Out come the wildflowers!

A gentle stroll to enjoy the first blossoms of spring

A lovely day for a lovely vinca

Just last week, we heard that the wildflowers along the Coastal Trail near Glass Beach were starting to bloom. “Woohoo! Let’s go!” our winter-weary, flower-loving selves shouted out. The wind may still have been brisk, the seas still rough, the skies still frequently filled with full and dripping clouds, but at last the bright breath of spring was beginning to make its presence known – truly news to make us glad. We pulled into the parking lot at the Pudding Creek Trestle Bridge and tumbled out of our cars, eagerly breathing in the crisp ocean-scented air. The still-wintery breeze made us thankful for the earmuffs, scarves, and cozy jackets we had brought along, but at least we had beautiful sunshine for a little while longer before the thick bank of clouds rolled in from where we could see it creeping across the sea. And off we went, a-hunting wildflowers!

The charming Pudding Creek Trestle Bridge, viewed from the north side of the beach

Moody cliffs

We started north, across the picturesque historic trestle bridge, and out along the meandering bluff-top trail that cuts off from the old logging road that casual cyclists, power walkers, young parents with strollers, and even the occasional equestrian tend to stick to. True, the recently redone pavement of this portion of the Coastal Trail would have been easier walking, but we knew that whatever flowers there were would most likely be out amongst the grassy coastal meadow carpeting the bluffs. We took our time moseying out through the dramatic stand of cypress trees just across the bridge, pausing to drink in the color of freshly unfurled vinca hiding between waving grasses, admire the delicate beauty of soft narcissus, and smile at the anemone-like flowers nestled into the ice plant that tenaciously clung to the precipitous edge the cliffs. Once out along that edge, we picked our way through a rocky patch, stopping to gaze down into a deep tidal pool suspended between the beach and the cliffs. The waves crashing just beyond were a steely turquoise, somehow at once both moody and shimmeringly cheerful, an accurate reflection of our own current limbo between the final stretch of winter and the burgeoning of spring.

The flowers of the ice plant always remind us of sea anemones…

A gloriously frilled daffodil

We wandered a little farther north, turning around at the end of the line of hotels so that we could head back south across the bridge and walk along the bluffs south of Pudding Creek as well. We were in no hurry though, taking our time to wade out into the first calla lilies of the season and to crouch down over the lovely double-frilled daffodils spotting up along the main trail. Once across the bridge, we marveled at how different the plant life seemed to be on this side of things – smaller and more delicate somehow. Here, the narrow dirt trail was lined with the lush density of young poppy leaves and the promising masses of lupine leaflets, all growing over and through and under other softly green ground-huggers that had yet to send forth their springtime bursts of color into the world. As we cast about for hints of the blooms to come, we caught sight of the delicately veined petals of something soft and blue – miniature works of art, each and every one – and the happy faces of some sunny little thing very like a tiny daisy of some sort or other.

Petite petals of some blue darling, palmate leaflets of the coastal lupine, and something brightly green with yellow buds about to burst - so much life packed into so little space!

The fresh young poppy leaves looked good enough to eat! Don’t worry though, we didn’t…

With a happy sigh and a gentle stretch of the spine and crack of the neck, we straightened up from where we had been bent over the hints of flowers at our feet. It was time for us to circle back to the cars and go run the rest of our errands for the day, but at least we still had a little bit more of walking to enjoy before it all had to end. Our fingers were chilled, and the sky was now ominously gray, but our hunt for wildflowers had been successful, and we were ready to face the final weeks of winter, mentally and emotionally bolstered as we now were with the thought of these happy little harbingers of spring.

The ocean views along both bluff top stretches that we strolled are absolutely lovely

There are generally wildflowers blooming in and around Mendocino now through the end of fall, with different ones cycling through at different times. (The fall blooming cycle includes the blushing naked ladies!) So on your next visit to the Mendocino coast, make sure to keep an eye out on any walk along of the cliffs or in the woods, and report back to us with your favorite find!

Gotta love this dramatic stand of cypress trees just north of Pudding Creek

Words & pictures by Laura Hockett