SoCal Wildflowers - Five Months After the Fire

[EricaR]

I went out on a wonderful wonderful hike today and got some great photos. This area burned very badly during the fires last October. I see this area every day. For the first few weeks after the fire everything was black. It almost looked like another planet because the only things you could see were burned up tree trunks and scorched earth. Over the past month things have been coming back to life and it is breathtaking now. I am so happy to see "my" wildlands green again. Since the fires received so much attention I thought I''d post some photos of how things are doing now.

It was a beautiful day with lots of white fluffy clouds. Well, they were light and fluffy when we started out...

 

[EricaR]

Mustard is an invasive species, but at least it is a pretty invasive!

 

[EricaR]

You can still see lots of evidence of a recent burn. There were tons of "tree skeletons" everywhere.

 

[EricaR]

Purple lupine and some beautiful California Poppies.

 

[EricaR]

More fire evidence.

 

[EricaR]

By the time we reached the top of our climb, a storm was starting to roll in.

 

[EricaR]

Last photo, the sky turned black very very quickly! Luckily we only got rained on the last 1/4 mile of our hike.

 

[ImpatientOne]

Beautiful pictures! I just love wild flowers!

 

[EricaR]

As a comparison, this is what it looked like on October 22, 2007.

 

[KimberlyH]

Erica, it's so funny you posted these today, just yesterday I went on a walk with my husband and we both noted how nice it is to be surrounded by green again after all of the damage the fires did to our neighborhood. There are still burned houses/properties that haven't been leveled and they are quite depressing to see. The contrast is so interesting. Thanks for sharing.

 

[luvmyhalo]

Great pictures! I was just driving down the 241 to Irvine the other day and noticed that everything is growing just beautifully! It was really nice to see.

 

[EricaR]

Our hike started at the Portola North exit from the 241, so you drove right by where these photos were taken!

I was so enamored by the flowers that I think I am going to lead a hike through the same area next weekend. Hopefully we''ll avoid the rain...

 

[mrssalvo]

wow, what beautiful pics and such a pretty place to hike. thanks for sharing.

 

[Skippy123]

Erica, those pictures are amazing and the wildflowers are so beautiful and peaceful looking! Thank you for sharing and you have quite the lovely view for your hikes, you lucky duck!

 

[partgypsy]

Thank you, the photos brightened my day. It gives one hope to see the earth rejuvenate if given the chance.

 

[Octavia]

Isn''t it amazing how the earth heals itself after such terrible damage? Sometimes I forget how beautiful and powerful nature is...thanks so much for posting these pictures to remind us!

 

[Miranda]

What great pics! I was just on the 241 a few weeks ago and the flowers were beautiful.

 

[choro72]

EricaR, I''m really surprised we haven''t bumped into each other yet...I take the Southbound exit every single weekend.

I''m so glad that the mountains are doing well. Since last October, I''ve been watching the burnt mountains come back to life slowly. It''s really neat watching the progress on a weekly basis. Life finds a way!

 

[sera]

I sure LOVE our hills in the spring... the yellow, purple and orange of mustard, lupine and poppies is always such a cheery site

(and especially after such devastation!).

 

[staci76]

What pretty pictures...love the flowers. I live in Central California (close to where the big Zaca fire was last year) and have noticed that there a lot of California poppies in bloom this year. There is a big patch of them along the road on my commute to/from work...it''s very pretty.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Beautiful photos. What an amazing difference.

 

[diamondfan]

The cycle of renewal is just so amazing. I lived in So. Cal and saw scorched hillsides many times, and to see the regrowth is incredible. Thanks for showing us signs of healing and of springtime.

 

[Harleigh]

Beautiful pictures, Erica! Thanks so much for sharing!

 

[EricaR]

Thanks everyone.

I spend a lot of time up in the hills and I was devastated when they burned. The morning before the fire started I was out hiking and was among the last group to see the area prior to the burn. That evening I stood on my patio watching the flames and crying, not because the fire was heading my direction but because I knew what it was already burning. I can''t believe someone set that fire on purpose.

It has been such a joy to see everything coming back. The fire came to just across the street from my house, and up until two months ago everything was black and still smelled smoky. Seeing the green emerge has been wonderful, and it feels great to wake up in the morning and not smell smoke.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

what great pics! the wildflowers are also starting to bloom around here in the santa monica mountains near the sites of the malibu fires. i've been wanting to go for a hike to check them out up close.

it's so nice to see GREEN!

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 3/17/2008 11:07:51 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Beautiful photos. What an amazing difference.

I was thinking the same thing. Beautiful pictures!