Lifestyle
The Wild Flower Hotline is returning … but will 2024 give us a superbloom?
Come spring in California, after even a little bit of rain, people start asking the big questions: When does the Wild Flower Hotline start up and will this year be a superbloom?
The first question is easy: Theodore Payne Foundation’s Wild Flower Hotline resumes on March 8, and updates every Friday into June. You can access the info three ways: as a phone message by dialing (818) 768-1802 ext. 7, by subscribing to the podcast, or simply reading the online blog.
The information is collected by botanist Lorrae Fuentes, who has assembled a network of botanist colleagues to report their wildflower sightings in Southern and Central California every week, said Theodore Payne Foundation Executive Director Evan Meyer.
Fuentes writes the scripts, which are then narrated by Emmy Award-winning actor Joe Spano (of “Apollo 13,” “NCIS” and “Hill Street Blues” fame, to name a few), “a sweet, charming guy who does this pro bono as a way of giving back to the community,” Meyer said.
But will Fuentes and Spano be reporting another superbloom year?
That remains to be seen, Meyer said, but he’s optimistic.
Fragrant big pod ceanothus (Ceanothus megacarpus) are already blooming in the Santa Monica Mountains, he said, and other flowers are preparing to bloom as the weather turns warmer, but popular viewing areas like the Carrizo Plain National Monument in Central California are probably a good month away from revealing their show.
A slope in Walker Canyon blanketed with California poppies in 2019.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The Carrizo Plain is a particularly good place to view wildflowers, Meyer said, because it doesn’t have the invasive black mustard plants (Brassica nigra) and non-native grasses that can overrun native blooms closer to Los Angeles. “It’s a place to get a glimpse of what California’s wildflowers were like 200 years ago.”
Fast-growing mustard plants have bright yellow flowers that can look pretty from a distance, he said, “but they’re very destructive to the native ecology” and when they dry out later in the year, they become a dangerous fuel for wildfire, so much so that property managers are hiring goats to mow them down on steep slopes.
Visitors are urged never to pick native wildflowers, so we can continue recharging the seed beds, but invasive, non-native flowers like mustard are fair game. The leaves of young plants are tasty in stir fries and salads (outdoors educator Jason Wise offers many classes for foraging invasive weeds, complete with recipes), and the flowers can make a lovely fabric dye.
The bright yellow blooms of the invasive, non-native black mustard plant cover the hillside of the Elysian Park neighborhood in May 2023.
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Native wildflower blooms vary depending on the weather and elevation, Meyer said, with the flowers lasting well into August in the high mountains.
“We’ve had above average rainfall this year, so the soil has stayed consistently moist, which is important,” he said. “And we had a huge seed production from last year, so it’s going to be interesting to see what happens. I think we’ll definitely see a lot of flowers this year.”
Which does not necessarily mean a superbloom. Scientists tend to be careful about making predictions but botanist Naomi Fraga, director of conservation programs for the California Botanic Garden, can’t talk about one of her favorite subjects without betraying a little excitement for what might be coming.
The seed bank has been recharged, she said, but that doesn’t mean those seeds will bloom in 2024; wildflower seeds can lie dormant for years before they germinate.
An ant’s eye view of California poppies.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
However, Fraga said, some stunning displays are already beginning in desert areas, boosted by heavy rains last August from Tropical Storm Hilary. The Anza Borrego Foundation, for instance, is already posting breathtaking photos of vast wildflower blooms on its Instagram page.
That heavy rain in August “primed the ground to receive and hold on to new rain, so everything got absorbed really well when the winter rains came,” she said. “As long as the conditions stay cool and don’t rise very rapidly in March, to where it’s suddenly 90 degrees, I think we have a strong chance of a very extraordinary bloom in the Death Valley region.”
The hills around Los Angeles County are already greening up, she said, so they could have strong displays of lupines, sages (salvias), phacelias and of course the state flower, the vibrantly orange California poppy (Eschscholzia californica), if the native flowers aren’t overtaken by invasive mustard and non-native grasses.
Whether it will be a superbloom, however, “I’ll leave to the visitors to judge,” Fraga said, “ because, of course, all blooms are super.”
There’s no precise definition for a superbloom, she said, “because it’s kind of in the eye of the beholder. To me, a superbloom is a very prolific bloom that covers a fairly large geography, where areas are blooming in mass and not just pockets here and there.”
A meadow carpeted with wildflowers along a stretch of Highway 58 near Santa Margarita in April 2023.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Those “pocket” blooms are still beautiful, Fraga said, but for her, superblooms are events where even the experts are in awe.
