Rains should bring out a brilliant display of wildflowers

[ERIC]

Explosion of color expected; rains should bring out a brilliant display of wildflowers

By MAREK WARSZAWSKI
The Fresno Bee
Saturday, Mar. 06, 2010
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2010/03/06 ... rains.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Whichever poet wrote that "April showers bring May flowers" didn't reside in Central California.

Around here, the timetable gets fast-forwarded two months.

Problem is, "February showers bring March flowers" isn't nearly as poetic.

But it's true. Thanks to late winter rains, the murmur of spring (thank you, Wordsworth) brings what should be a glorious season of wildflowers. Here are some of the best places to view the color display:

San Joaquin River Gorge Management Area

Located 5 miles outside Auberry, the San Joaquin River Gorge is a great place to gorge yourself with poppies, lupine and Chinese houses, which should peak in a couple of weeks. Hike the 6-mile Pa'san Ridge Trail, located across the river from the main trailhead, or start down the 15-mile San Joaquin River Trail toward Millerton Lake.

More info: Bureau of Land Management, (559) 855-3492; http://www.fblinks.com/sjgorge" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Paradise Creek Trail, Sequoia National Park

Park at the Hospital Rock Picnic Area along the General's Highway, then walk one paved mile to the trailhead located within Buckeye Flat Campground. The surrounding hills are already covered in popcorn flower and fiddlenecks, and lupine and poppies should join the show by mid-March. The trail dead-ends at two miles.

"It's a lot of yellow and white out there right now," park ranger Stephanie Sutton said. "This is the best time of year to be in the foothills." More info: (559) 565-3341; http://www.nps.gov/seki/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Hite

Cove Trail, Sierra National Forest

More than 50 wildflower varieties bloom in the Merced River Canyon, but it's the California poppies you'll notice first. From Savage's Trading Post, about 22 miles east of Mariposa on Highway 140 (just past the one-lane detour), it's a 4.5-mile hike to [read more...]