News Release

Destructive Fire + Steady Rains = A Spectacular Wildflower Season?

California poppies in February

National Park Service

News Release Date: February 11, 2019

Contact: Ana Beatriz Cholo, 312-927-4845 (cell)

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Biologists are hoping that the destructive Woolsey Fire and recent steady rains prove to be the perfect combination for a promising display of spring wildflowers in the Santa Monica Mountains during the peak flowering season that typically occurs in March and April.

“We are expecting a very good showing because of the fire,” said Mark Mendelsohn, a National Park Service biologist at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, who along with a team of fellow biologists, are vigilantly keeping an eye out for new sprouts during #WildflowerWatch2019.

Mendelsohn said one specific aftereffect of the destructive Woolsey Fire will be the blooming of “fire follower” herbaceous plants. These species normally bloom only after a fire and there are over one hundred of these types of plants.  

The rain storms - in some cases multiple storms that pounded the area in the span of one week - began in October and came at just the right time and in just the right amount. Biologists say these rains will also play an important role in the predicted bloom. At a weather recording station in Cheeseboro, Ranch, 14.17 inches of precipitation has been recorded for this season, thus far. Last year, 1.95 inches of rain had fallen by this time -  a marked difference!

Park staff have reported seeing California poppies (Eschscholzia californica), blue dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum), shooting stars (Primula clevelandii), lemonade berry (Rhus integrifolia), lupines, and wild cucumber (Marah macrocarpus) in the Santa Monica Mountains. The leaves of deerweed (Acmispon glaber) and morning glory (Calystegia macrostegia), and many other species, have been spotted but not the flowers themselves. Big-pod ceanothus (Ceanothus megacarpus), one of our most common shrub species, has also been turning entire hillsides white with their flowers. 

The ubiquitous black mustard (Brassica nigra) is also back, but it’s not welcome in the region. The pretty yellow flowers of this plant make the hillsides of Los Angeles look like a postcard perfect countryside, but biologists warn the public not to be deceived by its good looks. It’s not on the “favorites list” for several reasons: it’s an invasive species known for displacing native plants and it’s also notorious for helping wildfires spread. 

Fire follower flowers that the public may see in coming weeks include several species in the lupine, phacelia, poppy, popcorn-flower, lily, snapdragon, and sunflower groups, as well as virtual carpets of morning glory and wild cucumber. One example of a fire follower is the aptly named fire poppy, which can be a variation between orange and red, and grows below 2,500 feet in recently burned chaparral and woodland.

Woodlands and shrublands were hit hard by the fire; in some cases, all above-ground plant matter was consumed. While some trees were lost and will take many years to recover from seed, shrubs will rebound quicker. In regards to oak trees, both valley and coast live, biologists say that if they don’t resprout this spring, they most likely died after being ravaged from the Woolsey Fire. 

“We should see some kind of response from them,” said John Tiszler, a supervisory plant biologist who has worked at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area for 22 years. “Even if we see resprouting, it doesn’t necessarily mean the tree will recover. They don’t always make it in the long run. After the Springs Fire, a number of oak trees initially resprouted but then they ultimately didn’t make it.” 

Good spots for that Instagram selfie that will break your record for most “likes” include Paramount Ranch, Cheeseboro/Palo Comado Canyons and Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve. But for that crème de la crème display of flowers, check out Malibu Creek State Park, which saw its share of destruction from the Woolsey Fire, but is expected to rebound quite nicely. 

We ask that visitors stay on trails and not tread on vegetation so that everyone can enjoy the flowers. Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is a national park. Regulations prohibit picking of wildflowers, so that they may produce seed for the next wildflower season.

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) is the largest urban national park in the country, encompassing more than 150,000 acres of mountains and coastline in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. A unit of the National Park Service, it comprises a seamless network of local, state and federal parks interwoven with private lands and communities. As one of only five Mediterranean ecosystems in the world, SMMNRA preserves the rich biological diversity of more than 450 animal species and 26 distinct plant communities. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/samo.

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