A field of California poppies blooming in Weir Canyon Wilderness Park in Anaheim Hills on Tuesday, February 12, 2019. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A field of California poppies blooming in Weir Canyon Wilderness Park in Anaheim Hills on Tuesday, February 12, 2019. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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A hillside of California poppies in bloom in the hills of eastern Orange County near Anaheim Hills on Tuesday, February 12, 2019. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Hikers make their way past California poppies blooming in the Weir Canyon Wilderness Park in Anaheim Hills on Tuesday, February 12, 2019. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The interior of a California poppy in bloom in Weir Canyon Wilderness Park in Anaheim Hills on Tuesday, February 12, 2019. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)



Hikers make their way past California poppies blooming in the Weir Canyon Wilderness Park in Anaheim Hills on Tuesday, February 12, 2019. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A field of California poppies blooming in Weir Canyon Wilderness Park in Anaheim Hills on Tuesday, February 12, 2019. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

There is no surer sign of a good spring in Southern California than when the vibrant green hillsides burst out in that unmistakable shade of poppy orange.

And 2019, the experts say, is shaping up to be a very good spring. From the coastal mountains to the deserts at the eastern and southern edges of the state, blossoms are opening up and giving a hint of what’s ahead in peak season, which usually runs from March through May.

Despite the buzz that this could be a “superbloom” year — when the right combination of rain, sunshine and luck carpets Southern California in an abundance of flowers — not everyone is ready to declare that as a done deal.

“We don’t know if we’re going to have a superbloom or not, but it should be a good bloom, possibly a great bloom,” said Neil Frakes, the vegetation branch manager at Joshua Tree National Park.

The consensus seems to be that if the current weather predictions hold up, spring 2019 could be as good as spring 2017, which followed an especially wet winter that broke five years of drought.

But it’s not just this winter’s above-average rainfall that will bring about an extra-colorful spring. Fire and even drought are factors too, scientists say.

Some species of “fire-following” flowers will make their rare appearances in areas that burned last year, while in other areas, drought years have helped kill out invasive species that didn’t evolve to survive those conditions, clearing the way for native plants to reclaim some of their territory.

And while stewards of the local, state and national parks where flowers are blooming want people to come enjoy them, they also want those visitors to respect nature. Stay on trails, they warn, and no matter how tempted you are, don’t pick the flowers.

Walking or driving off-trail can damage fragile ecosystems — and can be dangerous, especially in burn areas — and picking flowers means their seeds won’t beget the next generation of blossoms.

“Blooms like this are a rare thing,” Frakes said. “We want as many people as possible to enjoy it, but it’s really impacted by trampling.”

Good rain for wildflowers

Rain is key to a good wildflower season. But it has to be the right kind of rain.

“The weather pattern this year has been good,” said Joey Algiers, a restoration ecologist for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

“The way it’s been raining — a storm, then a break, then a storm, then a break — those are good conditions for wildflowers,” he said. “You want those steady rains with breaks so it soaks in and keeps the ground charged with water. If it continues like this, it’s only going to do good things for wildflowers.”

Indeed, that pattern is expected to continue for at least a few more weeks, said Stephen Baxter, a meteorologist with the federal Climate Prediction Center.

A drenching storm is expected to hit Southern California on Wednesday and Thursday. The National Weather Service said it could bring 2 to 3 inches of the rain to the coast and valleys, 4 to 8 inches in the mountains and up to an inch in the deserts.

That should be followed by a cold, dry spell, then another storm within the weather service’s 10-day window of prediction.

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Southern California’s rainy season tends to taper off sometime in March, but Baxter said climate models are showing El Nino conditions could ramp up and extend it a little longer this year. And while our winter has been colder than average, he said, that should reverse soon and temperatures are likely to be above normal by the time summer starts.

As long as the weather doesn’t get too hot too fast, those conditions are ideal for a good wildflower season, said Ken Kietzer, the senior environmental specialist for the state park system’s Inland Empire district.

“As we see spring warm up and days get longer, things are going to really bloom and grow fast,” Kietzer said.

Fiddleneck blooming at dawn. Empty field, Jurupa Valley. Bring on wildflower season! pic.twitter.com/dscV6syNfQ — Jennifer Iyer (@Jen_Iyer) January 21, 2019

Deserts begin to bloom

The low deserts are often the first to pop.

A surprising splash of color was showing up along the 10 Freeway in the eastern Riverside County desert the first week of February. Near the Cottonwood Springs entrance to Joshua Tree National Park, brittlebush glowed yellow and the spiky arms of random ocotillos were tipped with deep red blooms.

Yellow cups (Chylismia brevipes) and scorpionweed (Phacelia crenulata) bloom near the Blythe Intaglios on Feb. 3, 2019. (Jennifer Iyer, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

Wildflowers bloom near the Blythe Intaglios on Feb. 3, 2019. (Jennifer Iyer, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

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Scorpionweed (Phacelia crenulata) blooms near the Blythe Intaglios on Feb. 3, 2019. (Jennifer Iyer, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

Wildflowers bloom near the Blythe Intaglios on Feb. 3, 2019. (Jennifer Iyer, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)



“The bloom this year is very early,” Frakes said. “We started seeing Joshua trees blooming in November … which is unprecedented. That’s usually not until mid-February.”

When the peak will come, and how long it will last, is hard to predict because this year has been so unusual. But he said the southern portion of the park could be peaking right now — he especially recommended the Bajada Nature Loop trail — while higher elevations to the north haven’t really started flowering yet.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in inland San Diego County — which became a social media star during 2017’s superbloom — is entering wildflower season, and has begun to post weekly updates on its website, describing what’s currently putting on a good show and where. (The Feb. 9 report notes that there’s also an early bloom at the nearby Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area.)

Anza-Borrego staff isn’t sure when the peak will be but said mid-March is usually prime time to visit.

In the high deserts, the Mojave National Preserve has gotten enough rain to expect a good year, but Death Valley National Park has not and is expecting merely an average year.

Special year in valleys, mountains

Outside of the deserts, pockets of colorful flowers are opening up but the more widespread blooms aren’t expected until the rain gives way to a little more sunshine. Sunny slopes are where people should turn their attention, said UC Riverside earth sciences professor Richard Minnich.

In Riverside County, he said, superblooms were rare all through the 1980s and 1990s because invasive European grasses had crowded out the native flowers. The upside of droughts since then is that they’ve caused those non-native species to “crash,” Minnich said.

“The first year after a profound drought, you’ll get good flowers,” he said.

That’s what happened in 2017. And after a “terribly dry” 2018, he was optimistic about this spring’s chances — though he said he’d reserve the term “superbloom” for years like 2005, when so much rain fell that Death Valley had a lake.

The flip side, however, is that the return of rains could allow those invasive species to make a comeback if they can out-compete the native plants.

That battle for resources is also happening in areas burned over by wildfires.

Some seeds that have been lying dormant in the ground for years or decades are signaled to grow only when ash is broken down by microorganisms and turned into nitrogen, Algiers said.

“After fires, we see a lot of flowers that we normally don’t see,” he said, such as fire poppies, wind poppies, large-flower phacelia, California bells, monkey flowers and several kinds of lilies.

The Woolsey fire charred close to 90 percent of park service land in the Santa Monica Mountains, he said. In most of those areas, there hadn’t been a fire for a decade or longer.

Unfortunately, Algiers said, the natural cycle would be for fires to burn every 50 to 100 years; when they happen every 10 to 20 years, native vegetation doesn’t have the time it needs to grow back, and invasive species can move in.

But this year, those “fire-follower” flowers should be on display in March and early April.

“That’s one of the coolest things, to see the species that are less common … Those special wildflowers will be much more abundant than we usually see,” Algiers said.

While much of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is still closed, he suggested hikers check out Cheeseboro Canyon and Palo Comado Canyon. Paramount Ranch also has a beautiful display of flowers, and he said it can be seen from the parking lot if people don’t want a big hike.

Minnich said he expects the same phenomenon in the areas burned last year by the Holy fire in the Santa Ana Mountains and, a little later because of the higher elevation, the Cranston fire in the San Jacinto Mountains.

Staff writer Jennifer Iyer contributed to this report.

Wildflower season dos and don’ts

Do check out the website or social media of the place you want to visit. Many post about wildflowers and other current conditions.

check out the website or social media of the place you want to visit. Many post about wildflowers and other current conditions. Don’t stray from official trails and roads. Walking and driving elsewhere can cause great damage.

stray from official trails and roads. Walking and driving elsewhere can cause great damage. Don’t pick flowers. Taking them home also takes away the seeds needed for the next bloom.

pick flowers. Taking them home also takes away the seeds needed for the next bloom. Don’t bring your dog somewhere it’s not allowed; check policies before you go.

bring your dog somewhere it’s not allowed; check policies before you go. Don’t park outside of designated parking areas.

park outside of designated parking areas. Do be prepared with essentials like sunscreen, water and snacks.

be prepared with essentials like sunscreen, water and snacks. Do watch out for rattlesnakes — the same conditions that bring out flowers bring out snakes too.

watch out for rattlesnakes — the same conditions that bring out flowers bring out snakes too. Do have patience in areas that are busy with other people wanting to enjoy the flowers.

If you see a great spot for wildflowers in Southern California this spring, drop a note to the reporter at nijohnson@scng.com or tag her on Twitter @nikiesnews or Instagram @nikiejohnson