Note that the observations on this page are in time-reversed order, unlike all the other pages
October observations: November 4, Vernal Pool Trail, Ranch Road, Trans Preserve Trail; October 21, Sylvan Meadows Ranch Road to trail heading northwest out of SRP; October 14, Coyote Trail, Trans Preserve Trail, Ranch Road, Oak Tree Trail, Nighthawk Loop Trail. See Observations With Locations for the locations of each identification.
Plants in bloom:
The bloom is dwindling, as the autumn flowers are finishing, with very few blooms likely to begin for several months.
- Beginning: (nothing).
- Full: mustard, slender buckwheat, toyon (red berries), knotweed, goldenrod, horseweed, Palmer's goldenbush, California fuchsia, Russian thistle
- Ending: sticky tarweed, California aster, telegraph weed, rattlesnake weed, poison oak (red leaves, white berries), squaw bush (red leaves), California sagebrush.
- Ended: everlasting.
Note missing summaries between June 30 and November 4 - see Observations With Locations for the individual observations.
June 30 observations: Vernal Pool Trail, Punta Mesa Trail, Monument Road, Trans Preserve Trail.
Plants in bloom:
Peak bloom on the Plateau occurred in mid-April and at the main Vernal Pool in late May. There are still blooms to be seen, but the grasses are tall with seed and most species are no longer blooming. It was not an outstanding year, but it was still quite nice at its peak.
The main Vernal Pool dried up in early May, but it and the smaller pool next to the trailhead still have a ring of gold from slender tarweed around them.- Beginning: dove weed, everlasting (dried flowers), milkweed (buds), poison oak (red leaves).
- Full: California buckwheat, canchalagua, curly dock, fringed Indian pink, laurel sumac, lotus, yellow mariposa lily, milk thistle, mustard, foothill penstemon, San Diego button celery, scarlet bugler, slender tarweed, toyon, Turkish rugging.
- Ending: chamise, deerweed, filaree, honeysuckle, bush monkeyflower, California poppy, winecup clarkia, fleabane aster, rattlesnake weed, white sage, soap plant.
- Ended: brass buttons, Jolon brodiaea, cinquefoil, downingia, golden yarrow, blue larkspur, splendid mariposa lily, lupine sp., morning glory, scarlet pimpernel, plantain, prickly pear, black sage, tall and short popcorn flowers, caterpillar phacelia, mule fat, wild sweet pea.
May 26 observations: Vernal Pool Trail, Ranch Road, part of Los Santos Trail, Trans Preserve Trail.
Plants in bloom:
Peak bloom on the Plateau occurred in mid-April, but peak bloom at the main Vernal Pool is occurring now, in late May. On the Plateau, although there are still many blooms to be seen, the grasses are tall with seed and a number of species are no longer blooming. It was not an outstanding year, but it was and is still quite nice. But you have to hike to see the many blooms that exist, unlike two years ago when you could see the many patches of color from a car!
The main Vernal Pool dried up in early May, and it now has stunning carpets of downingia throughout it, perfuming the air with a lovely fragrance. Slender tarwwed adds patches of gold in different spots.- Beginning: common and narrow-leaved bedstraw, California figwort, chamise, elderberry, southern honeysuckle, foothill penstemon, soap plant (buds), stinking gourd (calabazilla).
- Full: longstem buckwheat, brass buttons, Jolon brodiaea, winecup clarkia, cinquefoil, Spanish clover, curly dock, deerweed, downingia, dudleya, everlasting sp., fleabane aster (leafy daisy), cut-leaved (common) geranium, golden yarrow, blue larkspur, splendid mariposa lily, lupine sp., bush monkeyflower, morning glory, mustard sp., scarlet pimpernel, plantain, prickly pear, black sage, telegraph weed, bull thistle, elk thistle, sow thistle, western vervain, windmill pink, slender tarweed.
- Ending: tall and short popcorn flowers, filaree (two kinds, E. circutarium and E. brachycarpum), caterpillar phacelia, mule fat, wild sweet pea.
- Ended: baby blue eyes, shinyleaf barberry, blue dicks, blue-eyed grass, buttercup sp., California poppy, hairy ceanothus, hoaryleaf ceanothus, dove lupine, checker bloom, goldfield, ground pink, johnny-jump-up, lace parsnip, locoweed, common lomatium, miner's lettuce, muilla, owl's clover, poison oak, purple nightshade, purple sanicle, rattlesnake weed, red maids, sharp-toothed sanicle, vetch.
- Probably ended (not observed recently): bur clover, Canterbury bells, fiddleneck, white forget-me-not, milkmaids, oxalis (the common kind, not Bermuda buttercup), shepherd's purse, squaw bush.
