JAUNTS : Prime Wildflower Viewing Is Here : Perhaps it’s not as spectacular or diverse a display as a year ago. Some bloomed early, others will be later than usual.

It’s been a squirrelly winter for wildflowers. First, the torrential rain in January. Then a stretch of balmy weather. Then another drenching in March, followed by a cold snap.

Some wildflowers popped up early. Some are later than usual. Despite the wacky weather conditions, prime wildflower viewing season is here. And it’s a good year--although perhaps not as spectacular or diverse as last spring, when some areas exploded with colorful flowers months after devastating fires.

In the Santa Monica Mountains, the fires destroyed the bushy chaparral, which normally beats out the wildflowers in the competition for water, sun and soil nutrients. The wildflowers bloomed like crazy, aided by nutrient-rich ash from the fires. Among them were some “fire followers,” those bloomers that only appear in the year or two after fires, until the chaparral takes over again.

This year, the poppies--the main attraction in the spring wildflower show--are out there, but don’t expect carpets of them.

“They are not popping up as heavily as I had hoped,” said Mark Boehler, park ranger for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

Wildflowers, in general, are blooming in most areas in the Santa Monicas, but they are not as showy as last year. One exception is the Circle X Ranch near the coastal border of Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

“They’re there in massive numbers,” Boehler said.

Hikers can find about 50 varieties, including morning glories, lupines, bleeding hearts, poppies, sunflowers, popcorn flower, phacelias, blue dicks and shooting stars.

Chances are good that you’ll spot the rare chocolate lily, he said. The brown-colored lily, absent for several years, made a comeback last year, most likely because of the fires.

“I’ve never seen this many of them in my life,” Boehler said.

The chocolate lily is also plentiful in Thousand Oaks’ Wildwood Park, where other varieties--lupines, popcorn flower, phacelias and poppies--are blooming.

“I think it will be a good year, although (we won’t have) as many species,” said Tom Maxwell, a naturalist for the Conejo Recreation and Park District.

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March rains and cooler temperatures may have caused some flowers to bloom later than usual, which could extend the viewing time into early May, experts say.

The heavy rains have given the fields and hills a lush, green look and caused grasses to proliferate. But the tall grasses have put a bit of a crimp in wildflower viewing this year.

“People complain that there are no spectacular wildflower displays,” said Dieter Wilken, director of research for the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. “They’re there; (people) just can’t see them. There are so many grasses that they’re hidden.”

If it’s poppies you want to see, there are smatterings of them throughout the mountains. Here are three suggested spots in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area: La Jolla Canyon in Point Mugu State Park, Rancho Sierra Vista in Newbury Park, on the slope near the waterfall, and along the Nicholas Flat Trail at Leo Carrillo State Beach.

If you’re willing to travel a bit, the 1,700-acre Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve in Lancaster, with its eight miles of trails, is one of the best spots for poppy viewing--peak viewing should be this weekend. Another is the Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area in Gorman, a 20,000-acre expanse that you can drive through.

If you don’t know a poppy from pansy, here are a couple wildflower hikes led by naturalists:

On Saturday, take an easy walk into the Rocky Oaks site in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, near Agoura Hills. The free hike begins at 10 a.m.

On April 16, Tom Maxwell is leading a short hike in Wildwood Park. The hike, sponsored by the Conejo Recreation and Park District, costs $5 per carload and runs 1:30 to 4 p.m. Reservations are recommended.

On April 15, the California Native Plant Society is offering a free interpretive hike in the western portion of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The four-hour hike begins at 10 a.m. Call (818) 348- 5910 for the location.

The Conejo Recreation and Park District’s Outdoor Advisory Council is holding another “Sycamore-to-the-Sea” hike down Sycamore Canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This eight-mile hike is a council fund-raiser and costs $15, but a tri-tip or vegetarian lunch is included.

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Several naturalists will accompany the hikers to talk about wildflowers, plants, animals, geology and history of the area. Hikers meet at Newbury Park’s Rancho Sierra Vista parking lot and conclude the walk at the Sycamore Cove beach, where buses will take them back to Newbury Park after lunch. Registration is required. Call 494-8301 for information.

In Ventura, families can stroll through Arroyo Verde Park on April 15, on a wildflower tour offered by the city’s recreation department. The walk is for kids 5 and older, costs $3 and runs from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Walkers should meet in the Redwood Glen barbecue area at the end of the park. For information and registration, call 658-4726.

* Jane Hulse, who spends as much time as possible out of doors, is a regular contributor to Ventura County Life. If you have any outdoor recreational news, send it to her at Ventura County Life, 5200 Valentine Road, Suite 140, Ventura 93003, or send faxes to 658-5576.

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DETAILS * FYI: For more wildflower information, call the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, (818) 597-9192; Los Padres National Forest, Ojai district, 646-4348; Conejo Recreation and Park District, outdoor unit, 494-8301; Wildflower Hotline (Theodore Payne Foundation), (818) 768-3533; Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, 724-1180; Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area, 248-7007, or Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, 682-4726.