Poppy Reserve opens for 2016 wildflower season

By Jean Rhyn / Tehachapi News

The Jane S. Pinheiro Interpretive Center at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve will be open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on the weekends from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the duration of the wildflower season.

The Interpretive Center, staffed by volunteers, offers wildlife and wildflower displays, a gallery of Jane S. Pinheiro’s detailed watercolor paintings, an orientation video and a gift shop featuring unique wildflower-themed items. Guided tours about the wildflowers and cultural history of the reserve will be offered.

There are a handful of poppies in bloom around the park, and other small wildflowers have started blooming along the trails such as fiddleneck, slender-keeled fruit, goldfields and filaree. We are expecting a moderate bloom this year, but rains forecasted for next week will likely improve things. Bloom peak and duration is as unpredictable as Mother Nature, but generally late March to mid-April is the best bloom, with a mosaic of color that changes daily. Read More

Photo Credit: Della Huff