May 4 observations (May 4 is archived separately due to the many changes within the month of May): Vernal Pool Trail, Punta Mesa Trail, Monument Road, Trans Preserve Trail
Plants in bloom:
Peak bloom on the Plateau occurred in mid-April. Although there are still many blooms to be seen, the grasses are tall with seed and a number of species are no longer blooming. It was not an outstanding year, but it was and is still quite nice.
The almost-gone main Vernal Pool has carpets of short popcorn flowers and downingia at its margins, perfuming the air. Peak bloom for the Pool may still be in the future.
Some of the full blooms listed below, ones we haven't seen on our last trip, may in fact be ending, such as manzanita.- Beginning: cinquefoil, mariposa lily, golden yarrow.
- Full: baby blue eyes, shinyleaf barberry, hairy ceanothus, blue dicks, blue-eyed grass, brodiaea, bur clover, longstem buckwheat, buttercup sp., California poppy, Canterbury bells, checker bloom, deerweed, downingia, everlasting sp., fiddleneck, filaree (two kinds, E. circutarium and E. brachycarpum), white forget-me-not, goldfield, ground pink, johnny-jump-up, common lomatium, lupine sp., manzanita, milkmaids, Mission manzanita, bush monkeyflower, morning glory, mule fat, mustard sp., scrub oak, owl's clover, oxalis (the common kind, not Bermuda buttercup), caterpillar phacelia, poison oak, tall and short popcorn flowers, purple nightshade, purple sanicle, rattlesnake weed, red maids, sharp-toothed sanicle, shepherd's purse, elk thistle, sow thistle, squaw bush, vetch, wild sweet pea, telegraph weed, arroyo willow.
- Ending: hoaryleaf ceanothus, locoweed, lace parsnip, miner's lettuce, muilla.
- Ended: wild cucumber, chocolate lily, shooting star.
April observations: April 19, Vernal Pool Trail, Trans Preserve Trail; April 14, Vernal Pool Trail, Ranch Road, Trans Preserve Trail; April 2, Vernal Pool Trail, Trans Preserve Trail, Los Santos Trail, Waterline Road, Monument Hill Road, Vista Grande Trail.
Plants in bloom:
The bloom may be peaking, with many plants hurrying to set seed before they run out of water. Although it is not turning out to be an outstanding year, it is still quite nice.
- Beginning: owl's clover.
- Full: baby blue eyes, shinyleaf barberry, blue dicks, blue-eyed grass, brodiaea, bur clover, longstem buckwheat, buttercup sp., California poppy, hoaryleaf ceanothus, checker bloom, deerweed, everlasting sp., fiddleneck, filaree (two kinds, E. circutarium and E. brachycarpum), white forget-me-not, goldfield, ground pink, johnny-jump-up, common lomatium, lace parsnip, locoweed, lupine sp., manzanita, milkmaids, Mission manzanita, miner's lettuce, bush monkeyflower, morning glory, mule fat, mustard sp., scrub oak, oxalis (the common kind, not Bermuda buttercup), tall and short popcorn flowers, purple nightshade, purple sanicle, rattlesnake weed, red maids, sharp-toothed sanicle, shepherd's purse, elk thistle, sow thistle, squaw bush, wild sweet pea, telegraph weed, arroyo willow.
- Ending: wild cucumber, chocolate lily, muilla, shooting star.
March observations: March 2, Vernal Pool Trail, Trans Preserve Trail, Coyote Trail, Los Santos Trail; March 9: Vernal Pool Trail, Punta Mesa Trail, Adobe Loop Trail, Trans Preserve Trail; March 19: Vernal Pool Trail, Multiuse Trail north from Visitor Center; March 23: Vernal Pool Trail, portion of Trans Preserve Trail.
Plants in bloom:
- Beginning: lace parsnip, California poppy, everlasting sp., lupine sp., mustard sp., longstem buckwheat; johnny-jump-up, goldfield, hoaryleaf ceanothus, manzanita, Mission manzanita, purple nightshade, locoweed, muilla.
- Full: white-flowered currant, wild cucumber
- Ending:
February observations: February 25, Vernal Pool Trail,
Plants in bloom:
- Beginning:
- Full: none noted on this short hike
January observations: 27 January, Vernal Pool Trail, Punta Mesa Trail, Monument Road, Trans Preserve Trail
Plants in bloom:
- Beginning: white-flowered currant, wild cucumber
- Full: longstem buckwheat, pink manzanita (by Ranch House), mule fat
- Ending: cudweed aster
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Copyright © 2000-2003 by Tom Chester and Jane Strong.
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Comments and feedback: Tom Chester | Jane Strong
Updated 27 January 2003.