Image courtesy of www.DiscoverSantaBarbara.com
You can’t miss the brilliant display Santa Barbara County wildflowers this time of year. Showy California poppies, coral and ruby splashes of Indian pinks, butter-yellow clusters of soft-leaved paintbrush and more wildflower varieties are blooming like crazy, thanks to the late winter rains and warming temperatures.
Here are two prime wildflower blooming spots you don’t want to miss:
1) Channel Islands National Park — Of the five islands making up this unique archipelago, try first the two smallest islands for a highly concentrated display of wildflowers. Santa Barbara Island and Anacapa Island can be easily hiked in a couple of hours, and because these islets are so small, wildflowers tend to be clustered together in natural bouquets of giant coreopsis, Indian paintbrush, phacelia, blue dicks and island liveforevers. In a great wildflower year like we are experiencing this year, you can see from afar the yellow coreopsis blooms on the approach to Anacapa from the Island Packers boat.
2) Figueroa Mountain Road — This is a fantastic wildflower viewing destination and a great backcountry drive in the Los Padres National Forest located in northern Santa Barbara County. Drive slowly up the 13 miles of mostly paved road and explore all the pullouts to see owl’s clover, filaree, shooting stars, goldfields and popcorn flowers up close beneath groves of oak trees on the lower slopes. On the higher slopes beneath tall stands of pine trees, bush poppies, purple and bush lupines become so prevalent the scent is thick in the mountain air. California poppies are also prolifically mixed in with the lupine, creating a floral display you’ll never forget.
This is my favorite time of year here in Santa Barbara. Our perfect Mediterranean weather makes it easy to go outside and view the amazing displays of Santa Barbara County wildflowers. While getting outside is great, wouldn’t you like to see the wildflower spectacle from the comfort of your home in Montecito, Hope Ranch or any of Santa Barbara’s upscale communities? If yes, please call me at 805.886.9378 or email me at Cristal@montecito-estate.com. Many of my exclusive listings include breathtaking views of the mountains, which are currently alive with col