After getting some drier and warmer weather, we decided it was time to make the first of our spring drives up to nearby Figueroa Mountain to check the wildflowers. Since we have not yet seen much in the way of wildflower blooms down in the lower elevations of the Santa Ynez Valley, we were not sure what to expect up on the mountain. It turned out that there were not as many flowers as we had hoped, but there were areas where the poppies were putting on a strong, early show.
This is the face of Grass Mountain. We could see this patch from home, so it was enough to get us to check things out.
This hillside often is carpeted with lupine or a poppy/lupine mix. This year it is an almost solid carpet of poppies with just a few lupines mixed in.
The highest peaks still had a little snow left from the most recent storms.
This is "Hurricane Deck" in the San Raphael Wilderness. Supposedly named because of the wind often blowing over this ridge.
Coming back down the mountain.
