Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve, California | French Californian

The Flower Fields of Southern California

There was a lot of talk this spring about the “Superbloom” here in California. The state had suffered through a pretty extreme drought for the past decade, but this year, thanks to all the rain, things started to GROW again! Some of the hills around my home were actually GREEN and wildflowers were popping up everywhere – things didn’t look so dry and depressing anymore!

That springtime vibrancy didn’t last long enough though. Now that summer is setting in, the hills have more or less gone back to their neutral tones. The climate in Southern California is quite arid, making it a great place for succulents and cactus, but not exactly ideal for delicate flowers.

Even though the tulip fields of Holland and the flower markets of Paris are a far cry from anything you’ll find here in California, I decided to make the  most of what we have and seek out some blooms close to home. The two places I visited were the Poppy Fields in the Antelope Valley and the Ranunculus Flower Fields in Carlsbad.

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