The wildflower season is short but spectacular, particularly in those areas located along the west side of the San Joaquin Valley.The BLM manages several large blocks of public land in the Valley, including the Panoche, Tumey, and Ciervo Hills. If you are fortunate, you might see the federally listed California jewelflower, San Joaquin wooly-star and San Joaquin wooly-threads, all found in the San Joaquin Valley. More common are the mariposa lily, purple owl's clover, indian paintbrush and the yucca.

While many wildflower species are wide-spread, some are quite restricted in distribution because of their dependence on certain habitat conditions. For example, plants associated with serpentine rock are often rare. The Clear Creek Management Area, located along the central coast range, could be compared to a  serpentine "island" which is home to a suite of serpentine- endemic species including the diminuitive rayless layia, the beautiful talus fritillary and the San Benito thorn mint which is pictured to the left. The San Benito evening primrose, a federally protected species, is also found here.  Common species throughout the Clear Creek Management Area include manzanita, chamise, rabbit brush, and ceanothus.

On the Monterey Peninsula, you'll find oak woodlands, maritime chaparral and grassland habitats - there are several native plant reserves established here, with Fort Ord containing some of the best remaining large tracts of maritime chaparral in California.