What to Know
- The Theodore Payne Wild Flower Hotline returns on Friday, March 8
- The free-to-phone hotline shares new wildflower sightings each Friday; Emmy winner Joe Spano is the longtime voice of the hotline
- 818-768-1802 ext. 7; the hotline marked its 40th anniversary in 2023
A bee living in the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve can't take time out of its busy day to share the blossomy buzz on social media. And a scrub jay merrily flitting around a hillside spray of fiddlenecks?
The on-the-go bird won't dare pause and send a group text about whether or not the bloom is hitting its all-too-brief peak.
We cannot, in short, ask the critters that live in our region's well-known wildflower spots for their insider tips on what's happening with any potential petals popping, but we can go to the next best thing: The knowledgeable team at the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers & Native Plants.
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The Sun Valley-based nonprofit has long been Southern Californians' sunshiny source for the fascinating flora that grows around our verdant home, with workshops, sales, and special events beckoning local lovers of beautiful blossoms.
The foundation is also famous for its springtime Wild Flower Hotline, a phone number that provides weekly reports on wildflowers around the area.
The hotline, which launched in 1983, returns for the 2024 flower season on Friday, March 8; feel free to ring 818-768-1802, ext. 7, and gather new fresh wildflower tips every Friday through June.
The Scene
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You'll discover "the best locations for viewing spring wildflowers in Southern and Central California," should you want to search further afield.
"We balance the spectacle of annual flower displays with perennial plants and their spring color," shares the foundation on its website.
Emmy-winning actor Joe Spano will again serve as the trusted Voice of the Wild Flower Hotline.
The beloved hotline, by the by, is free; you can donate to the Theodore Payne Foundation, if you like, via this page.
More March rain is giving hope for more marvelous color in flower-lush locales, but whether the poppies will pop around Antelope Valley, or the lupine will liven up our foothills, remains to be seen.
Best keep the digits for the Theodore Payne Wild Flower Hotline close, and find out what is prettily popping around Southern and Central California, literally, each Friday.
