The Fremont Diner in Sonoma is famous for its chicken and waffles. The wait for a plate can be up to an hour on busy weekends, but these chicken and waffles transport your taste buds straight to the South. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat)
Fremont Diner was just named among the “best diners” in America by Food & Wine magazine. Now it will be even more crowded, but everything works quite smoothly and the food is always interesting. It’s definitely a creative diner, rather than what we might think of as a traditional one. So often you see two people at a picnic table that could seat eight. Funky and hip all at the same time.
Here’s what Food & Wine had to say:
“Chef and owner Chad Harris taps into the agricultural gifts of the surrounding Carneros region to enliven his elevated take on comfort food, which at breakfast includes a fresh sunny-side up egg over house-smoked black-pepper brisket. A rusty pickup parked out front and walls lined with Harris’s own antiques lend this tiny wine country waypoint – open since 2009 – a throwback charm.
Mombo’s Pizzeria in Santa Rosa. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat, file)
This isn’t your fancy wood-fired pizza, or pizza with four kinds of Brie. This is Friday night Pizza in Sonoma County. The ooey-gooey stuff you pull out of a box and eat with a paper towel. here are a handful of our favorite mom-and-pop spots for the Best Friday Night Pizza in Sonoma County. All of these were submitted by Biteclubbers.
1. NY Pie Mike Petterssen has a favorite quote that pretty much sums up Americans’ universal love of pizza. “You can’t make everyone happy. You aren’t pizza,” says Petterssen, who owns NY Pie in downtown Santa Rosa. Pizza is the Friday night family dinner, with more than $38 billion in annual sales , primarily at mom and pop stores like Petterssen’s. It’s also the late night nosh, the quick lunchtime slice and the after-game fuel-up we all love.
“When kids get together, they don’t have hamburger parties,” Petterssen says.
And while fancy wood-fired, knife-and-fork style pizzas have their place, old school spots like NY Pie serve up thin-crust, tomato sauce and mozzarella pies meant to be shared. They require the Manhattan-style fold to cram a slice into your face, and they’re uniquely Italian-American.
“There should be a little grease running down your hands when you eat it,” adds Petterssen.
Best Friday Night Pizza in Sonoma County. This pizza is from Joey’s in Santa Rosa. Photo: Heather Irwin (eater)
He and his wife, Kristina, recently renovated the small pizzeria at the corner of Brookwood Avenue and Fourth Street, expanding the footprint of the original restaurant once owned by New Yorkers RJ and Camille Iervolino. Although the couple retired to Southern California, Petterssen says he frequently talks to them and continues to use the original recipes developed by Camille.
“The sauce is an old Italian recipe, and we fresh slice blocks of whole milk mozzarella. The real secret to a great New York style pizza is the recipe and ingredients.”
The Minnesota native, who has owned NY Pie for two years, says he loved being able to order pizza at 2 a.m. on Christmas morning — or pretty much any day — and having it arrive hot at his home, which is why he continues to provide daily delivery until 3 a.m. His busiest time? “Anytime after midnight.”
The pizzeria (65 Brookwood Ave., Santa Rosa, 526-9743) hasw 20 beers on tap, slices and an expanded menu including calzones and sandwiches. But Friday night pies will always be the heart and soul of his business, ranging from simple cheese to his best seller, the Godfather (with pepperoni, sausage, artichoke hearts and garlic).
“It’s just the funnest thing in the whole world to sell,” he says. “And we’ll always stay true to our New York roots,” he adds, which means that your pie will come with red pepper flakes and cheap Parmesan in a packet.
Here are some more local NY(ish)-style pies from pizzerias that offer late night delivery or pick-up, and the thin-crust, giant slices you can pick up, fold and share this weekend, with a smile on your face and just a little grease running down your fingers.
(Note: Call for delivery areas and hours, as they may vary.)
Gio’s Pizza in Bennett Valley. Photo: Gios
2. Gio’s Pizza: This New York style pizzeria also was once owned by the Iervolinos and has stayed true to the founders’ vision. Friends say it’s the best slice in Sonoma County. Delivery 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays. 2700 Yulupa Ave., #5, Santa Rosa, 542-2797.
