In these descriptions of the flowers blooming along the trails and roads, plants are generally only listed the first time they are seen along a given trail or road. An exception occurs for trips with significant elevation change. For those trips, the plants are repeated in each elevational section, so that one may see where each one drops out and thus obtain an elevational range, and a sense of the progression of seasons by altitude.
Single plants are listed for reference only and are not included in the Plants Blooming list or Blooms table. Plants that are just beginning to bloom are marked with (b) after the name, and those ending with (e).
For some plants where the common name might be ambiguous, we have given the scientific name in its first occurrence (in time order).
We include in these observations the presence of fruit of plants like toyons and manzanitas that are sometimes more colorful than their blossoms. Dodder is a special case, where we note simply the presence of the plant itself, since the entire plant is a bright orange. We also occasionally record other plants of interest that are not blooming. Such observations are usually given in parentheses.
Note that this page is in reverse chronological order, with the most recent observations given first.
May 21, San Olene Fire Road
- Road to Chantry Flat: Cliff-Aster, masses and masses of Morning Glory, Prickly Phlox, Castor Bean, Deerweed [b], Golden Yarrow, Tree Tobacco, Spanish Broom, Showy Penstemon, Giant-flowered Phacelia, Red Valerian
- San Olene Fire Road: 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, Orange Bush Monkeyflower [b], Cinquefoil, Hedge Mustard, Tower Mustard, Mediterranean Mustard, Baby Blue Eyes, Clarkia, Purple Nightshade, Common Phacelia, California Thistle, Smooth Cat's Ear, Grape Soda Lupine, Vetch, Filago
May 15, Mt. Hillyer ridge from Santa Clara Divide Road
- miner's lettuce (b), wallflower (b), spear-leaved agoseris (mountain dandelion, b), cupleaf ceanothus (b), Parry's manzanita , shrub interior live oak, (flannelbush fat buds), Johnston's monkeyflower, two gilia sp. (very small bluish one and a neon pink one), short popcorn flower, scarlet bugler, canyon oak, pygmy madia, chaparral whitethorn (b), (rock buckwheat buds), happy plant, mountain violet, common linanthus, buck lotus (b), (dusty maiden buds), (pine green-gentian buds), (Johnston's bedstraw buds), San Gabriel Mountains hulsea, b), mountain mahogany (f), Burlew's onion, beautiful mats of Davidson's phacelia, Parish's larkspur, snowplant, blue dicks, bajada lupine (b}, (muilla buds), silvermat lotus (b), (deer brush buds), squawbush, grape soda lupine, granite prickly gilia.
April 26, Eaton Canyon
- Sweet Alyssum, Common Chickweed, Bur Chervil, Popcorn Flower, Windmill Pink, Wild Cucumber, Eupatory, California or Green 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).
April 18, Angeles Crest Highway, La Canada to Red Box
- La Canada to Angeles Crest Station: mustard, popcorn flower, mountain mahogany, filaree
- Angeles Crest Station to CCC Ridge: Indian paintbrush, wild sweet pea, lupine (one), hoaryleaf ceanothus, hairy ceanothus, chaparral whitethorn
- CCC Ridge to Red Box: rock cress, tree poppy, same three ceanothus but blooming better (fuller, more coverage)
Notes:
- Above Ladybug on the way to Red Box, it is still winter drab, NOTHING is blooming, not even the mountain mahogany
- The south facing slopes of Josephine and Strawberry above Switzer's are absolutely covered with hoaryleaf in bloom, looking white like a light snow, I had no idea there was so much there.
- The east facing slope above Slide Canyon is a total mass of blue from hairy ceanothus.
March 26, Sam Merrill Trail, first mile
- beginning: chaparral nightshade, deerweed, golden yarrow, tumble mustard, Mediterranean mustard, wallflower.
- full: sweet alyssum, wild cucumber, Indian paintbrush, California poppy, common groundsel, tree tobacco, coast live oak, redstem filaree.
March 26, Eaton Canyon Wash
- beginning: eupatory, morning glory, chaparral nightshade, Mediterranean mustard, caterpillar phacelia, wild radish.
- full: tansy mustard, silverleaf lotus.
March 25, La Tuna Canyon
- beginning: sugarbush, wishbone bush, orange bush monkeyflower, California poppy, suncups, telegraph weed.
- full: wild cucumber, hoaryleaf ceanothus, sugarbush, fiddlenecks, pineapple weed, coast live oak, hairy ceanothus.
March 24, Ben Overturff Trail / Sawpit Fire Road
- beginning: chickweed, common eucrypta, miner's lettuce, woodland star, chaparral nightshade, wild sweet pea, elderberry, poison oak, sugarbush, Mediterranean mustard, Spanish broom, wild Canterbury bells.
