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E-mail StoryWildflowers about to put on a show
| Thursday, Feb 28 2008 5:18 PM
Last Updated: Friday, Feb 29 2008 7:28 AM
Kern’s green landscape is about to see a brilliant burst of color.
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Two have already bloomed and others won't be far behind in this small patchh of wildflowers at the South Fork Wildlife Area near Lake Isabella.
Morning dew sparkles in the background as this wildflowers on Highway 223 near Highway 58 prepares to open to the morning sun.
A brilliant yellow stands out on this wildflower at the South Fork Wildlife Area near Lake Isabella.
A macro lens helps magnify these tiny wildflowers off of Highway 223.
This year’s wildflower blooms are expected to be markedly better than last year’s thanks to a healthy dose of winter rain.
Kern County is already experiencing some early displays. Hues of yellow, orange and purple have speckled the landscape along Sierra Way in the Kern Valley just north of Lake Isabella from fiddleneck, lupine and poppies.
“There's nothing to really write home about yet but it should be a pretty decent” season, said Alison Sheehey, a wildlife expert who lives in Kern Valley and maintains a wildflower report at www.natureali.org.
Nature lovers missed out on wildflowers last year due to drought and extreme temperature variations in winter and spring.
Kern County is home to many varieties of wildflowers, including the California poppy, Indian paintbrush, desert calico and San Joaquin wooly-thread. Areas just outside the county are also known for good showings.
Buds have started to burst open at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. Other traditional hotspots for flower spectating are the Carrizo Plain National Monument, Red Rock Canyon State Park and Death Valley National Park.
Hot lines and Web pages to check for wildflower sightings:
Kern County Wildflower Hot line, 322-WILD
Alison Sheehey’s Wildflower Report, www.natureali.org
California Wildflower Hotsheet, www.calphoto.com/wflower.htm