Good morning. It’s Tuesday, April 9. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.
California’s wildflower blooms are less than super this season
Winter showers can bring an abundance of spring wild flowers. But after another above-normal rainy season the flower forecast is
not as dazzling as flower gazers hoped for — especially compared to last spring. Blame the weather.
“It might seem counterintuitive,” Times reporter Lila Siedman explained . “Storm after storm has doused California, prompting wildflower fanatics earlier this year to cross their fingers for a superbloom. But more rain doesn’t mean more growth for every plant.”
Late-winter, early-spring rain and lingering cold, like we just experienced through March, aren’t a good combo for some native flowering plants, which “need Goldilocks conditions to thrive,” Lila noted — not too cold, not too hot. Our weather extremes give less dazzling grasses, plants and some invasive species an advantage.
That’s why the hillsides in the Antelope Valley, Lake Elsinore and Chino Hills State Park are currently lacking the orange luster of California poppies that can draw hordes of springtime visitors.
It was a similar issue last spring when I explored the hilly paths of the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve. Yes, there were poppies, but many were dwarfed by fiddlenecks and other plants that surrounded and towered over them.
One colorful exception to the bloom bust this spring: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, which has been bursting with wildflowers. But some blooms have already disappeared, according to the Anza Borrego Foundation.
More wildflowers could bloom soon in SoCal — if recent warmer temperatures stay more consistent into mid-April. But don’t expect a superbloom to blanket hills — or your Instagram feed — this season.
Still, there are some places to see wildflowers in California — and lots of resources to let you know about conditions so you can plan your trip.
Most notably: The Theodore Payne Foundation’s 2024 Wild Flower Hotline. You can call (818) 768-1802, Ext. 7, to get a rundown of wildflower conditions in Central and Southern California, delivered pleasantly by actor Joe Spano. Updates are released weekly on Fridays through June. The weekly report is also available online as a PDF.
The state’s Department of Parks and Recreation also has a page with bloom updates, though it appears to not be refreshed as regularly.
For those planning a trip to the abundant blooms in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, park officials published an interactive map showing some of the best viewing locations.
And if other bloom sites are too far, you may have better luck at LAX. Seriously.
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Today’s great reads
An Oregon tribe’s casino bid sparks furor over what land tribes can rightfully call home.The Coquille tribe wants to build a casino on the California border. Pushback from nearby tribes raises a question: Who gets to determine a tribe’s rightful homeland?
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.
For your downtime
Going out
- 🎭 “Fat Ham” at the Geffen Playhouse slathers barbecue sauce on “Hamlet” for delicious comedy.
- 🐋 The unmissable addition to Disneyland’s Star Tours ride? Space whales.
- 📚 🎉 Food and cookbook aficionados will have plenty to explore at this year’s Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on April 20 and 21. Come see us.
Staying in
And finally … a great photo of today’s solar eclipse
Show us your favorite place in California! We’re running low on submissions. Send us photos that scream California and we may feature them in an edition of Essential California.
Today’s great photo is from freelance photographer Al Seib at the California Science Center, which captures the excitement students from Pearblossom Elementary in Littlerock, Calif., experienced while staring skyward to view the the partial solar eclipse on Monday. The next partial solar eclipse visible to Californians will be in 2029.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Defne Karabatur, fellow
Christian Orozco, assistant editor
Stephanie Chavez, deputy metro editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
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