- Author: Sharon L. Rico
It's almost April. We are leaving winter behind and heading into spring. I think of wildflowers in April as the rolling hills around Solano County display splashes of colors this time of year.
Growing up in San Rafael at my grandparents, annual spring road trips around the area to see the wildflowers was a time of exploration. My grandparents liked to drive, picnic and hike to the Marin Headlands, Mt. Tamalpais, and Samuel P. Taylor Park. We would head towards the ocean to Pt. Reyes and Tomales Bay. The hills were covered in tall grasses and amazing colors. The yellow gold patches of the California poppies that blew in the wind were beautiful. I liked the poppies best; having been told it was the California State flower. The poppy is used as a symbol in so many publications, we don't even pay attention to it. Many garden clubs use the California poppy on their literature and membership publications. The UC Master Gardener Statewide logo embraces a poppy, poppy bud, and leaf.
Then there are the purple-blue lupines scattered throughout the hillsides. Living in the country sometime ago my children loved to pick lupines for bouquets for me. A memory I treasure.
I love the unusual names of wildflowers such as Prairie Bells, Shooting Stars, Milk Vetch, Butter and Eggs and Meadow Foam. In drought years, the wildflowers do not perform like years when we have rainfall. This spring should have quite a display.
Where to see wildflowers in Solano County? Look at the rolling hills for masses of color as you drive throughout the county. Take a train tour in April at the Western Railway Museum on Highway 12(www.wrm.org). Solano Land Trust (www.Solanolandtrust.org) has guided walks throughout Solano County. One of the most unusual tours is exploring the Jepson Prairie on Sundays, off highway 113. This vanishing habitat has existed for millions of years. The miniature ecosystem has a complex food web that sustains birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians (such as fairy shrimp). The natural earth depressions covered by shallow water from winter to spring, remain dry the rest of the year. Bring your family to see the natural miniature world of wildflowers and vernal pools; it's quite an education. Make sure you bring your loop or a magnifying glass for this incredible journey.