Mombo’s Pizza in Santa Rosa California (mombo’s website)
3. Mombo’s: There’s a reason the Santa Rosa outpost of this classic pizzeria is standing room only all weekend. It’s just darn good pizza. It’s our go-to on Friday nights, and we’re willing to wait the hour or two it takes for delivery during peak hours. Delivery available until 10 p.m. in Santa Rosa. Also, a selection of pizzas now available frozen. 1880B Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, 528-3278. Sebastopol location open until 9 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, until 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 560 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, 823-7492.
4. Joey’s: Another neighborhood favorite, Joey’s has one of the largest pizza menus, including clam with garlic sauce and a cheeseburger pizza with mustard sauce and plenty of veggie options. Plus, you can get a slice of homemade cheesecake or Scooby Snacks (fried doughballs with cinnamon) added to your order. Late night weekend delivery until 1 a.m., 727 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, 595-5639.
Italian style pizza with basil, tomatoes, olive oil and mozzarella at La Vera restaurant in Santa Rosa. Heather Irwin/PD
5. La Vera: More than just a sit-down Italian restaurant, La Vera does a great take-out pizza. After 30 years in business, they know how to do pizza right. Slices available at lunch. Open until 9 p.m. daily, delivery via foodtoyou.com. 629 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 575-1113.
Simply Delicious Pizza in Santa Rosa. Courtesy of the PD.
6. Simply Delicious: This West Santa Rosa pizzeria always gets big props for its family-friendly pizzas, which range from simple cheese to fancier versions with grilled eggplant and roasted red peppers. The crust is a little thicker than traditional NY style, but just as tasty. Open until 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Dine in or pick up only. 2780 Stony Point, Santa Rosa, 579-2083.
Red Grape pizza in Sonoma. (PD archive)
7. Red Grape Pizza: Though this dine-in restaurant’s pizzas only come in one size (12 inch) and are a little fancier than the usual New York style slices, it is definitely where Sonoma residents go for their Friday night pizzas. Pizzas come in white (olive oil and garlic) or red (tomato sauce), and even the cheese version is special, with aged Parmesan and gouda. A personal favorite is pear and gorgonzola. Dine in or pick up only, 529 First St., West, Sonoma, 996-4103.
Sal’s New Yorker Pizza (courtesy of Yelp)
8. Sal’s New Yorker Pizza: This 2014 newcomer to the pizza game is a favorite pizzeria of SSU students. Open until 9 p.m. daily, delivery available. 8270 Old Redwood Highway, Cotati, 664-8460.
Rafy’s Pizzeria in Petaluma (courtesy of Yelp)
9. Rafy’s Pizzeria: A New Yorker who’s spent the year tossing pies in the Big Apple serves up authentic slices big as your head. Petalumans give it a big thumbs-up. Open daily until 9 p.m., delivery available, 615 E. Washington, Petaluma, 559-5735.
Forestville Pizza in Forestville (Forestville Pizza)
10. Forestville Pizza: A local winemaker took over the former Andorno’s several years ago, preserving as one of the few pizza spots in West County. A;though this definitely isn’t a late-night location, locals say it’s their favorite take-out spot, with delivery available daily from 5 p.m. 6490 Mirabel Road, Forestville, 887-9574.
The Fort Bragg Rotary Club will be holding their 20th annual beer festival on Saturday, March 19 in Fort Bragg.
Sixteen craft brewers will pour their best beers and ales and the famous North Coast Brewing Company will be showcasing their new North Coast Steller IPA.
The beer fest is part of the Fort Bragg Whale Festival which celebrates whale migration up the North Coast every spring.
The Gnarly Pints will be providing music while you sip on a bubbly brew. And if you get hungry, feel free to check out the chowder tasting that features a chowder contest between various local restaurants.
After the beer fest head over to new Coastal Trail in Fort Bragg and see if you can spot some whales.
The event is from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., 21+ and no pets are allowed. Tickets are $30 and include unlimited beer tastings.
Evelyn Cheatham talks with friend Penny Ferry, at Worth Our Weight Cafe in Santa Rosa. It was Cheatham’s 25th and final year leading the effort. BETH SCHLANKER / The Press Democrat
If there’s a patron saint of aspiring culinary talent in Sonoma County, it’s Worth Our Weight’s Evelyn Cheatham.
