Simmler Road, Carrizo Plain National Monument, San Luis Obispo County, CA, 3/31/2016
On my first visit to Southern California’s Carrizo Plain National Monument, I spotted patches of bright color off of one of the unpaved side roads. I drove that way and was delighted to find thousands of blossoming wild California Coreopsis (Coreopsis californica) covering the sandy hills. As morning gave way to afternoon, attractive cumulus clouds began filling the sky, complementing the beautiful flowery landscape. Following the previous winter's heavy rains during an extended drought, California was enjoying a rare super bloom! Here we are looking north from alongside Simmler Road, with the Temblor Range in the distance, and McKittrick Summit at far right. Coreopsis, a native annual herb, grows in the washes within otherwise dry habitats. A few hundred years ago, California’s Central Valley was a vast grassland where antelope and elk grazed, and wildflowers graced the spring landscape. Today, Carrizo Plain survives as a remnant amid the state’s urban and agriculture development.
