Top Spots To See Spring Wildflowers In Sacramento
Mather, CA 95655
(916) 364-2437
www.regionalparks.saccounty.net
Approximately 100,000 years ago, these rare vernal pools were formed in the area now known as Mather, and are part of a wetland ecosystem that is unique to California. Vernal pools are filled with water only 4 – 6 months each year, then go dry until the next rainy season. Wildflowers are part of the ecosystem, and springtime can bring bright bursts of wild hyacinth, miniature lupine, popcorn flowers, huge mule's ears, Fremont's tidy-tips, white meadowfoam, deep rose sack clover and wild radish. The pools and surrounding lands are also home to jackrabbits, coyotes, owls, meadowlarks, herons and more. Just 18 miles east of Sacramento, the pools are by Mather Regional Park; take the Zinfandel exit off 50 and head south. Zinfandel becomes a dirt road, and visitors can park on the side of the road by the kiosk. There is an education center at the pools, operated by the nonprofit group Sacramento Splash.
San Francisco Botanical Garden
1199 9th Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94122
(415) 661-1316
www.sfbotanicalgarden.org/garden
Inside Golden Gate Park, the San Francisco Botanical Garden has more than 8,000 types of plants from around the world. The best time to see wildflowers at their blooming peak is typically through early June, but there is plenty to see all through the year. One of the unique botanical collections is found in the 4-acre Arthur L. Menzies Garden, featuring 4 acres of woodlands, ponds, arroyos, all surrounding a magnificent wildflower meadow. Among the plants, visitors can find the distinctive California poppies, native iris, meadowfoam, Western azalea and ginger, wild lilac, flowering currant, and huckleberry. The botanical garden offers guided tours of seasonal blooms once a month; see website for details.
Related: Best Places For Your Dog To Enjoy The Day Outdoors In Sacramento
Red Hills Road
Jamestown, CA 95327
(916) 941-3101
www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/folsom/redhills
Just 2 hours from Sacramento, near the town of Chinese Camp, is more than 7,000 acres of public land known as the Red Hills management area. Wildflowers include the California Verbena, found nowhere else in the world, and butterweeds, brodiaea, and Red Hills soaproot. Red Hills is home to many creatures, including 88 species of birds, foxes, bobcats, jackrabbits, mule deer, and turtles. The Bureau of Land Management lists it as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), a "rare habitat" for sensitive or endangered species of plants and animals. Film buffs will appreciate that the Hopalong Cassidy movie "North of the Rio Grande" was filmed in the Red Hills in 1937.
1 Shields Ave.
Davis, CA
(530) 752-4880
arboretum.ucdavis.edu
The Arboretum has more than 100 acres of gardens, and is open to the public 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Several areas include native plants which bloom during the spring season, including California wild lilac and poppy, clarkias, godetias, salvias, and lupine. The Mary Wattis Brown garden in particular includes a breath-taking meadow of native California plants.
Butte County, north of Oroville
www.wildlife.ca.gov
Just over a one-hour drive from Sacramento, the 3,300-acre reserve was created by ancient flows of basalt lava. The elevated mesa is rich with beautiful spring wildflowers, and the gorgeous setting is further enhanced by streams, waterfalls, and outcroppings of lava. There are also rare Northern Basalt Flow vernal pools which provide for the special animals and plants that are present in the reserve.