“It’s when botanists leave the field covered in pollen,” Fraga said. “Everywhere you go you see profusions, blankets of flowers for miles and miles. You see waves of pollinators like painted lady [butterfly] migrations and sphinx moths. It’s overwhelming because everything is so … alive.”
So is it the pollen that makes us all go gaga about extraordinary wildflower displays? Or the thrill of seeing our normally staid hills streaked with bright color, as jumbled and vivid as a toddler’s smock after an afternoon of fingerpainting?
2024 Wildflower Details
Where to find wildflower information (and gorgeous photos)
“Flowers are definitely something easy to love … and people are attracted to the colors because we just love a show,” she said. “But for botanists, I think it’s the fleeting nature of wildflowers. It’s like you’re in a race to see everything you can see, because you never know when you’ll see it again. It’s the same phenomenon as a big flash sale .. it’s not available all year round.”
The treasure-hunt aspect is enticing, Meyer said, but he sees other factors too, starting with humans just being wired to seek out large-scale biological events, like the fall colors in New England or bison roaming the Great Plains.
“California’s wildflower blooms are one of the most impressive botanical events on the planet,” he said. “They’re so vast and dense and abundant they can be viewed from space, so it’s natural people are drawn to that because it’s so awe inspiring.”
That appreciation is also in our DNA, he said. “We evolved with plants, and many California wildflower seeds are edible, like chia (Salvia columbariae), so Indigenous Americans would look on those fields and say, ‘There’s our food for the next many months.’”
But mostly, Meyer sees the annual displays “as a salve to our urban world of computers and freeways and cubicles.”
A California poppy stands out amid a sea of deep purple wildflowers in Walker Canyon, Lake Elsinore in 2019.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
“They allow us to connect with our optimism,” he said.
“It’s like a metaphor for life; a reminder that good things lie in wait. We might not see them, but the seeds are there, under the ground, ready to bloom in great abundance … so don’t give up hope.”
Neve Campbell in Scream 7.
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The OG Scream Queen Neve Campbell returns. Scream 7 re-centers the franchise back on Sidney Prescott. She has a new life, a family, and lots of baggage. You know the drill: Someone dressing up as the masked slasher Ghostface comes for her, her family and friends. There’s lots of stabbing and murder and so many red herrings it’s practically a smorgasbord.
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Abriana Vicioso is the host of the Flower Hour, which takes place monthly.
(Jennifer McCord / For The Times)
Each flower carries a personal history. For Abriana Vicioso, the calla lily was her parents’ wedding flower — a symbol of her mother’s beauty. “She had this big, beautiful white calla lily in her hair,” Vicioso says. “I love my parents. They’re the reason I’m here. I’ll never forget where I came from.”
The Flower Hour begins with Vicioso announcing, with a warm smile: “Today is about touching grass.” The florist-by-trade gestures behind her to hundreds of flowers contained in buckets — blue thistles, ivory anemones and calla lilies painted silver — all twisted and unfurling into the air. “Tonight is going to be so sweet and intimate,” Vicioso says, eyeing the beautiful chaos at her feet. A grin buds across her face.
Moments before the workshop, participants sit at candlelit tables exchanging horoscopes and comparing their favorite flowers. A mention of the illustrious bird-of-paradise flower elicits coos and awe from the women. Izamar Vazquez, who is from Jalisco, Mexico, reveals her fondness for roses, which make her feel connected to her Mexican roots.
Vicioso hosts her flower-themed wellness workshop near the iconic Original Los Angeles Flower Market in downtown L.A. In January, the first Flower Hour event sold out, prompting her to make it a monthly series. Vicioso describes the event as a “three-part journey” where participants are invited to drink herbal tea, smoke rose-petal-rolled cannabis joints and create a floral arrangement. “The guide is to connect with the medicine of flowers,” Vicioso says.
Rose petal joints, tea and flower arranging are all part of The Flower Hour event’s offerings.
The event is hosted at the Art Club, a membership-based co-working space. “The Flower Hour is really beautiful. Everyone gets to explore their creativity while meeting new people,” says Lindsay Williams, the co-owner of the Art Club.
The idea for Flower Hour came to Vicioso during a conversation with her mother. “We joke all the time that flowers were destined to make their way into my life,” she says. She works as a florist and models on the side, even appearing in the pages of Vogue. Vicioso grew up in a Caribbean household, where flowers and offerings were part of daily life. “In my culture and religion, a lot of my family practices — an Afro-Caribbean religion — we build altars.”
Like many cultures, flowers carry sentimental value in her religion. “I’m Caribbean, so a lot of my family practices a Yoruba religion, which comes from Africa. In the Caribbean, it’s well known as Santería.”
