LANCASTER'S POPPIES; FESTIVAL CELEBRATES WILD SPRING BLOOMS.Byline: Story by Shawn Wylie This weekend, 55,000 people are expected to swarm Lancaster - not to experience a religious awakening, not to witness an extraterrestrial phenomenon. They're coming to celebrate ... a flower. Not just any flower, mind you. The official state flower. The Eschscholzia Eschscholzia is a genus of 12 flowering plants in the Papaveraceae (poppy) family. The genus was named after the Baltic German botanist Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz (1793-1831). californica, known to you and me as the California poppy California poppy: see poppy. California poppy Annual garden plant (Eschscholzia californica) in the poppy family, native to the western coast of North America and naturalized in parts of southern Europe, Asia, and Australia. . Every spring for the past six years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time city of Lancaster The City of Lancaster (2002 population: 133,914) is a local government district with city status in Lancashire, England. Its main town is Lancaster, from which it obtained its city status. Other towns in the district include Morecambe, Heysham, Slyne, and Carnforth. has held the California Poppy Festival to pay homage to the sun-loving native that grows like, well, a wildflower wildflower Any flowering plant that grows without intentional human aid. Wildflowers are the source of all cultivated garden varieties of flowers. A wildflower growing where it is unwanted is considered a weed. . ``The spring out here can be really pretty, mainly because of the wildflowers,'' said City of Lancaster Department of Parks, Recreation and Arts superintendent Pilar Pilar strong-minded female leader of a group of guerrillas in the Spanish Civil War. [Am. Lit.: Hemingway For Whom the Bell Tolls] See : Female Power Pilar Alcivar. ``This year is a beautiful flower year, partly because we had a lot of rain.'' In 1903, the state Legislature A state legislature may refer to a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. The following legislatures exist in the following political subdivisions: The California poppy's stem can grow to 2 feet, and the flower's distinctive orange color is displayed on four satiny sat·in·y adj. Lustrous and smooth like satin. See Synonyms at sleek. Adj. 1. satiny - having a smooth, gleaming surface reflecting light; "glossy auburn hair"; "satiny gardenia petals"; "sleek black fur"; "silken petals that reach 2-1/2 inches in length. They bloom for a few weeks annually during March and April. And, if treated well, the perennials will grow back year after year. Our local poppy is one of more than a dozen different varieties found in the world. The blooms - many found in abundance in Antelope Valley deserts - range in color from deep orange to pale yellow. Poppies used to be widespread throughout California desert areas, but the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve is a California wildlife reserve located in the rural westside of the Antelope Valley in northern Los Angeles County. Constitutionally, it is a state park. Its namesake is the state flower, the California Poppy. had to be established in 1976 to protect the most consistent poppy-bearing land. Not only was man developing more of the land, but herds of free-roaming sheep were also a problem. ``The flowers were out there, but so were the sheep,'' John Crossman, the poppy reserve's resource ecologist, explains. ``People would come out one day to see the flowers, and the next day they'd almost be gone.'' Visitors to the 1,740-acre poppy reserve will be able to see a dozen different varieties of blooming wildflowers. They'll also be able to take pictures, watch informative flower videos and walk trails. Festival-goers will be given free shuttle rides to the poppy reserve from Lancaster City Park, 43011 N. 10th St. W., where the festival will be held. If, after viewing this exquisite flower, home gardeners want to plant a few in their yard, a small bag of seeds can be purchased for 50 cents at the poppy reserve. Most large garden centers also carry the seeds. ``You can buy the seeds and grow them in your yard, but they're not going to last throughout the summer, and they won't look as showy show·y adj. show·i·er, show·i·est 1. Making an imposing or aesthetically pleasing display; striking: showy flowers. 2. as they do in the spring,'' Crossman said. While desert conditions seem to be best for the California poppy because of the sunshine and cold night air, home gardeners can also produce a poppy crop. ``They'll just grow smaller in size, and the color will appear washed out - almost to a yellow,'' Crossman added. California poppies are not the best choice for garden beds or indoors, but so long as they are cultivated on well-drained soil in full sunlight and are continually provided with water, a crop will bloom in the summer months. The Sundew sundew: see Venus's-flytrap. sundew Any of about 100 species of annual and perennial flowering carnivorous plants in four genera, notably Drosera, that make up the family Droseraceae (sundew family). poppy, a California poppy family member, might fare better in gardenlike conditions or in containers, because the flowers only grow to be 1 inch tall. Early California settlers called this bright yellow flower, ``Dormidera,'' meaning ``drowsy one,'' because the petals fold in the evening. They used the Sundew poppy, or Eschscholzia caespitosa, as a hair dressing; when the blossoms were fried in olive oil and perfume was added, it was thought to make hair grow and shine. Vibrant blooms and a shiny head of hair? Maybe the poppy should be nominated as the state's official hair-enhancing ingredient. CAPTION(S): 4 Photos Photo: (1--Cover--Color) FIELDS OF GOLD California's botanical treasure yours to visit, grow at home (2--3--Color) no caption (California poppies) (4) Everything's in bloom at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, which was established in 1976 to help preserve the state flower. David R. Crane/Daily News |
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