See pictures of wildflowers blooming in SLO County, Big Sur
By Kaytlyn Leslie and
Mackenzie Shuman
Photographer Mark Nakamura took this picture of wild mustard blooming at the top of Terrace Hill in San Luis Obispo on Sunday, April 4, 2021.
Mark Nakamura
www.nakamuraphoto.com
The drought sweeping much of San Luis Obispo County means we won’t see a massive super bloom of wildflowers this year.
However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t patches of pretty flowers popping up across the Central Coast.
Wildflowers can be spotted in the hills surrounding San Luis Obispo, as well as the fields off Shell Creek Road and Highway 58 east of Santa Margarita.
Other areas, such as Oso Flaco Lake Natural Area near Nipomo, San Simeon State Park, Fiscalini Ranch Preserve in Cambria and Estero Bluffs near Cayucos, are also showing blooms this year.
Tribune photographers and local residents captured these photos of California poppies, oxalis and other beautiful blooms.
Shooting star plants make an appearance at Lopez Lake. Tawny Sterios
Wildflowers along Bouchard Trail near Ragged Point. Danna Dykstra Coy
Hills of gold near Lopez Lake in Arroyo Grande. Vivian Krug Cotton
A lone poppy plant on Terrace Hill in San Luis Obispo. Mark Nakamura
Horses graze in a field of wildflowers outside the old San Simeon Schoolhouse, with Hearst Castle in the background. Kaytlyn Leslie kleslie@thetribunenews.com
Wildflowers along Bouchard Trail near Ragged Point. Danna Dykstra Coy
An oceanfront sweep along a Fiscalini Ranch Preserve bluff trail in Cambria is paved with oxalis, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. Cambria photographer Michele Sherman captured this view of the sprightly mass of blooms and the sea beyond on March 5. Oxalis, a flowering plant often considered a weed, is also known as false shamrock because of the shape of its trifoliate leaves. Other names include wood sorrel, yellow sorrel or sour grass. Michele Sherman
Wildflowers along Bouchard Trail near Ragged Point. Danna Dykstra Coy
The fields along the intersection of Shell Creek Road and Highway 58 don’t have quite the display of wildflowers that they have had in the past, but plenty of flowers are still blooming this year. Melissa Mooney
At Johnson Ranch Open Space in San Luis Obispo, chocolate lilies are in full bloom. Melissa Mooney
Tribune reporter Mackenzie Shuman captured this photo of wildflowers while hiking on April 3 near Salmon Creek Falls in Big Sur. Mackenzie Shuman
Tribune reporter Mackenzie Shuman captured this photo of wildflowers she saw while hiking near Salmon Creek Falls in Big Sur on April 3. Mackenzie Shuman
Tribune reader Michelle Apitz took this photo of California poppies at Montaña de Oro State Park on Thursday, April 8. Michelle Apitz
Tribune reader Denine Hicks took this photo of California poppies at Harmony Headlands State Park off Highway 1 on April 6. Denine Hicks
Tribune reader Denine Hicks took this photo of yellow oxalis at Harmony Headlands State Park off Highway 1 on April 6. Denine Hicks
Mackenzie Shuman primarily writes about SLO County education and the environment for The Tribune. She’s originally from Monument, Colorado, and graduated from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in May 2020. When not writing, Mackenzie spends time outside hiking and rock climbing.
Kaytlyn Leslie writes about business and development for The San Luis Obispo Tribune. Hailing from Nipomo, she also covers city governments and happenings in San Luis Obispo. She joined The Tribune in 2013 after graduating from Cal Poly with her journalism degree.
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