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After a difficult year and a breakup, Vicioso wanted to marry her love of flowers with community building. Because Vicioso uses cannabis medicinally, the workshop naturally includes a smoking component. “My family has smoked cannabis for a lot of reasons for a long time. It’s a really healing plant,” she explains.
In the workshop, even the cannabis gets the floral treatment. Vicioso presents her rose-petal-wrapped joints on a silver platter at each table. She rolled each by hand. “If you’ve never smoked a rose-petal-rolled joint, the difference with this is it’s going to have roses that have a slight tobacco effect,” she announces.
During the workshop, Vicioso stresses the importance of buying cannabis from local vendors. The cannabis provided was purchased from a Northern Californian vendor. The wellness workshop aims to reclaim the healing ritual of smoking cannabis. “This is a plant that has been commercialized,” Vicioso says. “There’s a lot of Black and Brown people who are in jail for this plant.”
The resulting workshop is what Vicioso describes as “an immersive wellness experience that is the intersection of wellness, creativity, community and an appreciation of flowers.” The workshop serves as a reminder to enjoy Earth’s innate beauty in the form of flowers — including cannabis. “It’s this gift that the universe gave us for free and that I have this deep connection with,” Vicioso says.
Conversation cards to generate discussion among participants (top, letf). The workshop serves as a “third space” for Angelenos to engage in tactile creativity and community building outside of traditional nightlife settings.
After enjoying lavender chamomile tea and smoking a joint, Vicioso introduces the flowers to the group before inviting them to pick their own. She emphasizes each flower’s personality traits, describing green dianthus as a “Dr. Seuss” plant. Then, there are calla lilies with their “main character moment.” It gets personal. “Start thinking of a flower in your life that you can discover,” she says. “If you’re feeling like you need inspiration, you can always remember that these flowers have stories.”
Vicioso infuses wisdom into her instruction on floral arrangements: There are no mistakes. Let the flowers tell you where they want to go, she urges. Intuition will be your guide — the wilder, the better.
“Hecho in Mexico” reads a sticker on a bunch of green stems. “Like me,” says Vazquez with a laugh. “They’re all doing their own thing. Like a family,” she says later, arranging stems.
The Flower Hour participants and Vicioso, center, chat as they build their own floral arrangements at the sold-out event.
Two participants — Vazquez and Rebeca Alvarado — are friends who run a floral design company together called Izza Rose. Like Vicioso, the friends have a connection to flowers through their Latin American culture. They met Vicioso in the floral industry and were overjoyed to discover her workshop.
“This is a great way to connect with other people,” says Vazquez.
Alvarado agrees, adding: “You’re getting to know people outside of going to bars. You can connect in different ways when there’s an activity.”
Vazquez uses flowers to stay connected to her Mexican heritage, adding that she prefers to support Mexican vendors. In recent months, the downtown L.A. flower market has struggled to recover from ongoing ICE raids. “Some are scared to come back,” says Vazquez.
Hand-rolled cannabis joints wrapped in rose petals are presented on a silver platter at The ArtClub (top, right). The Flower Hour aims to reclaim the healing rituals of cannabis and flowers.
Another participant, Barbara Rios, was attracted to the workshop for stress relief. “You can hang out with your friends, but it’s nice to do things with your hands,” she says. “I work a stressful job, and it’s nice to have that third space that we’re all craving.”
On this February night, the participants were predominantly women, save for one man. In the future, Vicioso hopes that more men learn to engage with flowers. “There’s a statistic about men receiving flowers for the first time at their funerals, and I think we have changed that,” she says.
To conclude the workshop, Vicioso encourages participants to build lasting friendships and incorporate flower arranging into their daily practice — even if it’s just with a small, inexpensive bouquet.
“Get some flowers together, go to the park, hang out with each other and hang out with me,” she says. Participants leave with flower arrangements in hand. In the darkness of the night air, it briefly looks as though the women carry silver calla lilies that are blooming from their palms.
An underwater view shows US’ Lilly King competing in a heat of the women’s 200m breaststroke swimming event during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre, west of Paris, on July 31, 2024. (Photo by François-Xavier MARIT / AFP) (Photo by FRANCOIS-XAVIER MARIT/AFP via Getty Images)
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This week’s show was recorded in Bloomington, Indiana with host Peter Sagal, judge and scorekeeper Bill Kurtis, Not My Job guest Lilly King and panelists Alonzo Bodden, Josh Gondelman, and Faith Salie. Click the audio link above to hear the whole show.
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