The OC Register has an article about how this may be a banner year for wildflowers in the burn areas of Southern California. The article includes maps to where some of the better locations may be.

You can read the article here Flowers Follow Fire

Reports are beginning to show up online that spring is just around the corner. Wildflowers are beginning to pop up in many areas of California. In the Southern Sierra, Alison Sheehey from NatureAli.org is reporting that the Kern River Preserve has Poppies coloring the hillsides along with many other species. Here is quote from her reoport,

I just briefly checked the area where
the Kern River Preserve is bisected by Sierra Way and found the following in
bloom north of the bridge and granite road cut: Globe Gilia, California
Poppy, Red Maids, Chia, Bentham’s Lupine, Red-stemmed Filaree, Bigelow’s
Coreopsis, Bishop’s Lotus, Checker Fiddleneck and plants that should be in
bloom by this weekend include, Brown-eyed Evening Primrose, Scale Bud, and
Thistle Sage.

There are also reports that Joshua Tree is in bloom, along with Death Valley.

I haven’t seen anything yet for the Sierra Foothills, but the flowers should be getting close. There have been reports of wildflowers in the hills of Northern California.

The best place on the web to find out where the flowers are blooming in California is Carol Leigh’s Wildflower Hotsheet. It is updated daily right now with first hand reports from photographers around the state. Go check it out. Carol has been a friend of SierraVisions for a long time.

Isn’t this pretty?

It’s a snapshot of this morning’s sunrise on Lake Tahoe.
It’s from the Homewood Cam.
Just thought I’d share it with you guys.

A walk into pure wilderness
Is a journey deep into the heart of Nature’s soul,
Where the essence of life
Is still lived in its purest form,
And all that we hear, see, and feel
Sinks deep into that place in our being
That knows that this is home.

 ——————————————–

Snowy mountains
Hover ghostly over
Dark sagebrush valley
While Coyote’s
Full moon sonnet echoes
Through the phantom night.