There may not be a super bloom in California this year, but that doesn’t mean wildflower lovers have nothing to look forward to this spring and summer. The wet, colder weather we’ve experienced so far in 2024 hasn't made for the perfect conditions needed to produce a massive wildflower bloom, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to see outside right now.
Especially if you feel up to exploring some of the temporary wetland areas around Sacramento, like the Illa M. Collin Conservation Preserve (also known as the Mather Vernal Pools) or Jepson Prairie in Dixon.
Kate Mawdsley is a volunteer docent at the 1,600-acre Jepson Prairie Preserve, which is currently dotted with thousands of tiny wildflowers in various shades of gold and blue. Operated by the Solano Land Trust, Mawdsley says now is a great time to visit Jepson because “the wildflowers are really coming to their peak … probably in the next two weeks.”
If you’d like to get out and enjoy them with an expert guide, the preserve is hosting flower and critter tours every Saturday and Sunday through Mother’s Day.
“The tour takes about two hours and a docent will provide an introduction to what vernal pools are and why they’re important,” Mawdsley says. “You get to see the critters up close and personal and then you head out to wherever the wildflowers are best.”
Another cool place to check out a wide diversity of native plants is the Stebbins Cold Canyon Preserve in Yolo County (which is also a SacrameKnow-recommended spring hike, so consider this a twofer). Paul Havemann is the manager of the UC Davis-operated preserve and said it’s worth a visit this year, despite the lack of a super bloom.
“It's close to Sac and the Bay Area and is pretty spectacular right now,” he said. But he warned that the trails are growing in and, although park officials clear them by the end of the spring, people should be aware of how to manage poison oak. Trails can also be treacherous during wet spells, because there are sections of the trail that include steep scrambling up rocky inclines.
If you’re looking forward to bright splashes of orange and gold for your flower hunts, both Folsom Lake State Recreation Area and Hidden Falls in Auburn are sure to impress — in a couple of weeks. Casey Lyons works for Placer County’s Department of Agriculture, Parks and Natural Resources and says Hidden Falls is a great place for poppies.
“We have some coming in now and should have entire hillsides full of them in a couple of weeks. I would estimate two weeks from now through the end of May you can see all kinds of flowers.”
Reservations are required to visit Hidden Falls on the weekends and certain high-usage dates. Visitors should check the park’s website before heading out.
One of the best parts about living in Sacramento is our proximity to higher elevations, which means more chances to see wildflowers for even longer this year.
Aleena Church is the community engagement manager for the Bear Yuba Land Trust, a nonprofit based out of Grass Valley. Its mission is to preserve and protect land between the Bear and Yuba River watersheds in Placer and Nevada counties — and that includes a lot of land with some stunning scenery. The Trust’s newest property is Wildflower Ridge Preserve.
”It's not too far from downtown Grass Valley, right up Rough and Ready Highway across from a couple of different schools. A lot of the locals know it as ‘Hell's Half Acre’ because it is this really great piece of land that has unique wildflowers species because of the lava rocks' soil. It's 128 acres and you can see wildflowers like milkweed and Purple Lupine and Monkey Flower.”
Church says the land blooms reliably every year and they expect it to peak in mid-May. The land trust is even hosting its first ever Wildflower and Poetry Workshop there on Saturday, May 4. The event is free and open to the public and you can register online.
Upcoming guided tours and hikes:
- Jepson Prairie Preserve flower, critter tours, Dixon
- From 10 a.m. to noon on each Saturday and Sunday until May 14, preserve docents will be giving wildflower tours and critter walks of areas only accessible with a volunteer docent.
- Flower walk at Mather Vernal Pools, Sacramento
- Sacramento Splash, a water and wildlife education organization, will host a Flower Walk on April 21 with volunteer docents at the Mather Vernal Pools in Sacramento. The organization says each vernal pool has its own
- Early spring wildflower hike, Big Hill Preserves in North Auburn
- Wildflower hike and poetry workshop, Bear Yuba Land Trust in Grass Valley
- The Bear Yuba Land Trust is hosting wildflower hikes for both youth and adults on May 4. Attendees will also participate in a poetry workshop along the way, led by two California-based poets.
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