April rain showers aren't common in Southern California, but now that spring is here there are plenty of places to find flowers -- provided you know where to look.
One Web resource is the Theodore Payne Foundation, a group that aims to restore landscapes, propagate native plants and wildflowers, and educate others about California flora.
The organization has a wildflower hotline, 818-768-3533, but more information is available here. Included are links to Web sites for National Parks, wilderness areas and other reserves throughout the state. And the Theodore Payne site lists the types of plants at each area, so you can spend your time looking at flowers instead of looking up information about where they are found.
If you're interested in group events, a calendar of California Native Plant Society field trips in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties is available.
Or, if you'd rather have something closer to home, the Theodore Payne Foundation is hosting a tour of 45 home gardens (from Monrovia to Long Beach) on April 4 and 5. For tickets and more information, visit the listing. Not only will you get to study local flowers -- at least half of the plants in each of these gardens are native to California -- you will also have the opportunity to see the work of the region's most creative garden designers.
Dig in!
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