Today at 1pm I will be heading out to the Theodore Payne Nursery Grounds for Poppy Day and their annual spring sale event. I’m volunteering at the sale and looking forward to taking in some spring. In this post I’ve included some photos and words from the Foundation – see below.
Sorry for the late notice! Hope I hope to see you there!!
10459 Tuxford Street, Sun Valley
Saturday, March 26th • 8:30am-4:30pm

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Local Beauty Amidst Global Gloom and Doom |
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  Friend of Theodore Payne,With all the horrible news of late — the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan, civil war in Libya and recent paper in Nature “Has the Earth’s Sixth Mass Extinction Already Arrived?” by Prof. Anthony Barnosky et al. — I thought I would send you some photos of the beauty still present in our corner of the world. The photos are of Liebre Mountain in the Tehachapis and Carrizo Plain. I hope they are balm for your soul, as being there was for me.
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Carrizo Plain Beginning to Bloom |
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Sky Lupine (Lupinus nanus) and Goldfields (Lasthenia californica) are now in bloom at the Carrizo Plain (pictured here). Many more species of wildflowers should be in bloom over the next several weeks. Pack a picnic, bring some binoculars and spend the day amidst the flowers and the song of meadowlarks. Bliss.
My favorite way to drive to the Carrizo Plain is to take the #5 freeway north, exit at Frazier Park, go west to Cuddy Valley Road, which becomes Mil Potrero Highway, which becomes Cerro Noroeste Road, and continue to Highway 166, where you’ll see the intersection with Soda Lake Road, which takes you into the southern entrance for Carrizo Plain. The drive from L.A. takes about two hours.
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Liebre Mountain Oak |
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This grand old Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) was dripping with mist on Wednesday when a storm rolled across Liebre Mountain. In a few weeks, lupine and many other wildflowers should be blooming.
From Los Angeles, take the #5 freeway north to Quail Lake Road, to Old Ridge Route Road, to Pine Canyon Road, where you drive about 4 miles to where the Pacific Crest Trail crosses the road. Park and hike from there.
Photo courtesy of Nick Warner.
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Liebre Mountain Buckeye |
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Along the trail on the north side of Liebre Mountain, the Buckeye (Aesculus californica) leaf buds are beginning to unfurl. The Buckeye seeds looked like shiny brown marbles along the trail.
Don’t forget about Poppy Day, TPF’s Annual Spring Plant Sale & Festival! Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.. We hope you’ll join us!
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