Wildflowers are blooming ‘ahead of schedule’ at the Carrizo Plain. See photos
Patches of wildflowers painted dashes of yellow in the hills of eastern San Luis Obispo County on Thursday as spring tried to jump ahead of winter.
Cows munched on grass along Highway 58, seemingly oblivious to the wildflowers blooming around them.
The floral displays were widely spaced along Highway 58, until the road climbed into the Temblor Range east of California Valley. There, the flowers bloomed abundantly on west-facing hillsides.
What’s the cause of the early bloom?
Rain showers doused the Carrizo Plain in November and late December. Then, an unusually warm and rainless January dried out the west-facing slopes of the Temblor Range — creating the conditions for a swath of bright yellow daisies to bloom prematurely on those hillsides, Carrizo Plain Conservancy board president Neil Havlik said.
These flowers are “ahead of schedule,” and the bloom in those areas will likely peak during the next dew days, he said.
Meanwhile, the soil in the foothills of the Temblor Range and the valley floor of the Carrizo Plain were still too moist on Thursday for wildflowers to bloom, Havlik said.
He predicted a two-phase wildflower season at the Carrizo Plain this year.
The first half of the bloom is occurring right now, with wildflowers growing on the west-facing slopes that get the most sun. Then, if the area gets more rain, flowers tucked under the valley floor could bloom in early spring, he said.
While he can’t predict the weather, Havlik said he’s hopeful that there’s still enough winter left for the Carrizo Plain to get the rain it needs.
“I’m feeling optimistic,” he said. “Hey, it’s only February.”
On Wednesday, he spotted bright yellow hillside daisies carpeting the west-facing slopes along Highway 58 overlooking the Elkhorn Plain, he said.
“They’re beautiful,” he said.
Meanwhile, a spray of orange poppies and patches of blue phacelia added pops of color to the yellow hills, he said.
On the valley floor, he also spotted a rare bloom: A yellow flower called Jared’s peppergrass. The plant thrives in the salty soils near Soda Lake.
He saw the flower about five miles south of Soda Lake near Panorama Road, which crosses through the lowest part of the valley. As of Wednesday, Panorama Road was too muddy for anyone to drive on safely, and he advised people to stay off of it.
Havlik has never seen a two-phased wildflower season before, but he’s not surprised by it, he said.
“You’re in an area where the rainfall is low, so when you get it, things react quickly,” he said.
Eastern SLO County hosts an early bloom of wildflowers
On Highway 58, splotches of intermittent color started east of Red Hill Road and Navajo Creek.
Hillside daisies, narrowleaf goldenbush and golden yarrow showed up in patches of yellow, while poppies and common fiddleneck offered a pop of orange.
Small blue flowers called scorpionweed also made an appearance, alongside the red-stemmed stork’s bill and purple, blue and white lupine flowers.
Meanwhile, visitors could spot red flowers known as the longleaf paintbrush just before the highway climbs up from San Juan Creek to the Carrizo Plain.
On Thursday, water still flowed in seasonal creeks along the highway, even though it had been weeks since the last rainstorm.
A pair of pronghorn walked along the road, and the sound of crickets and meadowlarks drifted on the breeze. Coyotes could be heard yipping over the next ridge in the cool morning.
Travel was easy along the paved Highway 58, but exiting the car can be tricky — with few shoulders available and the occasional truck roaring down the road.
Signs of the rain could be found in deep ruts along 7 Mile Road, though it was passable in a sedan.
Soda Lake was filled with water, spilling into areas with unmaintained paper streets.
Experts said that visitors should not leave Highway 58 or Soda Lake Road to drive on the paper streets; they were too muddy to be driven safely on Thursday.
Visitors also should also avoid portions of Elkhorn Road, which follows the foot of the Temblor Range where the current display of flowers is most showy. Online reports say the road is rough, and tow trucks won’t come to the rescue there.
Locals recommended that visitors stay out of the mud, use good judgment and travel in a high clearance, all-wheel drive vehicle if on the east side of the Carrizo. Conditions can change with the weather. Simmler Road, Elkhorn Road and Hurricane Road were either closed or questionable to drive on Thursday.
This story was originally published February 7, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
