Irvine Ranch Conservancy
  • Home
    • Landmarks Blog
  • What We Do
    • Programs >
      • Habitat Restoration and Enhancement
      • Wildfire Prevention
      • Community Engagement and Education
      • Invasive Species Control
      • Plant Materials
      • Monitoring and Research
      • Planning and Infrastructure
      • Volunteer Management
    • Where We Work
    • About Us >
      • Meet the Team
      • Our Partners
      • Careers
      • Contact Us
  • Volunteer
  • Donate

Spot Spring Blooms Around the Landmarks

3/18/2016

 
PictureRare wildflowers such as chocolate lilies have been spotted in bloom around the Landmarks.
Tune in to a virtual wildflower tour on March 21, and enjoy opportunities to see blooms firsthand on a variety of programs connecting visitors to the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks.

March 20 marks the first official day of spring, and there are a variety of programs on the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks that let visitors celebrate the season for wildflowers, including a virtual wildflower tour on Monday, March 21.

This year’s inconsistent weather has resulted in many blooms popping up early – short but intense bursts of rain followed by unseasonable heat tricked many wildflowers into thinking that winter was over. Many native wildflowers can already be seen across the Landmarks, and while the hope was for more rainfall, now is the time to see a wide variety of flowers that wouldn’t normally be in bloom until late spring. Common wildflowers such as California poppies (Eschscholzia californica), arroyo lupine (Lupinus succulentus) and Parry’s phacelia (Phacelia parryi) are plentiful in OC Parks’ Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve, alongside more elusive native species including chaparral sweet pea (Lathyrus vestitus) and California golden violets (Viola pedunculata).

To ring in spring, Irvine Ranch Conservancy is hosting a virtual wildflower tour on Monday, March 21. “3…2…1…Bloom: 24 Hours of Wildflowers” will feature a photo of a different native species posted every hour to the Landmarks' Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. Each post will include a picture of a native wildflower, information on the species, and links to programs on the Landmarks where you can see these flowers firsthand. Follow along by “liking” the Landmarks’ Facebook page at Facebook.com/irlandmarks, following us on Twitter (@IRLandmarks), or adding us on Instagram (@OCMountainstoSea). All wildflowers shared on the virtual tour will be species that are in bloom on the Landmarks right now, meaning there are many upcoming opportunities for visitors to see these beautiful species before spring ends.

OC Parks, the City of Irvine, and the City of Newport Beach provide a variety of programs where visitors can enjoy wildflowers in bloom while exploring the Landmarks. Trails through Baker Canyon in OC Parks’ Black Star Canyon Wilderness Park are currently lined with hairy ceanothus (Ceanothus obliganthus), and chocolate lilies (Fritillaria biflora) have been seen there as well. Visitors to Agua Chinon in Limestone Canyon can enjoy California poppies, arroyo lupine and chia (Salvia columbariae) in bloom. Upcoming programs that will give visitors to the Landmarks a chance to enjoy spring wildflowers include:
  • Leisure Nature Walk in Black Star Canyon – Saturday, March 21
  • Birds and Blooms of Baker Canyon – Thursday, March 24
  • The Flowers and Rare Plants of the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks – Saturday, March 26
  • Family Hike: Agua Chinon – Saturday, March 26

Visitors can also spot wildflowers while enjoying self-guided access along designated trails. It is common to see bush sunflower (Encelia californica) and arroyo lupine in bloom throughout Buck Gully Reserve in Newport Beach, which is open daily from dawn to dusk.  Designated trails in the City of Irvine’s Bommer Canyon – where sticky monkeyflower (Diplacus aurantiacus) is plentiful – are also open daily to hikers and bikers from sunrise to sunset. Chia, purple owl’s clover (Castilleja exserta), and popcorn flower (Cryptantha intermedia) have also been seen recently on Bommer Pass.

​Rare wildflowers that are often harder to spot out on the Landmarks can be experienced by volunteering at the Conservancy’s one-of-a-kind Native Seed Farm. Tiny bright blooms of yellow pincushion (Chaenactis glabriuscula) have begun popping up at the Farm this week, and California plantain (Plantago erecta) and purple owl’s clover are also in bloom. These wildflowers help native – and oftentimes rare – butterflies and other pollinators thrive. The Native Seed Farm needs volunteers to harvest seeds from native spring wildflowers, and programs occur every Wednesday and Saturday morning. All tools and training are provided; you can search for a list of available Native Seed Farm programs here.

​
All programs on the Landmarks are free with required pre-registration, which closes 4 p.m. the day prior to each activity. Difficulty levels and age requirements vary from program to program, so make sure to check out each activity description to learn more. For more information on events, or to register, click the titles above or go to LetsGoOutside.org/activities.


Comments are closed.

    About

    Welcome to the Irvine Ranch Conservancy "News from the Field" blog. These articles are written by Conservancy staff about activities and projects in and near the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. 

    Archives

    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012

    Categories

    All
    Agua Chinon
    Baker Canyon
    Big Canyon
    Birds
    Black Star Canyon
    Bommer Canyon
    Buck Gully
    City Of Irvine
    City Of Newport Beach
    Crystal Cove
    Dripping Springs
    Equestrian
    Family Friendly
    Fire
    Fire Watch
    Fremont Canyon
    Grasslands
    Habitat Restoration
    Hicks Haul Road
    Hiking & Fitness
    Interpretive
    Invasive Plants
    Irvine Open Space Preserve
    Irvine Ranch Open Space
    Irvine Regional Park
    Laguna Coast
    Limestone Canyon
    Mesa Loop
    Mountain Biking
    Native Plant Nursery
    Native Plants
    Native Seed Farm
    Nighttime
    OC Parks
    OC Zoo
    O'Neill Regional Park
    Orchard Hills
    Peters Canyon Regional Park
    Quail Hill
    Red Rocks
    Round Canyon
    Safety
    San Joaquin
    Santiago Oaks Regional Park
    Stewardship
    The Sinks
    Tracking
    Trails
    Trail Work
    Upper Newport Bay
    Volunteers
    Weir Canyon
    Wilderness Access Day
    Wildflowers
    Wildlife

    RSS Feed

Irvine Ranch Conservancy  •  4727 Portola Pkwy. Irvine, CA 92620  •  714-508-4757  •  info@irconservancy.org

© 2016 Irvine Ranch Conservancy, All Rights Reserved.   Irvine Ranch Conservancy reserves all rights under copyright, including (without limitation) rights to photographs. No permission to copy or publish any portion of this web
site or any material posted on the website is granted without the express written permission of Irvine Ranch Conservancy. 
  • Home
    • Landmarks Blog
  • What We Do
    • Programs >
      • Habitat Restoration and Enhancement
      • Wildfire Prevention
      • Community Engagement and Education
      • Invasive Species Control
      • Plant Materials
      • Monitoring and Research
      • Planning and Infrastructure
      • Volunteer Management
    • Where We Work
    • About Us >
      • Meet the Team
      • Our Partners
      • Careers
      • Contact Us
  • Volunteer
  • Donate