Discover Spring from the Mountains to the Sea

By Artist and Photographer Simie Seaman

I sometimes get asked why I go back to the same mountains and the Palos Verdes Peninsula sea side again and again. Some of my friends seem to think that these places are static and never changing. Their assumption is that once you have seen one place then there is no real reason to see it again because you’ll simply be seeing the same thing that you saw the last time you visited. I think that most of them don’t realize how much nature change depending on the time of year that you visit them, or even the time of day.

That’s why Spring is such a wonderful time of year to explore the beautiful mountain sides and the peninsula. There is such an incredible richness of living things growing, and blooming, you hardly know where to begin to look.

What plants and animals are your favorites in the spring season? The answer depends to some extent on where you live.

Spring tends to kick off early in Fresno County with a fast-and frenzied spectacle of blooming fruit and nut trees. Starting in mid- February and lasting about three weeks, the blossom trail made up of with pink bouquets of apricot blossoms, white blazes of almonds, apple, plums and peach. Drivers, bicyclists, and photographer can revel in the colorful flowery glory on 62-mile loop southeast of Fresno. When the photo gods are smiling, you can also feast your eyes not only on the golden yellow mustard blooms, the lupine, and the fiddleneck but also the floral orange California poppy carpets adorning the nearby hillside. The hills transform into a Monet painting of a large orange “ocean” with the gentle flower waves in the brisk breeze.

Palos Verdes Peninsula offers you tranquil escape from metropolitan life. During spring, the hills are colored an emerald green and sprinkled with vivid golden yellow wild mustard, blooming wildflowers, the green hills covered with lupine that roll to the sea and you might spot a migrating whale on the horizon. The most intense mustard display can be found along Palos Verdes Drive South between 25th Street in San Pedro and Hawthorne Boulevard. I would recommend joining a free guided nature walk to see the flowers. There are also self-guided walks as well.

The beautiful flying butterflies will capture your attention often in the morning and evening. And who could think of spring without thinking of birds? This is the time when they are by far the most active and certainly most vocal. They are signing for territory, singing for mate-attraction and we would like to believe for the sheer joy of being alive in so fine of a season. The sounds of spring bring everything together. Branches and leaves rustling, birds signing creeks trickling are music to your ears. Wake up in the morning is a bit easier when you’re greeted by spring’s song.

Spring is the perfect time to get out and enjoy nature. Concentrate on the sounds and the scent of nature. Go on a nature walk. Take a talk in a field of flowers. The real beauty of spring nourishes our health and we forget about all the sorrows of life. It fills our hearts with lots of joy and happiness. So get out there and enjoy this mystical time of year SPRING!

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