In these descriptions of the flowers blooming along the trails and roads, usually only the first encounter of a flower is listed, except for exceptional displays or if plants in different areas are in much different stages of bloom. If a bloom is beginning or ending it is designated with (b) or (e) after the name. Transitional cases are noted as (b-f), for beginning to full, for example.
For a narrative of general conditions at the Plateau, and other observations from these hikes, see Observations of Flowering Plants and the Main Vernal Pools on the Mesa de Colorado in 2000 - 2001.
Note the changed order. This page is now chronological, instead of reverse chronological, to match the format of the general observations page.
2001 January 7
2001 January 28
2001 February 14
2001 February 16
2001 February 18
2001 February 21
2001 February 23
2001 February 26
2001 March 1
2001 March 3
2001 March 5
2001 March 9
2001 March 11
2001 March 13
2001 March 16
2001 March 18
2001 March 20
2001 March 23
2001 March 27
2001 March 30
Later Observations
January 7 12:43 to 5:05 pm, conditions partly sunny and pleasant.
- Vernal Pool Trail, Trailhead to Ranch Road: mustard, wild cucumber (a few plants in full bloom, but few even present elsewhere), white-flowering currant (b, very first bloom just opening).
- Punta Mesa Trail, Ranch Road to Monument Road: (tiny buds on hoaryleaf ceanothus), bush lupine (b, a single patch in the middle of the Trail, nowhere else on this trip), everlasting (dried flowers), California poppy (the third flower this season on a single bush), mule fat.
- Monument Road, Punta Mesa Trail to Ranch Road: creeping woodsorrel (a few isolated plants), everlasting (many plants in full bloom), lotus (buds).
- Trans Preserve Trail, from Monument Hill spur to Vernal Pool Trail: a single twiggy wreath plant at Poppy Hill (e?).
January 28 ~2 - 2:30 pm, conditions cool and overcast.
- Vernal Pool Trail, Trailhead to edge of the Mesa de Colorado just beyond the Main Pool: mustard, wild cucumber (a few plants in full bloom at the edge, but few even present elsewhere). There were many more shooting stars leaves emerging than I have seen before, but we'll see how many of them make it to blooms.
February 14 3:00 - 4:30 pm, conditions cool and overcast.
Hoaryleaf ceanothus beginning to bloom along Clinton Keith.
- Vernal Pool Trail, Trailhead to edge of the Mesa de Colorado just beyond the Main Pool: a few mustards (b), a few redstem filaree (b), three stems from a single plant of wand buckwheat (e. elongatum) with small red flowers, (poison oak just beginning to leaf out), (no blooms showing at all on the same wild cucumber that was blooming last time!).
February 16 2:00 - 5:30 pm, conditions sunny and pleasant.
- Vernal Pool Trail, Trailhead to Ranch Road: a few mustards (b), a few lomatiums (b), three stems from a single plant of wand buckwheat (e. elongatum) with small red flowers, a single California poppy bloom (b), (poison oak just beginning to leaf out), (no blooms showing at all on the same wild cucumber that was blooming 1/28!), toyon berries, white-flowering currant (b), a single California buttercup blooming in a drainage (b).
- Ranch Road to Adobes: (no buds on Hairy Ceanothus; only a few buds on the manzanita at the Adobes).
- Ranch Road, Adobes to Los Santos Trail North: (no new blooms).
- Los Santos Trail, Hidden Valley Road to north end: a single checkerbloom! (b), morning glory (b), a single gray narrrowleaf everlasting (buds, blooms and new dried flowers all on one stalk), wishbone bush (buds).
- Hidden Valley Road, north end of Los Santos to middle junction of Los Santos: (no new blooms).
- Los Santos Trail, Hidden Valley Road to south end: wild cucumber (b), wild sorrel (b), redstem filaree (b), (no milkmaids).
February 18 3:40 - 6:00 pm, conditions partly cloudy and cool.
- Vernal Pool Trail, Trailhead to Ranch Road: a few mustards (b), a few lomatiums (b), three stems from a single plant of wand buckwheat (e. elongatum) with small red flowers, a few yellow sanicles (b), a single plant of California poppy, a different one from two days ago (b), wild cucumber (b), white-flowering currant (b). (I was hiking rapidly, and watching the mud on the trail, so probably just missed the toyon berries and buttercup today.)
- Ranch Road, Adobe Loop Trail: arroyo willow catkins, California everlasting (buds).
- Ranch Road, Trans Preserve Trail: (no new blooms).
February 21
- Vernal Pool Trail, Trailhead to Ranch Road: mustard (b), lomatium (b), three stems from a single plant of wand buckwheat (e. elongatum) with small red flowers, California poppy (b), wild cucumber (b), white-flowering currant (b), California buttercup (b).
- Lomas Trail, Ranch Road to Monument Hill Road: arroyo willow catkins, (toyon berries all gone), gray everlasting with a linear leaf (buds, blooms, and dried).
