Whitewater Wildflowers

Whitewater Preserve Staff

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It’s wildflower season! Come visit our preserve throughout the next few weeks for some beautiful blooms. Below are some of our commonly seen wildflowers.

Collared Lupine

Collared lupine (Lupinus truncatus)

Legume Family
Blooms: March - May

One of many species of lupine found at Whitewater, the collared lupine is partially distinctive from its magenta to purple blooms. Its leaves are broken into 5-8 narrow leaflets, which have a square or truncated tip. Like other lupine species, collared lupine fruit looks like a very small, hairy pea pod. Look for this wildflower on slopes and in washes along our trails!

Common Fiddleneck

Common fiddleneck (Amsinckia intermedia)

Forget-me-not Family
Blooms: February - May

Common fiddleneck can be identified by its terminal flowering whorl, which is shaped like a fiddle or violin! Certain species of this plant are used by Native Americans as a food source, and the shoots and leaves are used for medicinal purposes. But be careful touching this plant, the sharp hairs that cover it can cause skin irritation!

Wallace's Woolly Daisy

Wallace's woolly daisy (Eriophyllum wallacei)

Sunflower Family
Blooms: March - May

Also known by the common names of woolly daisy, and woolly Easter bonnet, it is an annual herb native to California and can be found growing in sandy or rocky areas. It is a small plant, only growing up to 6 inches. The woolly daisy can grow alone or in clusters with varied colors.

California Bluebell

California bluebell (Phacelia minor)

Forget-me-not Family
Blooms: March - June

The California bluebell, or wild Canterbury bells is an annual herb, and a native plant to California and Western North America. Look for it covering the eastern roadside in the burn areas. Their color can be lavender or a deep blueish purple in color, with its stamens protruding out the center of the flower capped with white anthers.

Brittlebush

Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa)

Sunflower Family
Blooms: January - May

Found across the hills of Whitewater Canyon, this beautiful yellow-flowering bush stands out! Brittlebush ranges in size from 1 ft to 5 ft in height and up to 4 ft in diameter. When not in bloom, the gray-green leaves covered in small white hairs are often mistaken for sage. The flowers attract many important pollinators, and birds rely upon the seeds after the brittlebush blooms.