PASSING TIME AMID POPPIES SPRING'S FIRST WILDFLOWERS SPOTTED ON RESERVE'S OPENING DAY.Byline: Greg Botonis Staff Writer PALMDALE - The opening day of 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. west of Lancaster brought people from all over the country to admire and photograph the wildflowers Saturday. Although many said they were stunned stun tr.v. stunned, stun·ning, stuns 1. To daze or render senseless, by or as if by a blow. 2. To overwhelm or daze with a loud noise. 3. by the beautiful hillsides, some visitors said the flower display was not as good as in peak years. ``I haven't seen this few poppies in years,'' said Bella DiMatto, 64, of Cottage Grove Cottage Grove, village (1990 pop. 22,935), Washington co., SE Minn., near the St. Croix River; inc. 1965. There is farming (cattle, sheep, corn, and soybeans) and manufacturing (chemicals and machinery). , Ore., who travels to Acton every year to see her daughter and grandchildren GRANDCHILDREN, domestic relations. The children of one's children. Sometimes these may claim bequests given in a will to children, though in general they can make no such claim. 6 Co. 16. . ``They're still beautiful though,'' she said. ``This is my eighth year out here and I'm still amazed a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. at how pretty they are. I was hoping there would be more.'' Others, who had never seen the orange fields before, said they were amazed by the sheer numbers of flowers. ``I've never seen this many wildflowers in one place before,'' said Charles Mills
The best years for the flowers have a cool, cloudy spring season with plenty of rain, officials said, so less rain and and record-breaking high temperatures affected this year's blooms. Regulars said some of the best 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. display years were 2003, 1998 and 1991. The reserve is one of Antelope Valley's biggest tourist attractions and typically draws tens of thousands of visitors each spring, officials said. Officially dedicated in 1976, the 1,755-acre reserve was set aside for the State Department of Parks and Recreation after a study found the site was known for its great abundance of California poppies. The Wildflower Conservation Committee was formed to raise funds to acquire the land. The reserve was created with the help of the California State Park Foundation and dedicated in April 1976. The visitors center at the reserve is open this weekend and then closes for the next four days before reopening on Friday. After this, the center will be open daily from sunrise to sunset until the blooms disappear. Visitors to the reserve can walk along seven miles of trails. Docent-led tours are available on weekends. Volunteers staff the center to answer questions and hand out trail maps showing the best flower locations. Admission is $4 per vehicle. For a weekly update on the poppy bloom at the reserve, call the hotline at (661) 724-1180. CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- color) At the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, Craig Mattson, left, of the state parks department and historian Milt Stark survey the early spring poppy scene. (2 -- color -- ran in AV and Simi editions only) no caption (Poppies) (3 -- color -- ran in AV and Simi editions only) Matt Narber of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. takes close-up photographs of poppies in a field across from the poppy reserve's main gate. Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer |
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