Hardwear Sessions

By Cynthia Houng

Spring is the time to catch California's wildflowers. During this narrow window between the winter rains and summer drought, wildflowers put on a spectacular show. In East of Eden, John Steinbeck waxed lyrical over the Salinas Valley's gold-stippled hills. In Steinbeck's time, tidy-tips, California poppies, and other native flowers blossomed in drifts, transforming the South Bay's rolling hills into rich tapestries of color.

This year, ample rains and warm temperatures promise another heart-stopping wildflower season. Our wildflower season typically runs from March to May. Treat yourself to a wildflower hike. You won't regret it.

Track the wildflowers online:

Desert

Anza-Borrego State Park's Wildflower Update -- this week's flowers include desert lilies, ocotillo, lupine, brown-eyed primrose, fishhook cactus, sand verbena, desert evening primrose, phacelia, desert canterbury bells, etc.

Death Valley National Park publishes weekly wildflower updates.

Desert USA aggregates wildflower reports from the Southwestern states.

Closer to home

Here in the Bay Area, the Marin County, East Bay, and Monterey Bay chapters of the California Native Plant Society sponsor guided wildflower hikes and other activities.

Those new to California wildflowers will enjoy the Marin County California Native Plant Society's handy Bay Area Wildflower photo gallery.

Mt. Diablo State Park, located in East Contra Costa County, is one of my favorite wildflower spots.

The park contains a surprising variety of microclimates, from dry chapparel to moist deciduous woodland. In previous years, I've encountered everything from the common (shooting stars (Dodecatheon hendersonii, paintbrush (Castelleja affinis)) to the rare (Mt. Diablo Fairy Lanterns (Calochortus pulchellus)).

If your wildflower hikes inspire you to make room in your garden for California's native plants--and you just happen to live in the Bay Area--consider signing up for the annual "Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour." The tour highlights exceptional East Bay native gardens, and you're sure to come away with lots of ideas.