- Monument Hill Road, Lomas Trail to Trans Preserve Trail: a single johnny-jump-up with one bloom on the road.
- Trans Preserve Trail, Monument Hill Road to Vernal Pool Trail: California buttercup (b), bush lupine (b), locoweed (b), (chocolate lilies are ~2" high).
February 23 4-6 pm, conditions cool with rain before and after.
- Vernal Pool Trail, Trailhead to Main Pool: (same as 2/21).
February 26 2:00 - 3:30 pm, conditions cool with rain before and after.
- Vernal Pool Trail, Trailhead to Main Pool: (same as 2/23, plus deerweed (b) at the trailhead).
March 1 ~3:00 - 4:45 pm, conditions partly sunny and cool.
- Vernal Pool Trail, Trailhead to Main Pool: deerweed (b), redstem filaree (b), mustard (b), lomatium (b), three stems from a single plant of wand buckwheat (e. elongatum) with small red flowers, California poppy (b), California buttercup (b), blennosperma (b).
March 3 ~2:45 - 2:49 pm, conditions partly sunny and cool.
- Vernal Pool Trail, Trailhead to Main Pool: (same as 3/1).
- Report from another visitor: milkmaids and redmaids in bloom.
March 5 12:30 - 4:30 pm, conditions cool and windy.
- Vernal Pool Trail, Trailhead to Main Pool: deerweed (b), redstem filaree (b), mustard (b), lomatium (b), three stems from a single plant of wand buckwheat (e. elongatum) with small red flowers, yellow sanicle (b), California poppy (b), California buttercup (b), blennosperma (b).
- Vernal Pool Trail, Main Pool to Ranch Road: a single blue dicks (b), white-flowering currant, (sugar bush with small buds).
- Lomas Trail, Ranch Road to Monument Hill Road: (mule fat ended), arroyo willow catkins, gray linear-leaf everlasting (buds).
- Monument Hill Road, Lomas Trail to Trans Preserve Trail: johnny-jump-up (b).
- Trans Preserve Trail, Monument Hill Road to Coyote Trail: checkerbloom (b), a single milkmaid (b).
- Coyote Trail to Hidden Valley Road to Jct. with spur to South Los Santos Trail : (no new flowers)
- South Los Santos Trail, from spur road west from Hidden Valley Road to Vernal Pool Trail: bush lupine (buds), wild cucumber (b), miner's lettuce (b), milkmaids.
March 9 3:14 - 5:00 pm, conditions cool and windy.
- Vernal Pool Trail, Trailhead to Main Pool: deerweed (b), redstem filaree (b), mustard (b), lomatium (b), three stems from a single plant of wand buckwheat (e. elongatum) with small red flowers, blennosperma (b), yellow sanicle (b), California poppy (b), California buttercup (b).
March 11 2:27 - 5:45 pm, conditions cold, cloudy, sprinkly.
- Vernal Pool Trail, Trailhead to Main Pool: deerweed (b), a single sow thistle, redstem filaree, mustard (b), lomatium, three stems from a single plant of wand buckwheat (e. elongatum) with small red flowers, blennosperma (b), shooting star (b), yellow sanicle, California poppy (b), California buttercup (b).
March 13 2:00 - 6:00 pm, conditions sunny and pleasant.
- Vernal Pool Trail, Trailhead to Main Pool: deerweed (b), sow thistle, redstem filaree, mustard (b), lomatium, three stems from a single plant of wand buckwheat (e. elongatum) with small red flowers, blue dicks (buds), johnny-jump-up (b), blennosperma (b), shooting star (b), redmaids (b), yellow sanicle, California poppy (b), California buttercup (b). The first patch of blennosperma (similar to goldfields) is beginning to show at the main Pool.
- Multiuse Trail, Trailhead to wooden bridge: locoweed, (hollyleaf redberry - small buds), hoaryleaf ceanothus (b), white-flowering currant (e), mission manzanita, a single bush monkeyflower, black sage (b), wild cucumber (b), sugarbush (b), a single California everlasting, morning glory (b).
March 16 1:30 - 6:30 pm, conditions cold (59° F) and cloudy.
- Vernal Pool Trail, Trailhead to Main Pool: redstem filaree, lomatium sp., mustard (b), yellow sanicle, johnny-jump-up (b), blennosperma (b), (no shooting stars - picked by people?), California poppy (b), California buttercup (b), blue dicks (b).
- Vernal Pool Trail, Main Pool to Ranch Road: shooting star (b), wild cucumber (b), white-flowering currant), sugarbush (b), manzanita sp. (b), (penstemon? buds).
- Ranch Road to Punta Mesa Trail: red maids (b), (manzanita sp. at Ranch - sparse bloom), pineapple weed, (ceanothus hybrid at Ranch - buds).
- Punta Mesa Trail: nice field of tall shooting stars and California buttercup, (pretty purple poison oak leaves budding out), (locoweed buds), manzanita (anemic full bloom), (a few black sage with buds), hoaryleaf ceanothus (b), beautiful milkmaids at the creek, cryptantha (b), nice johnny-jump-up patch, (Ramona lilac buds), a single bush lupine (b), shepherd's purse.
