"SPRING IS POPPYING OUT - Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve visitors can be seen in the distance as they walk along trails Friday to view this year's flowers." EVELYN KRISTO/Valley Press
Posted on 03/24/2008 12:37:04 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Poppy lovers flocked to the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve on Lancaster's west side during the weekend, enjoying the orange blossoms and the great weather. And Judy Elgin, senior park aide at the State Parks Mojave Information Center in downtown Lancaster, can finally tell callers there are poppies to see.
"There are scattered blooms throughout the park and there are more poppies coming out each day," Elgin told an information center visitor in the middle of last week. "And there's much variety in the blooms."
The 1,800-acre reserve, on Lancaster Road at about 150th Street West, is a chief destination for many wildflower enthusiasts. However, it's nowhere near a full bloom. At least just yet.
"The peak of the season hits in April, but what part of April is hard to say," Elgin said, "Sometimes it's in early April, sometimes in the middle and sometimes near the end.
"It would be great if we could tell people exactly when, but we can't. It's not up to us."
The reserve opened for the 2008 wildflower season March 15 and is slated to close in mid-May.
Other flower species seen at the reserve already this year include goldfields, gilia, blue dick, lupine, red maids and filaree.
"We had someone say they saw owl's clover, and someone else said they looked all over for owl's clover and saw none," Elgin said. "Plus there are some little blue flowers we haven't identified yet."
The poppy reserve is open from sunrise to sunset. Parking fee is $5 per vehicle, $4 per vehicle if a senior, age 62 and older, is onboard. Parking with a DPR Disabled Discount Card is $2.50 per vehicle.
For details about the reserve, call the information center at (661) 942-0662.
(Excerpt) Read more at avpress.com ...
"SPRING IS POPPYING OUT - Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve visitors can be seen in the distance as they walk along trails Friday to view this year's flowers." EVELYN KRISTO/Valley Press
It sure was a beautiful weekend, weather-wise. I think I’ll take the kids over and check out the poppies this week. Thanks for the reminder!
Looks like a good year this year.
Calif wildflower ping for the Gardening Club...
Thanks! Beautiful! We ahve tha azalea festival in Wilmington, and it’s kind of what the article said—we can set the dates for the festival but we don’t have much control over when they actually bllom! All we can do is go by past years and when Easter falls.
We have rhododendrons here, too, but mostly in the mountains. Too hot here.
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