Still time to view poppy, wildflowers in the Victor Valley and Southern California
A wet winter helped produce a healthy crop of California poppies across portions of Southern California, including some areas of the Victor Valley.
While commuters flock to see the super bloom at the popular Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, retired Apple Valley Fire Chief Sid Hutquist said wildflowers are on full display in Apple Valley and Hesperia.
“Fields of flowers can be seen in the Marianas in Apple Valley and near Hesperia Lake Park,” Hultquist said. “The golden hour to view them is now before it gets hot and they start to die off.”
The wildflower season throughout the state generally lasts from early April through mid-May, according to the California Department of Parks and Recreation.
In Hesperia, fields of poppies can be seen along the west side of Arrowhead Lake Road, south of Hesperia Lake Park and just before the Joshua Inn Bar, he said. The flowers are on a nearly 30-acre plot near the power lines, Hultquist said.
In Apple Valley, fields of yellow and purple flowers are located east of Central Road and between Ocotillo Road and Tussing Ranch Road.
Hultquist encouraged visitors to bring a camera, stay off private property, not litter, avoid damaging flowers and not disturb wildlife.
On one off-road excursion to see flowers, Hultiquist traversed a few bumpy roads while his wife, Debi, and his “very pregnant” daughter held on.
“Two days later, my daughter, who was nine months pregnant, went into labor,” Hultquist chuckled. “You know, they blamed me.”
The flower expeditions are a yearly tradition for Hulquist, his wife, children and grandchildren, he said.
Next on the blooming schedule is the beavertail cactus, Hultquist said. The smaller prickly pear cactus is mostly found in the Mojave and Colorado deserts and northwest Mexico.
The magenta flowers of the beavertail bloom from May to July, according to the California Native Plant Society.
Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve
Over the weekend, several Victor Valley residents visited the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve, located about 15 miles west of Highway 14 near Lancaster. The poppy reserve includes 8 miles of walking trails through gentle rolling hills and a paved section for wheelchair access.
Benches are located along the trails to sit and view the flowers and wildlife such as meadowlarks, lizards, snakes, coyotes and bobcats.
Numerous burrows around the trails may shelter mice, gophers, kangaroo rats, beetles, scorpions and other creatures.
“We had the best time looking at all the colorful flowers,” said Victorville resident Rita Arthur, 60, who visited the reserve with her daughter and two grandchildren. “My grandkids said the flower fields looked like something out of a cartoon or video game.”
Arthur said her grandchildren didn’t understand when she mentioned the movie classic The Wizard of Oz, and the scene where the Wicked Witch of the West used poppies to make Dorothy, Toto and the Cowardly Lion fall asleep.
"I'll have to talk to my daughter about that," Arthur said.
Donna Drover said she and her boyfriend, Russ, tried to visit the poppy reserve.
“There were so many people trying to get into the reserve that we stayed outside,” said Drover, who lives in Hesperia. “However, what we saw from the roadway was absolutely phenomenal. It was a sea of orange, purple, yellow and blue.”
Drover said the couple also took a few back roads, where they came across more wildflowers.
“It was so cool to see everybody taking photos and just enjoying the day," Drover said. “If people go, I suggest they wear comfortable walking shoes that aren’t white.”
The poppy became California's state flower in 1903.
Wildflower viewing in San Bernardino County
Alpine Pedal Path in the San Bernardino National Forest
Big Bear Discovery Center, Fawnskin
Chino Hills State Park, Chino Hills
Garner Valley, SBNF
Heaps Peak Arboretum, Rim of the World
Oak Glen Reserve, Oak Glen
Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, SBNF
Wildflower viewing areas in California
Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park, Lancaster
Catalina Island
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
Channel Islands
Charmlee Wilderness Park, Malibu
Circle X Ranch, Malibu
Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park, Tulare County
Corral Canyon, Malibu
Huntington Gardens, Pasadena
Malibu Bluffs Park Open Space, Malibu
Eastern Kern County Onyx Ranch State Vehicular Recreation Area
Flower Fields of Gorman Hills
Huntington Gardens, Pasadena
Malibu Bluffs Park Open Space, Malibu
Malibu Creek State Park
Palos Verdes Peninsula
Paramount Ranch, Agoura Hills
Point Dume State Beach, Malibu
Point Mugu State Park
Red Rock Canyon State Park, Cantil
Saddleback Butte State Park, Lancaster
Solstice Canyon, Calabasas
Tejon Ranch, Kern County
Theodore Payne Foundation, Sun Valley
Tule Elk State Natural Reserve, Buttonwillow
Zuman Canyon Park, Malibu
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: View poppy, wildflowers in the Victor Valley and Southern California