- full: wild cucumber, chaparral whitethorn, hoaryleaf ceanothus, Indian paintbrush, beggar-ticks, real ticks, tower mustard, coast live oak, baby blue eyes, hairy ceanothus, redstem filaree, bigleaf maple (with new crimson leaves, very beautiful).
March 20, Angeles Crest Highway
- [all well below 4000'] hoaryleaf ceanothus [below 2000'], big leaf maple, tree poppy, redstem filaree [higher elevations, in seed at lower], tumble mustard, chickweed, white forget-me-not aka popcorn flower, silk tassel bush, arroyo willow.
March 1, Big Tujunga Canyon to Angeles Forest Highway to Angeles Crest Highway
- redstem filaree was the only plant blooming!
February 20, Marshall Canyon, Equestrian Center to ridge next to Cobal Canyon
- chickweed, (poison oak buds), mustard (b), miner's lettuce (b), wild cucumber (b), fiddleneck? (b), redstem filaree (b, but with some seeds as well), arroyo willow catkins, mule fat (e), (wild peony - fat buds), (redberry buds), pineapple weed, morning glory (b), wild radish (b), toyon (last few berries), horehound (b), purple nightshade (b), (hillside gooseberry seeds), common groundsel, sow thistle (b), two-tone everlasting (b), yellow lotus (b), henbit (b), windmill pink? (b, with white flower), yellow sweet clover (b), white nightshade (b, despite its purple flower!), field mustard (b), sunflower, castor bean (flowers and seeds), toyon (green berries).
February 11, Eaton Canyon
- (coffee fern, bird's foot fern, goldback fern, spikemoss), 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.
January 29, Cobb Estate
- (poison oak leafing out), two-tone everlasting, felt-leaf everlasting, telegraph weed, Mediterranean mustard, alyssum, London rocket (Sisymbrium irio), oriental mustard (Sisymbrium orientale), wild cucumber, California croton, red-stem filaree, white nightshade, tree tobacco.
January 23, Moist Canyon [Eaton Canyon]
- (poison oak leafing out), mule fat, two-tone everlasting, California everlasting, felt-leaf everlasting, telegraph weed, cliff-aster, tansy mustard (Descurainia pinnata), Mediterranean mustard, alyssum, chickweed, dodder, castor bean, deerweed (b), red-stem filaree, golden currant, white nightshade, tree tobacco, California bush sunflower.
January 17, Lower Brown Mountain Fire Road (2N65), Millard Campground Parking Lot to Jct. with Upper Brown Mountain Fire Road (2N66)
- (spikemoss greening up), sugarbush (buds), periwinkle, eupatory (buds), mule fat, two-tone everlasting, felt-leaf everlasting, telegraph weed, cliff-aster, twiggy wreath plant (e), shepard's purse, Mediterranean mustard, chickweed, lamb's quarters, wild cucumber (b), castor bean, Euphorbia characias (b), deerweed (b), Spanish broom (b), red-stem filaree, chaparral currant, California bay, Bermuda buttercup (b), California buckwheat, two varieties, the normal with the tightly rolled pointed leaves(e) and one with no little stems coming off the main stem for the flower heads and flatter, grayer, spoon-shaped leaves(e), hoaryleaf ceanothus, tree tobacco, white nightshade, dodder.
January 9, Mt. Wilson Toll Road and Eaton Canyon
- Mt. Wilson Toll Road from Pinecrest Gate to Horse Trail: sugar bush (buds), beggar-ticks (e), two-tone everlasting (Gnaphalium bicolor), felt-leaf everlasting (G. canescens var. microcephalum) (e), cliff-aster, popcorn flower (b), black mustard (b), Mediterranean mustard (e), alyssum, dodder, rattlesnake weed, castor bean, deerweed, Spanish broom (b), rose clover (b), red-stem filaree (b), California evening primrose (Camissonia californica)(b), long-stemmed buckwheat (e), California buckwheat (e), toyon (berries), tree tobacco, white nightshade.
- Horse Trail: wild morning glory.
- Eaton Canyon Service Road from Horse Trail to Mt. Wilson Toll Road: mule fat, golden aster (Heterotheca sessiliflora ssp. echioides) (e), twiggy wreath plant, wild cucumber, California croton, collar lupine (Lupinus truncatus), coffeeberry.
Observations July-December 2000
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Copyright © 2001 by Jane Strong and Tom Chester.
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Comments and feedback: Jane Strong | Tom Chester
Updated 22 May 2001.