“A volunteer we work with went up to the mountains on Sunday and was already seeing many bush poppies come up, and wow, it was a big bloom,” Jiménez-Helsley said. “So it’s starting to happen. Hopefully things continue to warm up and we’ll get some big blooms in the next couple weeks, but we’ll just have to wait and see how it looks.” 

Jiménez-Helsley said that the areas likely to experience large blooms are Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve, Wilder Ranch State Park, the San Vicente Redwoods and areas along the coast between Davenport and Half Moon Bay. Most blooms will occur in open areas, like grasslands and prairies. 

The San Vicente Redwoods are at a particularly unique point in time when it comes to plant growth — the forest was marred by the CZU Lightning Complex Fire in 2020, and much of it remains a massive burn scar to this day. These conditions are ideal for wildflowers, though, particularly those that thrive from the fertile burned soil and limited competition for water that come as the result of a wildfire. 

“One of the important things about fire is that there are many plants that are adapted to it,” Jiménez-Helsley said. “This is probably the last season that we’ll see these fire-following plants, just because of timing. You can see them for a few years after a fire, but after that it’s less likely.” 

Some of these fire-following plants include wild red rhododendrons, desert dandelions, evening primrose, lavender lupine, bright pink clarkia and native California poppies. 

Jiménez-Helsley recommends that those interested in viewing the wildflowers look up resources on local flora and fauna from the California Native Plant Society.

“Take many photos, look up close and see all the kinds of little insects that are pollinating these plants,” Jiménez-Helsley said. “Take it all in, and of course watch your step so we can continue to enjoy these hopefully during the next superbloom.”