Warm Weather Brings Early Daffodils To Amador County

Flowers in shades of white, yellow, and orange cover the four acres of Daffodil Hill.

Most years the attraction doesn't open until mid-March because the flowers haven't bloomed.

But this month's rain and warm days have awakened the bulbs three weeks early and about 25 percent of them are flowering now.

Amador County Sheriff Martin Ryan's family has operated Daffodil Hill for 75 years.

He says even in the midst of the drought, the flowers should keep blooming for the next four weeks.

"It's been sufficient enough to have what rainfall we've had to maintain them so as far as the planting of the bulbs last fall, we put in 6,500 in November, the prior year was 20,000."

Ryan says in the last couple of years Daffodil Hill has installed wells for irrigation but hasn't needed to use them yet.

The attraction is open to the public and free, seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Daffodil Hill would only close in the event of rain or snow.

The flowers of Daffodil Hill are in bloom despite the drought. Tourists and locals alike are flocking to see them in the brief window of time to see them before the hill closes for the year.              Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

See more of Nixon's images from Daffodil Hill on CapRadio Frames.