Blossoming Hillsides : Post-fire Areas Yielding Colorful Wildflowers

Fire is part of the natural life cycle in the mountains, one that is destructive, yet alsorestorative. Portions of the Santa Monica Mountains blackened in the fall’s fires have sprung to life with pink, yellow, blue and purple flossoms.

These “fire followers,” as they are called, appear only after fires and have joined the usual display of wildflowers that bloom every spring in the mountains ringing the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys.

The seeds of some plants actually need the heat of fire to germinate and can remain dormant for decades before sprouting. Scientists are also discovering that a chemical in charred wood or smoke also seems to trigger germination.

Fires also clear away competing plants, allowing these specialized wildflowers to grow. Fire followers are the showiest flowers to appear after a fire, and will predominate the next few seasons until they become crowded out by other vegetation.

Catalina Mariposa Lily

Calochortus catalinae - When it blooms: March-May.

- Where it blooms: Grassy slopes in heavy soil, Grassland and Coastal Sage habitats at low elevations.

- Description: Mariposa means “butterfly” in Spanish and single 2-to-3-inch flowers sit on delicate 1-to-2-foot stems. Yellow Mariposa Lily is another dominant fire-follower, found from April to June on dry slopes in Chaparral.

Foothill Lupine

Lupinus succulentus

- When it blooms: February-April.

- Where it blooms: Heavy clay soil on grassy slopes, Grasslands and Coastal Sage Scrub plant communities below 1,500-foot elevations. Currently blooming at Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa, along with Silver Leaf and Dove Lupine.

- Description: Stout, erect branching stem 8 to 24 inches high. This lupine is thicker and fleshier than other lupines. Other lupines that follow fire are Dove and Coulter’s lupine.

Parry’s Phacelia

Phacelia parryi - When it blooms: March-May.

- Where it blooms: Chaparral and Coastal Sage in western Santa Monicas. Large-flowered and Parry’s Phacelia currently blooming at Circle X Ranch.

- Description: Reaches two feet high with sticky, single or sparsely branched stems. Other related fire followers are Large-flowered Phacelia and California Bells. Large-flowered Phacelia is an abundant fire-follower which is lighter purple and blooms Feb.-June.

Fire Poppy

Papaver californicum - When it blooms: April-May first season after fire. Rarely found non-fire years.

- Where it blooms: Oak woodland and chaparral in central Santa Monicas. Currently blooming at Circle X Ranch. California Poppies blooming at Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa.

- Description: Slender stems reach one to two feet high. The four petals are not as satiny as related California Poppy. Other related fire-followers are the Wind Poppy, which is darker orange-red and bush poppy, a short-lived shrub with yellow flowers that germinates only after fire.

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Where To Go Nature lovers can see 55 wildflower species currently blooming at Circle X Ranch and 66 species at Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa, about a dozen which are designated as fire followers. *

Who to Call The California Native Plant Society’s local chapter is sponsoring Fire-follower Wildflower Walks, including one at 10 a.m. today (Sunday) at Cold Creek watershed. Call 310-573-1805 for information. For area wildflower updates, Theodore Payne Foundation has a Wildflower Hotline--818-768-3533.

Cycle of Life The showy rebirth of wildflowers after fire is just one link in a cycle that has been occurring for thousands of years in our mountains. 1. Fires burn hillsides in winter, clearing brush and leaving layer of ash.

2. Rains fall the following spring.

3. Ash acts as fertilizer for wildflowers, which are first plants to bloom.

4. Following year larger plants continue to grow. Wildflowers come back for second season.

5. Next year woodier plants take over, smothering wildflowers.

6. Fires burn hillsides and cycle starts again.

Researched by JULIE SHEER / Los Angeles Times. *

Sources: California Native Plant Society, Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens, Theodore Payne Foundation, Occidental College, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.