Eschscholzia californica, the state flower, is in full bloom at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve in the high desert west of Lancaster. (Robbin Goddard / Los Angeles Times)
Take the winding zig-zag trail through the Tehachapi Vista to see wildflowers at the peak of Antelope Valley’s blooming season. (Robbin Goddard / Los Angeles Times)
The famed poppy reserve is producing an abundance of poppy plants in the valley and beyond, a year after a disappointing season. (Robbin Goddard / Los Angeles Times)
The reserve has eight miles of trails and it’s best to visit early before the winds pick up, while the blooms face south and are primed for close-up photos. (Robbin Goddard / Los Angeles Times)
Visitors take the Godde Hill Poppy Loop North Trail along the reserve. (Robbin Goddard / Los Angeles Times)
Clusters of California poppies grow along Gorman Post Road off of Interstate 5, where wildflowers may not be as plentiful as years past but still provide a vivid feast for the eyes. (Robbin Goddard / Los Angeles Times)
The poppies along Godde Hill Poppy Loop North Trail at the Antelope Valley reserve are ripe for the plucking..., er, photographing. (Robbin Goddard / Los Angeles Times)
With eight varieties of poppies on the Antelope Valley reserve, a ladybug has the pick of the crop. (Robbin Goddard / Los Angeles Times)
A panoramic view looks north from the hike up the Tehachapi Vista Trail at the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve. The 1,800-acre site is nestled in the Antelope Buttes, located 15 miles west of Lancaster. (Robbin Goddard / Los Angeles Times)
With the Tehachapi mountains in the background, patches of purple lupine and California poppies bloom bright off of Lancaster Road (Highway 138). (Robbin Goddard / Los Angeles Times)
