Poppies in the Merced River Canyon, April 2014
Spring has arrived early this year. It seems the poppies in the Merced River Canyon west of Yosemite liked the warm February weather we’ve been having, and they’ve been appearing in greater numbers over the last two weeks. On Friday, when Claudia and I drove up to Yosemite Valley for the Yosemite Renaissance opening reception, we saw some vibrant patches of poppies on the north side of the canyon (opposite Highway 140) a few miles easts of Briceberg. Other spots further east were just starting to show tinges of orange, but I expect those areas will become more colorful. It’s shaping up to be a good year for poppies in the canyon, but it’s just getting started, and the flowers are likely to last for several more weeks if the weather cooperates.
I’ve also seen photos of brilliant poppy displays in the southern Sierra foothills (east of Fresno and Bakersfield). And Death Valley is having a good bloom right now also. But southern California has received below-average rainfall so far this winter, so some of the best wildflower spots in the state like the Carrizo Plain and Antelope Valley probably won’t have great displays this year unless they get more rain soon.
This map from NOAA shows rainfall in the western U.S. over the last six months. You can see a swath of green, indicating above-average precipitation, stretching from Monterey Bay east to the Central Valley, and then south and east through the southern Sierra foothills. These are the areas most likely to have good flower displays now. For more information on California flowers, I’d suggest checking Sandy Steinman’s blog, Natural History Wanderings, the CalPhoto group on Yahoo, and the DesertUSA site.
As much as I enjoy the warm weather and flowers, the entire state needs more rain. There’s a chance of showers in the forecast for Thursday, and hints of possible storms next week, but we’ll see. Let’s hope we get more precipitation in March and April before the rainy season ends!
— Michael Frye
Related Posts: Hite’s Cove Poppies; Poppies Are Still Going Strong
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Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He is the author or principal photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite, Yosemite Meditations, Yosemite Meditations for Women, Yosemite Meditations for Adventurers, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters. He has also written three eBooks: Light & Land: Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom, Exposure for Outdoor Photography, and Landscapes in Lightroom: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide. Michael has written numerous magazine articles on the art and technique of photography, and his images have been published in over thirty countries around the world. Michael has lived either in or near Yosemite National Park since 1983, currently residing just outside the park in Mariposa, California.
Michael,
Really nice!
Cheers,
Alyn
Thanks Alyn!
Michael, the poppies looked really good on the west side of Tehachapi Pass when I drove through on 2/15 & 22. It was quite bizarre after being in Death Valley (where it was good south on Badwater Rd) and up in the bristlecones on the east side to see lush green covered in flowers!
Thanks for that report Monika!
I like it, like watching around you with your images documenting, all day and night where you lives Michael.
Greetings to Claudia.
Kind Regards.
Federico F. Moy.
Thanks Federico!
Dear Michael,
Thanks again for sharing the information about wildflowers. Based upon you observation, when would you expect the peak time of poppies in the Merced River Canyon this year? How would you compare this one with the one in late February 2009, which I felt was one of the best poppy displays at this location that I had ever seen?
Best,
George
You’re welcome George. I’d say the peak will be in about a week, unless the storm predicted for this weekend interferes. If it does, then the peak might actually be this week, but it will less spectacular than it could have been. I wouldn’t say it’s as good as late February of 2009 – yet. But it might get there. I actually thought March and early April of 2009 were better than February.
Looks like you got linked to this very blog in today’s LAist: “10 Great Off-The-Radar Spots To See Wildflowers In Southern California” (they included our Blossom Trail). 🙂
laist.com/2016/03/04/10_off-the-radar_spots_to_see_the_wi.php
Well I don’t see the link you refer to Ann, but an interesting article nonetheless.
Oops! The blog link is actually contained in the underlined sentence at the end of the Blossom Trail paragraph–“nearby in the Sierra Foothills”
Okay, got it, thanks!
I want to plan a trip to the area. Has the redbud started to bloom in El Portal yet? Thanks.
Yes, the redbuds have started to bloom. The last time I drove through the Merced River Canyon on Monday, there were a few redbuds in full bloom, others that were just budding, and a majority that weren’t even budding out yet. I’m not sure how much they’ve progressed since then, or how quickly they will progress, since we’re due for more rain and colder weather.
Hi Michael,
Coming back home to Bay Area yesterday afternoon (3/12) via 140 highway, I didn’t see any poppies along the Merced River Canyons. Did I misread your post or all of the poppies were gone due to the most recent storm?
Best,
George
We also didn’t see many poppies along the Merced River Canyon. As I said, the storms could have an effect on the poppies. But I did see a lot of closed poppies, so it was hard to tell whether they were just all closed up, or had faded. Maybe both.
Thanks Michael. I didn’t see any poppies from the road maybe because they were closed as the time was around 4pm and there was no sunlight in the canyon. Usually, California poppies should be able to survive under cold weather as I recalled seeing lots of them in 2007 or 2008 near Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve even after a very cold snow storm.
Best,
George
Hello Michael,
I tried to buy your E-book”Landscapes in Lightroom: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide” trough your blog, without success, it’s any other way to buy it.
Thanks.
Thanks for trying to buy the ebook Sergio. There really isn’t another way to buy it. If you could explain what happens when you try to buy it, then I might be able to help solve the problem. Often this kind of glitch can be cured by restarting your browser, or your computer.