APRIL'S GOLDEN PROMISE POPPY PROS SAY BLOOMS SHOULD BEGIN NEXT MONTH.

Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer

LANCASTER- As the visitor center at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve opens for the wildflower season, the first few - and just a few - of the vivid orange blossoms are beginning to bloom.

The early indications are that it will be a fair wildflower display this year, but experts caution that predicting the display is an inexact science. The best guess is the blooms will begin showing in earnest in mid-April.

``The season appears to be late - for example, the Joshua trees are blooming late,'' said Milt Stark, a wildflower expert who has written two books on the subject. ``I think we're going to have a reasonably good year, but that's a wild guess.''

A few poppies along the entrance road to the poppy reserve have bloomed, along with a number of other fiddlenecks and lupines.

``There are a lot of wildflowers coming up, but we don't know if the poppies are going to be dominant,'' said John Crossman, an associate resource ecologist with the state parks department. ``It's promising.''

Since 1994, the state parks department has conducted seven or eight prescribed burns at the reserve to clear away non-native plants and grasses that have choked out the poppies.

``The plants seem to be doing better,'' Crossman said. ``It seems like we've had more blooms.''

The visitor's center will remain open through mid-May. The poppy reserve, located at 15101 Lancaster Road, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.

The entry fee is $2 per vehicle. For those 62 and over, the fee is $1 per vehicle.

Information about the reserve can be found on the Internet at www.calparksmojave.com. Volunteers have purchased a digital camera to provide live shots of the reserve that park personnel hope will be installed for this season.

The poppy hotline phone number is [phone].

As the poppy reserve gears up for the season, the city of Lancaster is preparing for its annual Poppy Festival, a two-day event that draws in about 60,000 visitors each year.

The festival, held at Lancaster City Park, 43011 10th Street West, will be held April 7-8, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days.

Highlighting the festival entertainment this year will be performances by Hiroshima, Flora Purim and Airto, and guitarist Lee Ritenour.

The festival will include artists creating chalk art, a series of exhibits on Antelope Valley history, more than 200 arts and crafts booths, 24 food vendors, and a children's carnival.

Entry fees to the festival will be $6 for adults, $3 for children 6-12, and free for children 5 and under. The entry fee is $3 for ages 62 years and up.

Parking is $2.

For more information about the festival, call Lancaster Parks, Recreation and Arts Department at 661-723-6077 or visit the festival's Web site at www.poppyfestival.com.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, map

Photo:

(1 -- color) The first few poppies are beginning to blossom at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. But wildflower experts say the season is starting late. The reserve is at 43011 10th Street West.

(2 -- color) Erhfang Lee of Los Angeles looks at one of the early arrivals at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer

Map: Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve