After last year’s traffic-stopping displays of entire hillsides thickly thatched with golden-orange California poppies, the 2018 spring wildflower season in Southern California is a disappointment for many.

“No one’s going to stop by the road and see superblooms like they did last year,” said Lorrae Fuentes, wildflower-hotline coordinator for the Theodore Payne Foundation in Sun Valley, which puts out a weekly report highlighting the region’s most promising blooms.

“We didn’t get rain at the right time of the year,” Fuentes said. “It was probably too little, too late.”

Seacliff Buckwheat is a blooming native wildflower at the Colorado Lagoon Wetland and Marine Science Education Center in Long Beach Wednesday, April 4, 2018. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova/Daily Breeze)

Eric Zahn, a restoration ecologist who works for an ecological consulting firm based in Long Beach called Tidal Influence, among the blooming native wildflowers at the Colorado Lagoon Wetland and Marine Science Education Center in Long Beach Wednesday, April 4, 2018. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova/Daily Breeze)

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Arroyo Lupine a blooming native wildflower at the Colorado Lagoon Wetland and Marine Science Education Center in Long Beach Wednesday, April 4, 2018. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova/Daily Breeze)

Giant Coreopsis is a blooming native wildflower at the Colorado Lagoon Wetland and Marine Science Education Center in Long Beach Wednesday, April 4, 2018. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova/Daily Breeze)

A bee enjoys some local Loco Weed is a blooming native wildflower at the Colorado Lagoon Wetland and Marine Science Education Center in Long Beach Wednesday, April 4, 2018. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova/Daily Breeze)



Loco Weed is a blooming native wildflower at the Colorado Lagoon Wetland and Marine Science Education Center in Long Beach Wednesday, April 4, 2018. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova/Daily Breeze)

Tidy Tips is a blooming native wildflower at the Colorado Lagoon Wetland and Marine Science Education Center in Long Beach Wednesday, April 4, 2018. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova/Daily Breeze)

Tidy Tips is a blooming native wildflower at the Colorado Lagoon Wetland and Marine Science Education Center in Long Beach Wednesday, April 4, 2018. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova/Daily Breeze)

Deer Weed is a blooming native wildflower at the Colorado Lagoon Wetland and Marine Science Education Center in Long Beach Wednesday, April 4, 2018. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova/Daily Breeze)

Wishbone Bush is a blooming native wildflower at the Colorado Lagoon Wetland and Marine Science Education Center in Long Beach Wednesday, April 4, 2018. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova/Daily Breeze)



Beach-Evening Primrose is a blooming native wildflower at the Colorado Lagoon Wetland and Marine Science Education Center in Long Beach Wednesday, April 4, 2018. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova/Daily Breeze)

A bee collects pollen from a California Sun Flower which is a blooming native wildflower at the Colorado Lagoon Wetland and Marine Science Education Center in Long Beach Wednesday, April 4, 2018. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova/Daily Breeze)

A monarch butterfly lands on a milkweed bloom at the Fullerton Arboretum in Fullerton in early March. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Desert mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua), blooms at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia littoralis), bloom at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)



The blooms of the Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa), at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The bloom of the Hooker’s Evening Primrose (Oenothera elata), at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Desert mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua), blooms at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum), and California poppies (Eschscholzia californica), bloom at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A bee gathers pollen on a Desert mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua), as spring wildflowers bloom at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)



A bloom of the California encelia (Encella californica), at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The Black sage (Salvia mellifera), blooms at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Indiana Mallow (Abutilon palmeri), blooms at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Munz’s sage (Salvia munzii) and California encelia (Encella californica),background, bloom at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Desert mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua), blooms at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)



Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum), bloom at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia littoralis), bloom at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A Fairyduster (Calliandra eriophylla), bloom at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Black sage (Salvia mellifera), blooms at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The blooms of the Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa), at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)



The Tansy leaved Phacelia (Phacelia tenacetifolia), blooms at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The blooms of the Hooker’s Evening Primrose (Oenothera elata), at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Munz’s sage (Salvia munzii), blooms at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A bee approaches the blooms of the Tansy leaved Phacelia (Phacelia tenacetifolia), at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Coast Cholla (Cylindropuntia californica), blooms at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)



California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) bloom at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum), blooms at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The blooms of the Tansy leaved Phacelia (Phacelia tenacetifolia), at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The Baja Desert Rose (Rosa Minutifolia), blooms at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A bee prepares to land on a Desert mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua), as spring wildflowers bloom at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach on April 3, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)



Purple owl’s clover are blooming at the Oak Glen Preserves in Oak Glen, Calif., on Thursday, April 5, 2018. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Teddy tips wildflowers are starting to appear on a hillside at the Oak Glen Preserves in Oak Glen, Calif., on Thursday, April 5, 2018. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Fiddleneck yellow flowers covers a hillside at the Oak Glen Preserves in Oak Glen, Calif., on Thursday, April 5, 2018. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

A Chaparral Currant in bloom at the Oak Glen Preserves in Oak Glen, Calif., on Thursday, April 5, 2018. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

A Tansy-leafed phacelia, Phacelia tanacetifolia, can be seen blooming at the Oak Glen Preserves in Oak Glen, Calif., on Thursday, April 5, 2018. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)



A California poppy in bloom at the Oak Glen Preserves in Oak Glen, Calif., on Thursday, April 5, 2018. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

A bee approaches a fiddleneck yellow flower in bloom at the Oak Glen Preserves in Oak Glen, Calif., on Thursday, April 5, 2018. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

And it doesn’t help that expectations remain high.

