 California PoppiesbyLauren Roberts
Despite the calendar indicating this bookmark was made for Los Angeles for the year 1939 and for a one- (or possibly 100) year celebration I have been able to find no notable event for either that year or 1839. The latter date falls into what has been term the Mexican Era (1821-1848) when the city was called ElPueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reyna de Los Angeles de Porciuncula (after the nearby river). Over time, it was shortened to Ciudad de Los Angeles (City of Angels). Then in 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe made California a U.S. territory. Without any particular event seeming to be tied to this bookmark, I decided to focus on the golden California poppy (Eschscholtzia californica), the subject of the image on the bookmark—I believe it’s part of an old linen postcard that was glued onto the leather—and which became the state flower in 1903. But the flower actually goes much farther back into history. The California poppy is native to the state (as well as Oregon, southern Washignton, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and in Mexico in Sonora and northwest Baja), most often found in grassy and open area from sea level up to 6.500 feet. However, it can also be found in sandy or rocky areas, and alongside roads or embankments that have been burnt. It is considered an archaic plant whose ancestry is not completely known, it was certainly familiar to Native Americans who used the leaves for medicinal purposes and the pollen cosmetically while the seeds were used in cooking.
Early European explorers may have seen it as early as 1542 when the (Juan Rodriguez) Cabrillo expedition visited the west coast, but that is uncertain. What is known is that the flower was first described by Adelbert von Chamisso, naturalist on the Russian ship Rurik, which landed in San Francisco in October 1816. Chamisso collected the poppy, which he had named after his friend, the expedition’s doctor, Johann Friedrich Eschscholtz. The cup-shaped blossom—whose golden color ranges primarily from light yellow to bronze, though white and rose colors are occasionally seen—is described as an “upright, compact annual or tender perennial” that is drought tolerant. The stem reaches 12-18 inches in height and the silk-soft petals, of which there are four, are between 0.8 and 2.4 inches in diameter, borne individually on the stalks. The poppies are free branching with finely divided leaves of bluish-green. The plant itself extends from two inches to two feet tall. Depending on the weather, they flower from approximately mid-February to mid-May. The petals close at sunset (to r-open in the morning) and during cold, windy weather or on overcast days. The poppy was initially chosen as the state flower on December 12, 1890 by the California State Floral Society. One of three flowers considered, it beat out the other two in a resounding landslide. However, it was not officially designated as such until the legislature confirmed the vote in 1903. Since then, “California Poppy Day” was been celebrated on April 6, and in 1996 the then-governor proclaimed May 13-18, Poppy Week. The flower even has its own song, penned in 1902 by Mary A. Lombard titled “Golden Poppies Good Night”: Pretty poppies golden, In thy yellow cup One of the most popular tourist destinations (even for Californians) is the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, a state-protected reserve land located in the rural section of the Antelope Valley in northern Los Angeles County. The park’s elevation ranges from 2,600 to 3,000 feet—making it a high desert environment—and is one of the state’s most consistent poppy-bearing lands. The park does not water or stimulate the flowers in order to keep the fields in a strictly natural state. Prime time for visiting is usually within the mid-February to mid-May range (though the park is open all year). Within the park are eight miles of trails, including a paved section for wheelchair access, which traverse through the poppy fields.
In addition to the park, there is the California Poppy Festival, which takes place in Lancaster City Park toward the end of April, and offers two days of music, art, food, and fun over an astounding fifty-five acres in the Antelope Valley. Offerings include the Adventure Zone, Aerospace, Animals, Antelopes on Parade, Arts & Crafts, Farmer’s Market, Fine Arts, Healthy Living, International Market, Museum Square, Sand Sculpture, Splash of Color, Strolling Pirate Adventure, and more. Tickets are reasonably priced. California, and especially Los Angeles, may seem to non-residents as if it exists in some sort of film-and-cult atmosphere. But that’s far from the truth. As this single bookmark shows, the primary attractions of the state are natural in origin. The Golden State has far more than Hollywood, far more than gold, far more than crazy politics or nuts on freeways. It has beauty and history. And it awaits you. Almost since her childhood days of Mother Goose, Lauren has been giving her opinion on books to anyone who will listen. That “talent” eventually took her out of magazine writing and into book reviewing in 2000 for an online review site where she cut her teeth (as well as a few authors). Stints as book editor for her local newspaper and contributing editor to Booklist and Bookmarks magazines has reinforced her belief that she has interesting things to say about books. Lauren shares her home with several significant others including three cats, nearly 1,300 bookmarks and approximately the same number of books that, whether previously read or not, constitute her to-be-read stack. She is a member of the National Books Critics Circle (NBCC) as well as a longtime book design judge for Publishers Marketing Association’s Benjamin Franklin Awards. Contact Lauren.
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