So Here's the Deal with This Year's Poppies

A "moderate" bloom is the latest word on the coming 2020 season at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve.

David McNew/Getty Images

What to Know

  • A "moderate" season is the expectation
  • Fiddlenecks will have a great run in 2020
  • The reserve's visitor center opens on March 1

You likely had some parent, teacher, older family member, or good friend tell you, at some point, to cool your various jets, and slow your roll, and live things as they happen, without working yourself up into a snit ahead of time.

Pre-worrying? It never, ever works.

And, truly, there's nothing to pre-worry about when it comes to the predicted bloom at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. For the good word from the people at the reserve on Feb. 14, 2020 is that the coming season will produce a "moderate bloom."

"Moderate" is nothing to sneeze at, or shrug about, but there is a twist: "(G)rasses may be outgrowing the poppies which may affect the visual aesthetics of the bloom."

The bloom was notably majestic, and on the "wow" side, in 2019, sending thousands of poppy people out into the reserve for a day of flower enjoyment and photograph-taking.

As for what's happening now, in the middle of February, around the Lancaster location?

Local

Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.

Everything you need to know about the Dodgers Opening Week at Chavez Ravine

California's commercial Dungeness crab season will end April 8 to protect whales

There are "some patches with lots of poppy sprouts," and "the first couple of flowers have been spotted."

And if you're a fiddleneck fan? Lucky you: A terrific season is predicted.

You'll soon get a chance to see just what's happening in terms of the iconic orange flowers, and the other wildflowers that famously grow in the area, when the Jane S. Pinheiro Interpretative Center opens on March 1 for the 2020 season.

Need regular updates as to just what's happening with your beloved poppies? There's a Facebook page for that, and a wildflower hotline, too. Ring it at 661-724-1180.

Whenever you go, always follow the golden, er, orange rule: Stay on the trails.

Contact Us