True Nature Stories: Return to Carrizo Plain

Purple Parry's Mallow & Friends
(click to view larger)

The wildflowers of Carrizo Plain National Monument (so designated in 2001) have been calling out to me ever since I drove through with my wife about three weeks ago on our way to San Diego. The bloom has certainly matured since then. Some early species have set seed and faded where they once flourished, while others such as larkspur, owl's clover, and a big purple salvia have begun to bloom. Hardy, spiky-stemmed fiddleneck remains the undisputed king of the plain, and even though much of the color has receded in the mountains, the display remains impressive, especially compared with drier springtimes I've seen in the past.

I pulled into the Soda Lake Overlook parking lot while it was still dark, having made the drive during the wee hours. I figured I could spend the time until dawn by photographing the Milky Way with wildflowers in the foreground, but it was densely foggy when I arrived, so I took a nap instead. Truth be told, I was grateful to the fog for giving me an excuse not to go poking around in the dark to find a suitable foreground for the night shot. It almost certainly would have been a futile exercise anyway since I had pictured using the beautiful patch of wildflowers I saw at the overlook on April 4. As I discovered when it was light out, that whole patch was gone.

I drove down from the overlook to Soda Lake, where I parked at the edge of the small lot so I'd easily be able to get out if it got crowded and jim-jammed the way it looked when we were there three weeks ago. I made the short walk to the edge of the lake, then out and back along the slippery, wet boardwalk, and when I eventually circled back to the car I was surprised to see that it was still the only one there. I hardly saw another soul until after 10 a.m., and the pace didn't really pick up to the early-April levels until after 11 a.m.

The area around Soda Lake made for some enjoyable exploration. The peace and quiet was marred by my own appearance at the edge of the lake when one of the two American avocets in the vicinity called out in alarm. It was so vociferous I wondered if it was nesting nearby, so I kept my visit short out of respect. Just across Soda Lake Road was an intriguing patch of pinkish flowers, so I strolled over for a closer look and found they were owl's clover. A small group of elk was resting in the far distance between me and the Caliente Range. I assume there are still pronghorn out there, but I didn't see any.

Although the wildflower bloom had noticeably filled out toward the north end of the monument since I last saw it, the south end still had lots to offer. I also checked out Elkhorn Grade Road, whose existence I only noticed for the first time three weeks ago. I'd never before seen wildflowers on those seemingly inhospitable south-facing mountainsides of the Temblor Range.

From there I'd like to have driven toward the coast to check out Big Sur, but Caltrans still has CA-1 closed due to rockslides. Instead I drove back up Soda Lake Road and parked to eat lunch and rest under the shade of one of the very few trees out there, in a small planted eucalyptus grove at the KCL Campground. The brightly colored bullock's orioles that captured my attention on a previous visit were nowhere to be seen, and only a starling (which I considered a poor and potentially ominous substitute) called out from the trees.

By the time I passed Soda Lake on my way home that afternoon, the parking area was just as overflowing with vehicles as I'd remembered from three weeks ago. If Carrizo was that popular all year, the Park Service would have to pave the roads and build some sort of tourist complex. But it's probably only like that for a couple of months, and in a dry year not even that. Even my neighbor, who'd never heard of Carrizo Plain, knew the word that gets everyone out there: "superbloom." Here's hoping El Nino brings us another one next year.

This might be Delphinium gypsophilum, one of five larkspur species found at Carrizo.

I'm pretty sure this is Delphinium recurvatum, the most prevalent larkspur I saw.

I never thought I would see Soda Lake so full of water, or so foggy!

The elegant, lilac-colored flowers of recurved larkspur.

Grass Riot No. 1
(at Soda Lake parking area; note trail in upper left of frame)

Grass Riot No. 2
(with Soda Lake and Temblor Range)

Larkspur & Friends Lakeside on the Plain

View from Soda Lake toward Caliente Range, with wading American Avocets

Shoreline Curves in Gold

Fiddleneck, King of the Plain

Meadow Dressed in Layers

Owl's Clover Meadow Near Soda Lake

White-colored owl's clover mixing with the pink.

This is as far along Simmler Road as I dared to go in my Mazda 3, due to very deep ruts made when the soil was wet and soft.

View along Soda Lake Road toward Caliente Range

Impressionistic Landscape

Flowers in the Sun
(This was possibly the last relatively cool day, with a high of 75, before a heat wave would move in.)

The first time I ducked out of their way I didn't know what had narrowly missed me. It was at least two of these beetles (Paracotalpa ursina) buzzing through the air, clinched together in what I guess was a mating flight.

Purple thistle sage (Salvia carduacea) frolic in soil too unsuitable for the looming king of the plains.

Thistle Sage

Temblor Range from Soda Lake Road

Still lots of color up there
(view from Soda Lake Road).

These are the hills I saw three weeks ago from CA-166, and this view is from Elkhorn Grade Road, where I was surprised to have a big brown UPS truck pull in behind me until I saw that there's a Nestle/Purina clay-mining facility just off the dirt road. Check out what a trucker says about making deliveries here. (Do you see the SUV trailing dust near the upper left ridge?)