Wildflower Season Is on the Wind

Finding fabulous flowers as wintertime begins its chilly run?

That's not too difficult, if you look inside the nearest nursery, garden center, or large grocery store, for that's where you'll see a plethora of poinsettias, and paperwhites, and the occasional amaryllis, too.

But, at least around Southern California, our thoughts begin to turn to wildflowers as the old year winds down, and if we've had some rain?

Oh goodness. There's no dampening our shared hopes for a possible Super Bloom situation.

And helping to dry out our hopes, or whatever the opposite of dampening is in this case, is a social media post from the Antelope Valley California Poppy State Natural Reserve, which popped up just ahead of Christmas.

The reserve's hope-packed message? "Tiny poppies are just starting to sprout!" And below it, a photo of some wee green plants.

The fully realized orange poppies we know and obsess over are still a few months out, but surely these early signs seem positive. Again, we repeat: Poppies are not yet blooming. Good? Sweet.

Also sweet? That wildflower volunteer training for the reserve is just over a month away, another sign that wildflower time is on the wind.

The reserve's Jane S. Pinheiro Interpretative Center opens on March 1, 2020, so let's all collectively hold our excited horses for now, and not head to the reserve in search of possible poppy signs (and, of course, when the poppies do eventually bloom, every visitor will kindly stay on the trails, which is the right thing to do).

Though, of course, the reserve is open all year long, sunrise to sunset, so go soon if you'd simply love to enjoy the peaceful place on a quiet winter's day.

Are you eager to volunteer during wildflower season? Start here.

Can't wait for wildflower season to sprout?

Follow the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, or your favorite wildflower-rich location, to see how all of this recent rain may or may not but fingers crossed can perhaps support a mighty 2020 bloom.