The tireless chef who founded Santa Rosa’s training program (and restaurant) for at-risk kids in 2006 was been named a “Woman of the Year” by U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson on March 1, 2016.
In honor of Women’s History Month, she was one of five “extraordinary women” representing each of the five counties Thompson represents. “They are leaders in their community and thanks to their efforts, our communities are stronger today,” said Thompson. Other honorees included Linda Parks of Napa’s Lixit Animal Care Products, Vallejo Together’s Maria Guevara of Solono County, Lake County businesswoman Monica Rosenthal and Contra Costa businesswoman Josephine Orozco.
Peri Olsson of Santa Rosa takes her dog Teddy on a walk at Taylor Mountain Regional Park and Open Space Preserve in Santa Rosa on Wednesday, March 23, 2016. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)
Peri Olsson of Santa Rosa takes her dog Teddy on a walk at Taylor Mountain Regional Park and Open Space Preserve in Santa Rosa. (Alving Jornada)
A red-shouldered hawk surveys the greening slopes of Taylor Mountain from its perch, then lifts and wheels southward in search of lunch. It’s another wintertime visitor to the Santa Rosa open-space preserve, just minutes from downtown.
The hawk has plenty of bird company at the 1,100-acre preserve, which opened in February 2013. Year-round residents include quail, acorn woodpeckers, black Phoebes, turkeys and the ever-present vultures and crows. In winter and spring, flocks of bluebirds dot the open hillsides, along with the more solitary Western meadowlarks.
The shortest and perhaps most popular route to the top of Taylor Mountain is the Eastern Route, a sometimes steep 3.2-mile old farm road. The single-track Sky Lupine Trail is an easier grade, lazily crisscrossing the Eastern Route as the two make their way up the 1,000-foot hill. It is less slippery in the winter and less exhausting in summer.
It also offers a chance to see more of Taylor Mountain’s glory: wildflowers. Practically each week through late winter and spring, another flower species seems to make an appearance: lupine, tidy tips, woodland stars, poppies and the hypnotic gold curlicues of fiddleneck. Sharp eyes on the way up may even spot wild strawberries.
A seasonal pond lies tucked away on the slopes of Taylor Mountain. (Bruce Baird)
A glance back from halfway up Taylor Mountain offers terrific views of the Santa Rosa Plain and Mount St. Helena to the north. From the summit, one sees Bennett Valley and Annadel State Park to the east, downtown Santa Rosa to the north, Cooks Peak, Sonoma Mountain and Mount Tamalpais to the south and the hills beyond Sebastopol to the west.
When the heat of summer comes, the mostly unshaded hike to the top will demand more sweat and sunscreen, but the Todd Creek Trail southwest of the Kawana Terrace parking lot is a shadier alternative on a hot day.
(Bruce Baird)
Cows still graze on Taylor Mountain, and making them aware of your close approach is always a good idea. Poison oak is limited to the heavy undergrowth and a few rocky outcroppings.
There are two entrances, one on Kawana Terrace, the other on Petaluma Hill Road. Parking is $7, though limited free parking is available along Kawana Terrace just outside the park. Dogs on leashes are allowed.
TAYLOR MOUNTAIN REGIONAL PARK AND OPEN SPACE PRESERVE
Eastern Route/Sky Lupine Trail
Distance: 3.2 miles, 4.2 using Sky Lupine Trail switchbacks
Configuration: out-and-back
Elevation gain: 1,000 feet
Time: 30 minutes to an hour to the top
Difficulty: moderate to strenuous
Exposure: mostly open hillside with a few shady groves of oak and laurel
Dogs: allowed on leash
Maps: USGS Santa Rosa, park map, Maplets app
A plein air painter captures the scene along the start of the Western Route at Taylor Mountain Regional Park and Open Space Preserve. (Bruce Baird)
The hike: From the Kawana Terrace parking lot, head to the left of the water tanks onto the Eastern Route Trail, an old farm road. Following the road without diverting onto smaller trails will take hikers directly to the summit. The small oak-topped hill to the left at the hike’s beginning offers a nice picnic spot with a view for those short on time.
