Wildflowers of Torrey Pines, Guy Fleming Trail

Super Bloom, Spring 2017

The drought that has plagued the Southwest United States, Southern California included, has been declared over… for the most part. We saw hardly any rain over the last five years and this winter we made up for the deficit. Finally! And when the rains come, so do the wildflowers.

The Torrey Pines State Reserve is a special place, and if you are visiting the San Diego area, try to stop by here. For spectacular scenery, the Guy Fleming Trail is one of my favorite places to walk, run, bring tourist friends, and take photos.

This year, a lot of photos. Never have I taken more pictures of any natural area. Ever. And I like taking pictures along hikes, so that is saying something.

Padre’s Shooting Star

Large Blue Toadflax?

San Diego Fiesta Flower

Groundpink

San Diego Jewelflower

From the dozen or so walks I have taken recently, I’ve saved about a hundred photos, culled down from four hundred, at least. The scenery changes every ten paces or so, quite literally! During San Diego’s May Gray and June Gloom, the fog sneaks and slips through the pines and up over the slopes that rise from the beach below. But- in a matter of minutes, the entire marine layer can clear up leaving tourist and locals blinking in the bright sunlight and marveling at the weathered bluffs, crumbling cliffs, and lovely, lovely flowers.

Just look at these side-by-side photos of similar views, but different times or weather:

and more…

Cold, early morning poppies vs. bright, shiny (and badly photographed) poppies:

CA Golden Poppy

I love these two:

Here’s a bit of the wildlife. Surfers count, they are totally legit wildlife…

Get a load of the geometry and patterns seen out on the beach trails:

Branches of a Torrey Pine tree- dead, but still very much a part of the scenery.

San Diego Sea Dahila… beauteous.

JK, this is really Moonlight Beach up in Encinitas… Not Torrey Pines at all. I just really love the pattern in this pic.

How many thousands of people have this same photo, looking west through a deceased Torrey Pine over the cliff?

Super-closeup of a pic that originally features my kids sitting on the beach at Torrey Pines back in 2009 when we moved back to California.

This ancient dune, pressed into rock, is now crumbling away.

And to conclude, a few of my favorite pics of just the flowers:

Miners Lettuce

Tidy Tips

Ground Pinks

San Diego Sea Dahlia

Wild Cucumber flowers

California Butterweed (I think…?)

San Diego Sea Dahila… beauteous.

All right. I have to quit. I could upload another 50 photos that are every bit as lovely as these, but I have to calm the heck down.

Happy hiking, all!