Wildflower Update – Mid-March through end of April 2008

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Desert wildflowers are beginning to appear at the southern end of the Owens Valley. Key spots to check out are the Alabama Hills and the southern alluvial fans of the Sierra Nevada. Periodic wildflower updates will be made available and please see our Wildflower Hotspot PDF to find out some key places to catch the blooms.

 

WILDFLOWERS Now Showing:

Scarlet locoweed (Astragalus coccinius) – Low-growing deep red, fluted flower with oval, fuzzy leaves.	Scarlet Locoweed
Golden linanthus (Linanthus aureus) -  diminutive, yellow flower on a slender stem
Showy gilia (Gilia cana ssp. triceps) - Deep lavender five-petaled flower with bluish throat. Leaves are in a basal cluster
Yellow throats (Phacelia fremontii) - Pink low-growing flowers with bright yellow throats and scalloped leaves	Yellow Throats

 

 

 

MORE WILDFLOWERS TO SEE: 

Inyo bush lupine (Lupinus excubitus var. excubitus) - Shrub with silvery, hairy leaves and bright blue, pea-like flowers	Inyo Bush Lupine
Brittle bush (Encelia actoni) - Shrub with silvery-grey leaves and yellow flowers borne on light colored, woody stems
Apricot globe mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua) - Apricot or salmon colored flowers on stalks with lobed leaves that are finely covered with star-shaped hairs	Apricot Globe Mallow
Yellow turbans(Eriogonum pusillum) - Tiny bright yellow flowers on thinly branched stems. Leaves are basal and slightly hairy below
Evening snow (Linanthus dichotomus) – White five-petaled flower. Flowers are very fragrant and open during early evening and morning hours.
Sand blossom (Linanthus parryae) - Lavender and white low-growing 5-petaled flowers	Sand Blossoms
Tidy tips (Layia glandulosa) - White flower with notched petals and yellow center	Tidy Tips
Bud eriophyllum (Eriophyllum pringlei) - Tiny yellow flower nestled in a base of fuzzy, wedge-shaped leaves
Easter bonnets (Eriophyllus wallacei) – Tufted, low growing, small, yellow flower	Easter Bonnets

Peak blooming periods for wildflowers in the Eastern Sierra and surrounding Deserts.
(PDF 201KB)

The Volcanic tablelands (PDF 120KB) can radiate swathes of yellow and fuschia from the venus blazing star and purple mat. Learn more about the many recreation opportunities and the cultural significance of the area. The Alabama Hills (PDF 120KB) are host to fragrant fields of evening snow interspersed by scarlet locoweed and golden linanthus. Learn more about the history of the Alabama Hills.

Along the drainages and in recently burned areas entire hillsides can be covered in blue swathes of the Inyo bush lupine which has a distinctive grape soda smell. The spring bloom can extend on a good year, from early April through the beginning of June at the lower elevations, and then start again at the 7,000 ft. level in the sagebrush communities of Mono County, where the alkali shooting star, and rare alkali Ivesia begin to bloom in early to mid June. See listing of wildflowers in the Bodie Hills area, north of Mono Lake (PDF 128KB).

For more information on where to see wildflowers and what's blooming, contact the BLM Bishop Field Office botanist at (760) 872-5022.

• Wildflower Hikes in the Eastern Sierra (PDF 70KB)
• Photos of some local Eastern Sierra Desert wildflowers (PDF 342K)
• Wildflower Hot Spot PDF - Volcanic tablelands (PDF 120KB), Alabama Hills (PDF 120KB), Bodie Hills area, north of Mono Lake (PDF 128KB).