Wildflowers Galore!

National forests and public lands are truly America's wildflower gardens and the lands around Big Pine are no exception. From early spring through fall, hundreds of species of flora may be found on canyon walls, in washes, along trails and roadsides.

One can find colorful arrays of varieties that includes the 4-foot wands of Prince's Plume, mounds of Bush Sunflower, White Evening Primrose, Mountain Prickly Poppy, Apricot Mallow, Sulphur Flower, ground-hugging whitish mats of Yellow-blooming Buckwheat, pink Four-o-clocks, and larger species of clustered blooms like tiny pink or white Powder Puffs.

Lower desert elevations feature desert shrubs, Purple Sage, many varieties of cactus, Rock Nettle, Desert Holly and Joshua trees. Roadsides at higher elevations are lined with purple and blue Lupin and clumps of brilliant red Indian Paint Brush. At the highest elevations there are tiny relatives of the larger plants found in lower elevations.

While spring brings desert and mountain wild flowers into bloom, fall is the perfect time to capture the beauty of foliage in full autumn color. Valley hillsides and mountain canyons are abundant with Willow, Aspen and Cottonwood in showy brilliant golds and yellows. Fall in the White Mountains brings the opportunity to harvest the Pinon Nut.

The Bristlecone Chapter of the California Native Plant Society conducts regular field trips into the canyons, mountains, valleys, meadows and deserts in all directions around Big Pine, with efforts focused on seeing native flora in its natural habitat.

Anyone interested in field trips or more information should contact the Big Pine Chamber office or Bristlecone Chapter of the California Native Plant Society.