At 0.3 miles, the start of the hike’s two steep sections, those looking for an easier way to the top can take a right onto the single-track Sky Lupine trail, which crisscrosses the main trail. The Sky Lupine Trail ends where it rejoins the Eastern Route at the top of its two steepest sections, at about 1,000 foot elevation.
A jackrabbit lopes along the Easter Route on Taylor Mountain. (Bruce Baird / The Press Democrat)
From here, the trail heads south along the mountain’s flank for a third of a mile in mixed oak and laurel shade before hitting a pair of switchbacks. Past the switchbacks, the trail heads south again for a quarter mile before sweeping east and up a rocky notch that delivers hikers onto the open summit area beyond an old freestone wall. In wet weather, the Sky Lupine Trail provides a less slippery descent past the main trail’s two steep areas.
Source: “Day Hikes Around Sonoma County” by Robert Stone (Day Hike Books)
Chef Victor Escobar puts the finishing touches on a dish before sending it out to a customer at Wild Goat Bistro in Petaluma, on Wednesday, March 2, 2016. (Christopher Chung/ The Press Democrat)
The two chefs were having a good time at Wild Goat Bistro in Petaluma.
“Gutty note,” said one guy to the other. “It won’t take long, it’s just a ball of cheese.”
Then he started humming, as he prepared the real dish: The Nutty Goat, a signature platter with a large round of warm local chevre crusted in chunky pistachio and dried fruit crumbles, presented with toasted pepitas and orange marmalade for spreading on crostini ($11).
Throughout the evening, the duo bantered, teasing the servers and nimbly excusing themselves when it was learned that no one would be eating the French-cut pork chop that night. They were missing a key ingredient for the popular winter creation, served with polenta cake, Brussels sprouts, Nueske applewood smoked lardons, Madeira and pan jus ($23).
“Either the meat company forgot to deliver it, or we forgot to order it,” one chef said with a shrug.
That playful nature is just one of the many charms of this 20-seat café, where every chair — including four at the front counter and four at the window overlooking the edge of the riverfront — offers a view and eavesdropping privileges into the kitchen. Servers smile at us; regular customers greet each other; and it’s not tacky to look at other guest’s dinner plates and admire their meals out loud.
Owner Nancy DeLorenzo clearly has put a lot of personal attention into her Cal-American eatery, and since the place opened in 2010, it has become a locals’ favorite, requiring some geographical knowledge since it’s hidden in the back of the historic, 1854 brick Great Petaluma Mill.
It’s tiny, indeed, housed in space once used as a butcher’s wild game storage locker. You’ll see a small sign and a few patio tables outside, but you’ll have to enter the Mill itself to find the front door.
The Goat recently expanded, adding another two dozen seats in the Mill’s entry hallway, including a long communal table.
And in October, DeLorenzo opened The Social Hall right next door, bringing another dining room and private party space. This area is more modern than original, decorated in mostly reclaimed materials that include a floor made from 100-year-old hop house siding saved from the scrap heap by Heritage Salvage.
In the Goat proper, stone walls are hung with local artwork for sale, menus are affixed to wood clipboards, and specials are hand-drawn on chalkboards, while the new hall is sleek with leather banquettes and polished wood.
While the chefs like their jokes, they’re serious about coaxing the best flavors from their ingredients, no matter how basic.
A Get Chopped salad is classic Cobb, but the way every Cobb dreams it could taste. Baby greens are layered with Mary’s chicken breast, bacon, sliced egg and avocado slabs so fresh they practically dance under the creamy blue cheese dressing ($9 small/$14 large).
Off-the-Hook salad puts art into Nicoise, too, molding the line-caught albacore, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, capers and baby greens into a tidy tower, capping it with sliced egg and rimming it with kalamata olives, crisp green beans and fingerling potato drizzled in sparkly bright lemon olive oil vinaigrette ($10/$15).
The broth is little more than white wine, lemon and herbs for the Beans-N-Greens bowl, meanwhile, but the dish is sumptuous, nearly a stew, with giant, al dente Rancho Gordo and Iacopi Farms heirloom legumes tumbled with soft, salty braising greens ($7.50).
