Wildflowers of the Carrizo Plain

Posted by: Greg Clure

The Carrizo Plain National Monument sits just a few hours drive from Los Angeles but remains isolated due to the fact that the nearest town is 50 miles away. As the largest open grasslands left in California’s Central Valley this monument is a glimpse back in time when much of the Central Valley was uninhabited. Wildflowers are abundant this time of year when average or above average rainfall occurs. Tidy-tips grow so dense you are unable to see the leaves of the plants as they carpet acres of the valley floor and extend as far as the eye can see. Desert Gold, California Poppies and Yellow Fiddleneck patches are also common along with owls clover and lupine. With no natural outlet, Soda Lake at the center of the valley, one of the largest alkali lakes in the Central Valley can be full and attracts migrating cranes, gulls and turns. The San Andreas Fault runs along the base of the Temblor Mountains and we will take a short walk to the exposed fault line at Wallace Creek. Join me for a full day of shooting as we tip-toe through the tidy-tips to capture some of the best examples of California’s wildflowers.