conditions/blooms/blooms.html
Comments and feedback: Tom Chester | Jane Strong
Updated 10 March 2003.