Excellent ingredients also elevate the 10-inch Fig and Pig pizza ($15.50), arriving as six slices of thin crust, golden-edged pie topped in housemade fig spread, prosciutto, fontina, Grana Padano, goat and blue cheeses finished with arugula.
The sweet-tangy fruit gets a lusty jolt from the bleu cheese, the greens add a shot of pepper, and each bite is complex.
Such balance would make the sandwiches better, though. The Favorite Burger ($16) brings a fine Niman Ranch patty, bacon, blue cheese and aioli, but it’s overwhelmed by the thick baguette roll that could easily hold double the meat.
I ended up dismantling it, removing the clever skewer of sautéed fingerling potatoes holding the sandwich together and pulling the bread apart to make a more beefy chew.
It was the same problem with a daily special chicken Parmesan ($13), with the breast pounded thin and ever-so-slightly pan-burned on its lightly breaded edges, as I like it.
I discarded half the bread and wished for a lot more arugula, lemon aioli, marinara and the entirely meager mozzarella topping.
Perhaps the fanciest dish here is the duck two ways, of pan seared Liberty breast and leg confit, though the recipe remains relaxed and comforting with mixed root vegetables and smashed red potatoes ($28).
“Can you do a duck?” I heard the server say as she put my order in. The comedian chef replied, “Well, I can give it the old college try.”
He nailed it.
We don’t have to ask what’s for dessert. It’s on display on the counter, tempting with glass-topped stands bearing home-baked cakes like chocolate hazelnut or salted caramel chocolate (all $7.50/slice).
They’re all delicious, but the Italian lemon cream cake is light, fluffy and brimming with a tart silken interior that brings a clean finish to our meal. It’s a pride of Petaluma, this Gild Woat — um, Wild Goat.
Wild Goat Bistro
Where: 6 Petaluma Blvd. North, #A5, Petaluma
When: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mon.-Thurs.; 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fri. and Sat.; 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sun.
Summary: Hidden in back of the historic Great Petaluma Mill, the charming spot pleases with Cal-American comfort food fancied with superb ingredients. Tuna Nicoise, Beans-N-Greens and Liberty duck are stars.
Geyserville Gun Club Bar and Lounge in Geyserville
Diavola’sDino Bugica is continuing to make tiny Geyserville a hip destination for travelers. His pizzeria and salumeria have become legendary, but now there’s a reason to hang out late in a town where, well, there’s not much else to do after 9p.m.
Geyserville Gun Club, Bar and Lounge (#GGC)
The Geyserville Gun Club, Bar and Lounge has opened, featuring classic cocktails and a bar bites menu featuring hot dogs and chicken nuggets, crudos, caviar, lumpia and spicy tuna hand rolls.
#GGC Geyserville Gun Club Bar and Lounge
As with anything that Bugica does, expect it to be beyond your expectations.
Geyserville Gun Club, Bar and Lounge, 21025 Geyserville Ave., Geyserville, (707) 814-0036.
After three years, Jackson Family Wines has decided to close Partake by K-J, their restaurant and tasting room in Healdsburg.
The winery group will shift their focus back to their flagship estate, Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate & Gardens. In addition to enhancing their daily food and wine pairings, the winery will host monthly Farm to Table dinners in the estate gardens overseen by the inimitable Tucker Taylor.
The Healdsburg restaurant/tasting room will be reopened as a tasting experience for sister winery, Siduri. Stay tuned for more details.
Many hundreds of bird species have made an appearance in the expansive wetlands of southeast Petaluma, delighting birders and casual observers alike. But every now and then, one species takes the spotlight.
In what one wetlands activist described as a potentially once-in-a-generation event, a group of white-faced ibis is offering itself up for an extended viewing in the habitat around Petaluma’s Ellis Creek water treatment plant.
Bob Dyer observes three White-faced Ibis at the Ellis Creek marshland in Petaluma on Monday, February 29, 2016. (SCOTT MANCHESTER/ARGUS-COURIER STAFF)
“This is the first time we’ve had a flock that have apparently decided to winter here, as opposed to stopping in to relax, maybe grab a quick snack and move off. It’s an unusual thing,” said Bob Dyer, senior docent with the Petaluma Wetlands Alliance.
