Wildflowers of California A Month-by-Month Guide

About this book

In this photograph-driven field guide to California's spectacular wildflowers, Laird R. Blackwell expertly provides several ways to find them in bloom: by month, by place, and by flower. The month-by-month descriptions – found in no other statewide guide – suggest what to see and where to go throughout the state during the blooming season. The author also supplies more than 300 locations arranged in 10 geographical regions, highlighting 67 of his favorite places with detailed driving and walking directions and difficulty, blooming times, and lists of predominant wildflowers as well as a featured flower. Wildflowers of California contains more than 650 color photographs by the author, including 600 species arranged by flower, with natural history notes and places and months to find the flower in bloom. Throughout, experienced wildflower guide Blackwell shares his love of the beautiful places and flowers he has visited throughout California.

Contents

Introduction
Wildflower Seasons in California
Purpose and Organization of this Book
Where, When, What, and Wow (How to Use this Book)
Using a Month-by-Month Guide-Benefits, Limitations, and Caveats
A Few Last Words

Special Wildflower Places (Map)
NORTHWEST MOUNTAINS
1) Smith River and Siskyou Mountains (Crescent City)
2) Kangaroo Lake Botanical Area (Callahan)
3) Trinity Alps (Weaverville)

COAST AND COAST RANGES
Northern
4) Redwood National and State Parks (Orick)
5) Dunes of Arcata (Arcata)
6) Bear Valley (Williams)
7) Boggs Lake (Clear Lake)
8) Kruse Rhododendron State Reserve (Fort Ross)
9) Salt Point State Park (Fort Ross)
10) Bodega Head (Bodega)
11) China Camp State Park (San Pablo Bay)

Central and Southern
12) Ring Mountain (Corte Madeira)
13) Mount Tamalpais/Muir Woods (Marin)
14) Mount Diablo (Walnut Creek)
15) San Bruno Mountains (South San Francisco)
16) Edgewood Preserve (San Mateo)
17) Pinnacles National Monument (Soledad)
18) CA58 from Santa Margarita to McKittrick
19) Carrizo Plain (San Luis Obispo)
20) Nipomo-Guadalupe Dunes (Guadalupe)
21) Wind Wolves Natural Preserve (Maricopa)
22) Santa Rosa Plateau (Murrieta)
23) Torrey Pines State Park (San Diego)

TRANSVERSE RANGES
24) Santa Monica Mountains (Malibu)
25) San Gabriel Mountains/San Bernardino Mountains (Los Angeles)

CENTRAL VALLEY
26) Table Mountain (Oroville)
27) Pleasants Valley Road and Mix Canyon Road (Vacaville)
28) Phoenix Park (Sacramento)
29) Jepson Prairie Preserve (Dixon)

FOOTHILLS OF THE SIERRA
Northern
30) Buttermilk Bend Trail (Bridgeport)
31) Independence Trail (Nevada City)
32) Drum Powerhouse Road (Dutch Flat)
33) Yankee Jim's Road (Colfax)
34) Ponderosa Way (Auburn)
35) Pine Hill Ecological Preserve (Placerville)

Central and Southern
36) Electra Road (Jackson)
37) Camp Nine Road (Angel's Camp)
38) Red Hill Road (Chinese Camp)
39) Hite's Cove Trail (El Portal)
40) Kern River Canyon (Bakersfield)

CASCADES
41) Mount Shasta (Mt. Shasta)
42) Lassen National Park (Chester)

HIGH SIERRA
Northern
43) Feather River Canyon (CA70)
44) Butterfly Valley (Quincy)
45) Sierra Buttes and the Lakes Basin (Sierra City)
46) Sagehen Creek (Hobart Mills)
47) Castle Peak (Truckee)
48) Lake Tahoe Basin
49) Luther Pass (CA89)
50) Carson Pass (CA88)

Central and Southern
51) Yosemite National Park
52) Mosquito Flat to Mono Pass trail (Tom's Place)
53) Onion Valley and Kearsarge Pass in Kings Canyon National Park (Independence)

NORTHEASTERN CORNER
54) Modoc Plateau (Alturas)
55) Warner Mountains (Alturas)

EAST OF THE SIERRA
Northern
56) Freel Peak (South Lake Tahoe)
57) Monitor Pass (Markleeville)
58) Topaz Lake (Topaz)

Central and Southern
59) Benton area (Benton)
60) White Mountains (Bishop)
61) Alabama Hills (Lone Pine)
62) California Desert Conservation Area (Inyokern)

SOUTHERN DESERTS
Mojave
63) Gorman Hills (Gorman)
64) Antelope Valley/Ripley Desert Woodland State Park (Lancaster)
65) Death Valley National Monument

Sonoran
66) Joshua Tree National Park (Twentynine Palms)
67) Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (Ocotillo)

The Wildflower Months and their Flowers
late January-February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October

Featured Flowers
Plants in this Book that are Endemic to California
Plants in this Book on the CNPS Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants
Other Flower Locations Indicated in the Text (Map)
References
About the Author

Indexes
Scientific names
Common names

Customer Reviews

Biography

Laird R. Blackwell is professor of psychology and humanities at Sierra Nevada College and the author and photographer of six previous regional field guides to California wildflowers.