- Monument Hill Road: two-tone everlasting (buds, flowers, dried form all on one stalk), gray linear-leaf everlasting, checkerbloom (b).
- Trans Preserve Trail to Vernal Pool Trail: bush lupine (b), locoweed, miner's lettuce, milkmaids, (3" leaves on chocolate lilies).
March 18 1:40 - 2:00 pm, conditions warm and sunny.
- Vernal Pool Trail, Trailhead to Main Pool: lomatium sp., cryptantha (b), blue dicks (b), blennosperma (b), ground pinks (b), redstem filaree, johnny-jump-up (b), yellow sanicle, redmaids (b), shooting star (b), checkerbloom (b), California poppy (b), California buttercup (b), blue dicks (b).
March 20 2:25 - 6:15 pm, conditions warm (~80° F) and sunny.
- Vernal Pool Trail, Trailhead to Main Pool: cryptantha (b), lomatium sp., purple sanicle (b), blennosperma (b), filaree, ground pinks (b), johnny-jump-up (b), mustard (b), goldfields (b), redmaids (b), shooting star (b), California poppy (b), California buttercup (b), checkerbloom (b), blue dicks (b).
- Waterline Road to Vista Grande Trail, Fault Line Road (flowers seen on the Vernal Pool Trail are repeated for this very different route): white locoweed, fiddleneck, cryptantha (b), johnny-jump-up (b), filaree (e), pineapple weed (b).
- Vista Grande Trail to Tenaja / Waterline Road, Fault Line Road: (hollyleaf redberry buds), (squawbush buds), milkmaids, ground pinks (b), filaree (b), shepherd's purse, (sanicle sp. without buds).
- Tenaja / Waterline Road to Monument Hill Road: mustard (b) only along road, locoweed patch, blue dicks, muilla (b), purple sanicle, over 250 chocolate lilies!.
- Monument Hill Road, Fault Line Road: nice patches of shooting stars, field of blue dicks, fiddleneck, large patch of large redmaids, checkerbloom (b), yellow sanicle, lomatium, California buttercup.
- Water Line Road to Visitor Center: baby blue eyes (b).
March 23 2:45 - 5:45 pm, conditions pleasant.
- Vernal Pool Trail, Trailhead to Main Pool: cryptantha (b), filaree, redmaids (b), purple sanicle (b), blennosperma (b), ground pinks (b); (all of the previous flowers were right at the trailhead!); goldfields (b), lomatium sp., blue dicks (b), mustard (b), johnny-jump-up (b), yellow sanicle, shooting stars (b), California poppy (b-full), California buttercup (b-full).
March 27 11:15 am - 5:22 pm, conditions sunny and pleasant (mid60s).
- Vernal Pool Trail, Trailhead to Main Pool: purple sanicle, cryptantha (b-full), lomatium sp., filaree, red maids (b-full), ground pinks (b-full), blennosperma (b-full), goldfields (b-full), muilla (b), blue dicks (b-full), checkerbloom (b), johnny-jump-up (b-full), morning glory (b), mustard (b), shooting star, another species of popcorn flower (b), California buttercup (b-full), bur-clover. (Many species are listed as beginning to full, since they may have come into full bloom, but that won't be clear for another few days. Many Engelmann oaks have lost their leaves and have new baby leaves showing today.)
- Multiuse Trail, Clinton Keith Trailhead to the end in Murrieta (flowers seen on the Vernal Pool Trail are repeated for this very different trail): pineapple weed, locoweed, a very short popcorn flower (b), bush monkeyflower (b?), black sage (b), wild cucumber, mission manzanita (e), sugarbush, purple nightshade (b), (woolly yerba santa buds), blue dicks, (golden eardrops buds), deerweed (a single plant beginning), wishbone bush (b), sun cup (b), another lomatium species?, burr chervil?, eucrypta (b), miner's lettuce, (perennial sunflower buds). Just outside the Preserve are: yellow lotus (b), California peony (b-full), locoweed, a single fiddleneck.
March 30 1:58 - 4:38 pm, conditions sunny and pleasant.
- Vernal Pool Trail, Trailhead to Main Pool: carpets of ground pinks, redstem filaree (f-e), cryptantha, purple sanicle (b), redmaids (b), blennosperma, goldfields (b-f), lomatium, blue-eyed grass (b), blue dicks, patches of shooting stars, yellow sanicle, checkerbloom (b), johnny-jump-up, mustard (b), morning glory (b), California buttercup, California poppies, bur-clover, dwarf lupine (b), muilla (b).
- Multiuse Trail, La Cresta trailhead for about one mile: (not all plants recorded), a single woolly-leaved yerba santa in full bloom, sugarbush, hoaryleaf ceanothus.
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Copyright © 2000-2003 by Tom Chester and Jane Strong.
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Updated 27 January 2003.