Whether a one-time fluke or the start of a long-term shift, Dyer said the birds, which are among the 231 avian species recorded in the area, appear to be settling in for the time being. He has been observing and photographing 10 of the lanky, long-beaked birds at the wetlands around the facility since Jan. 15.
The migratory species has a range that generally only goes as far north as Southern California during the winter, part of a broader migration pattern spanning between western Canada and South America.
Adapted to shallow water and marshy environments, the white-faced ibis has a long, curved beak, sinewy legs and subtly iridescent plumage that shimmers in the sun. The birds take their name from the white plumage around the eyes that becomes far more prominent during the breeding season, meaning that Petaluma’s animals have taken a darker hue for this time of year.
The species is most common in areas around Southern California and Mexico during the winter, with many migrating north during other times of the year, according to information from the National Audubon Society. The white-faced ibis is generally uncommon in the Bay Area and North Coast regions of California.
Two White-faced Ibis at the Ellis Creek marshland in Petaluma on Monday, February 29, 2016. (SCOTT MANCHESTER/ARGUS-COURIER STAFF)
Careful watchers may catch a glimpse of the birds in Petaluma’s skies or marshes during the migrations of a typical year, but the extended stopover in the city is turning more heads than usual, Dyer said.
“Every person that I run into at Ellis Creek who are not birders still say, ‘What are those?’” he said.
The group appears relatively comfortable with human interlopers — Dyer said he recently got within 10 feet of a small gathering of white-faced ibis, making for striking photos as the birds probe the shallow waters in search of food.
The arrival of the ibis is causing a stir among birders at a time when many are already keeping a close eye on the areas around Ellis Creek, Shollenberger Park and the Alman Marsh, said Gordon Beebe, president of the Sonoma County-based Madrone Audubon Society.
“The winter is a real time of rich diversity at the ponds, Shollenberger, the whole area, for waterfowl and shorebirds,” he said. “You get a lot of variety of species. It’s a great time of year.”
Contact Eric Gneckow at eric.gneckow@arguscourier.com. On Twitter @Eric_Reports.
It’s early yet, but splashes of color that have recently appeared amid bright grasslands and shaded local woodlands tell of glorious weeks to come, as spring takes hold and this year’s crop of wildflowers bloom into life.
Even in a region with the comparatively temperate climate we enjoy on the North Coast, the shift into wildflower season somehow offers reassurances that the harsh days of winter are behind us. The promise and potential of foliage that will soon sprout blossoms inspires us to contemplate new beginnings, while the plants that already have opened and spread their delicate petals can’t help but charm.
“It’s so delicious to see the flowers,” said one avid fan, retired Santa Rosa High School Spanish teacher Phil Weil. “I get very excited.”
There’s something forever surprising about the vibrant, varied colors and diverse forms in which wildflowers are found — from bell-shaped to star-patterned, spiky to open-throated, almost voracious in form.
Shooting stars. (Phil Weil)
Though delicate and graceful in appearance, they are at once fragile and robust, surviving even in small soil deposits on exposed rocks or in other niche locations.
And yet, their predictable reappearance makes it “rather easy to reconnect with them,” said Sonoma County resident Reny Parker, who has combined her passions for native plants and photography into a well-known photographic guide to wildflowers of the North Coast.
Weil, 70, similarly thinks of the region’s wildflowers as familiar friends, and on a recent hike at Annadel State Park pointed out the early arrivals.
From tender white milkmaids to sunny buttercups, cornflower-blue hounds tongues and purple, comet-shaped shooting stars, the early birds had begun to make their arrival along the Cobblestone Trail, a popular, predictably rocky, dirt path up a wooded slope at the north end of the park. Situated beneath some Coast live oaks, a thin patch of feathery maroon Indian warriors was just beginning to fill in.
Weil was hunting for, and eventually found, a single slender stalk with three green chrysalis-shaped checker lily buds that would soon burst open into mottled bell-shaped flowers sometimes called mission bells. They look “like a Tiffany lamp” when viewed from underneath, he said. Days later, he found some already blooming at Jack London State Park.
