California Poppies in Season Now

Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve is home to gleaming hillsides and fields of native gold and yellow poppies each spring.

Last spring, there were very few poppies in bloom when we visited the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. It seemed a bit silly to wander along the poppy path and say "OOh, here's ONE!" This spring, hopes are high for a great display due to rains we (finally) received during the winter months.

I am really looking forward to strolling along the poppy trail. It's not quite a yellow brick road, but the sense of being surrounded with flowers by the millions is surreal -- truly almost dreamy in the bright California spring time sunshine. It is an awesome sight to see when flowers carpet a field or hillside and spread out in swathes of natural color as though an artist spread paint all the way to the horizon in a glorious blend of gold and orange!

Awesome, too, to see the encroachment of subdivisions sprawling across the historically open land in the environs of the poppy preserve. The word "preserve" seems especially apt as pavement and concrete and irrigated lawns cover more and more of the ground nearby. I am truly thankful the preserve exists so we can enjoy and appreciate such a fabulous view!

Here's the web site for the poppy-lands. It includes the updates on poppy viewing and the poppy viewing hotline number.

And no, they aren't really poppies (Papavar); instead they are Eschscholzia californica, the famous California state flower. Enjoy!

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