“It’s hard when you get a year like last year,” said Bill Wagner, consulting biologist for the Metropolitan Water District, and an expert on wildflowers at Riverside County’s Diamond Valley Lake. “Everything is compared to it.”

That’s not to say there isn’t anything to see. Wildflowers are blooming all over the region. But this time around floral prospectors will have to work a little harder in order to feast their eyes on Mother Nature’s dazzling treasures.

That was clear on Wednesday, April 4, at the Diamond Valley Lake marina. Nearby hills appeared to be devoid of color. But a stroll on the lake’s seasonal, mile-long Wildflower Trail revealed carpets of yellow California goldfields, blue arroyo lupine, yellow and white-tipped tidy tips and white popcorn flowers.

“You have to actually get on the trail,” Wagner said. “You can’t sit in the parking lot.”

Flower lovers also shouldn’t count on taking a casual drive down the highway to see flowers, Fuentes said.

“They’re going to have to get out of their cars and search for them,” she said.

A little bit of everything

And you may want to stay a little closer to home.

“This season is not a good season to drive all the way out to Anza-Borrego or to Death Valley,” said George Nanoski, a high school science teacher in Los Angeles.

But around the corner from his Long Beach home is the Colorado Lagoon, and it is beginning to put on a show.

What colors can be found there? “Purples and yellows and oranges and pinks and blues — a little bit of everything,” said Nanoski.

He spends much time there and files weekly reports with the Theodore Payne Foundation. Worth seeing, he said, are the wild hyacinth, tidy tips, arroyo lupine, California poppy and California bush sunflower. One of his favorites is the Chinese house.

“It’s a really interesting flower,” Nanoski said. “It kind of looks like one of those temples that has parallel roofs that are on top of each other.”

Eric Zahn, an ecologist who directed the restoration of the Long Beach lagoon, said the flower show there isn’t at its peak.

“But in about two weeks it will be,” Zahn said.

Hard to miss

Down the coast in Orange County, color is bursting at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach.

Lori Whalen, assistant director, said visitors will find blooms starting to pop on California poppies, Hooker’s evening primroses, Island snapdragons, sugar bushes, brittlebushes and California encelias.

Whalen said that she recently visited a couple of coastal hot spots for wildflowers, the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve and Crystal Cove, and came across wishbone bush, blue-eyed grass, fiddleneck, Indian paintbrush and monkey flower.

In inland Orange County, a favorite place to hunt wildflowers is Caspers Wilderness Park.

There, flowers are coming up along exposed ridges and will trail along a little later in cool canyon bottoms, said Laura Camp, general manager of Tree of Life Nursery in San Juan Capistrano, who provides reports to the Theodore Payne Foundation.

A highlight at Caspers, Camp said, is the Mariposa lily. There won’t be as many as last year, but their pink and white tulip-shaped flowers can be found.

“It’s hard to miss them because they are a fairly large flower and beautiful,” Camp said.

Better than expected

“It’s not a great year,” Camp said. “But I’m not too disappointed. We had some late rains, and those late rains have perked things up.”

The 2018 season, she said, “may turn out better than we expect.”

Wagner, the consulting biologist for Metropolitan, said that after hiking the loop Wildflower Trail at Diamond Valley Lake last week the blooms are more impressive than he had anticipated.

But Wagner said there is one big difference between this year and last: In 2018, you generally won’t see entire hillsides and landscapes covered in colorful tapestries woven with wildflowers.

And the question many are asking is, How long will this year’s show last?

Wildflowers are reaping the benefits of a relatively cool start to spring. But, said Fuentes, from the Theodore Payne Foundation, “If it gets really hot, it’s going to be a really short flower season.”

If that happens, Southern Californians have the option of going to an irrigated park.”

‘You need sunglasses’

One such place is Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont. David Bryant, manager of communications and graphic design, said the garden has 86 acres devoted to native California plants.

“This is go time,” Bryant said, saying visitors will be able to see blooms through early May.

The garden has all the favorites. And, of course, the California poppies tend “steal the limelight,” he said.

But Bryant said the garden also has plants one might not see elsewhere, such as native Pacific Coast irises. “And they’re gorgeous.”

Southern Californians also can take advantage of the region’s diverse topography, in a bid to keep the show going.

Climb up to 5,000 feet in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains, and you’ll see flowers for several more weeks at the Oak Glen Preserve.

Tim Krantz, University of Redlands professor of environmental studies and botanic garden director at the Oak Glen Preserve, said it boasts dozens of plants native to the Southern California mountains.

The preserve is full of flowers, pines, trails and birds.

“Our biggest wildflower attraction is what we call the Artist’s Palette,” Krantz said.

It’s a 6-acre natural rainbow-like canvas splashed with color so bright, he said, “It’s almost like you need sunglasses.” And he said the preserve’s peak wildflower bloom occurs in May.