Weil also looks for one of his all-time favorites, the St. Helena Fawn Lily, along the Oat Hill Mine Trail out of Calistoga, though the prized Mariposa lily more often awaits him at Austin Creek State Recreational Area closer to the coast.
Abundant open spaces around Sonoma County and environs offer opportunities galore to enjoy the seasonal pageantry — on your own or with an expert’s guidance. Guided wildflower walks are commonly scheduled in March and April by Sonoma County Regional Parks, Jack London State Park, LandPaths, Bouverie Preserve, Pepperwood Preserve and others.
Fetid adder’s tongue. (Phil Weil)
Published and online resources are readily available, as well, including Parker’s helpful, locally focused guide: “Wildflowers of Northern California’s Wine Country & North Coast Ranges.”
“We are so fortunate to live in an area with a huge diversity of plants,” Parker said. “For me, spring is synonymous with wildflowers.”
Beginning with native shrubs that begin flowering in January, the annual wildflower season lasts months, peaking in March and April when “waves of color — red, pink, blue, yellow — catch your eye,” she said.
And though wildflowers are hearty and tenacious even in drought, they are likely to be especially profuse this year, thanks to winter storms and the sunny, mild weather that followed, said Master Gardener Phil Dean. He has for years led wildflower walks hosted by county parks.
Dean, a west county resident, said he nonetheless favors Hood Mountain Regional Park in the Sonoma Valley because of several rare wildflower species that can be found there, including the silver mound bush lupine and an unusual neon-purple flower called the Sonoma penstemon, which is found almost nowhere else.
Western trillium. (Phil Weil)
“Overall, it should be a strong year for wildflowers,” he said.
Weil, a longtime hiker, said he’s a late-bloomer when it comes to wildflowers, though the spare time afforded him by his retirement six years ago has allowed him to study up and find deep satisfaction in scouting and photographing these sentinels of spring, learning where to find certain favorites around Sonoma County and environs.
“My wife will say, ‘You don’t need any more pictures of the trillium, or whatever it is,’ ” Weil said with a grin. “I just want to do justice to the flower.
“I get very excited when I see flowers growing where they haven’t been before. They’re growing, and they’re flourishing.”
And though they inevitably fade with summer, Parker said, “as long as their habitat remains intact, they will bring equal pleasure the next spring.”
Phil Weil hikes Annadel State Park in search of early wildflower blooms, in Santa Rosa, Monday Feb. 22, 2016. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat)
Guided Wildflower Hikes
Jack London State Historic Park: Wildflowers on the East Slope Trail, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. April 2. $10, plus $10 for parking. Space is limited. Reservations required at jacklondonpark.com. 938-5216.
Sonoma County Regional Parks/California Native Plant Society Milo Baker Chapter: Wildflowers and Oaks at Lawson Addition at Hood Mountain Regional Park and Open Space Preserve. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 9. Free. Meet at the Pythian Road park entrance.
Pepperwood Preserve: Wildflower walks, 10 a.m.-noon April 15, 17, 22 and 24, 2130 Pepperwood Preserve Road, Santa Rosa. Free. Donations appreciated. Reserve space at pepperwoodpreserve.org. 591-9310.
The Sonoma Ecology Center: Tour Van Hoosear Wildflower Preserve in Sonoma Valley 9 a.m. to noon April 9, 16 and 20; 10 a.m. to noon April 6 and 30. En Español, 10 a.m. to noon April 23. Free. Reservations required at vhwildflowerwalks.brownpapertickets.com. 996-0712, ext. 108, sonomaecologycenter.org.
Sonoma Land Trust: Grazing and Serpentine Wildflowers at Tolay Creek Ranch, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. April 10. Pole Mountain Wildflowers and Views,. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 17. Jenner Headlands Preserve, Coastal Prairie Wildflowers, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 22. Also, Wildflowers and Plant Identification with Peter Warner, Land Trust Office, 822 Fifth St., Santa Rosa. All events free, but pre-registration required at sonomalandtrust.org.
The Wildlands Conservancy: Spring Wildflower Hikes at Jenner Headlands Preserve, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 30 and May 14. Free, but pre-registration required at wildlandsconservancy.org/preserve_jenner.html
You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 521-5249 or mary. callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.
