Wildflower Exhibits Ready on Mount Diablo

After the rain finishes its sweep across Northern California, the sun will emerge and the wildflowers will pop.

Count on it.

The rare Mount Diablo fairy lantern will bloom. Look for globe lilies along the Globe Lily and Perkins trails, johnny jump-ups on the Coulter Pine and Bruce Lee Spring trails, and California poppies down the slopes of Long Ridge, said Trisha Clayton, a spokeswoman for the Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau.

Save Mount Diablo has multiple organized hikes planned for Saturdays and Sundays through the wildflower season, including Mitchell Canyon, the Summit and in Holdener Park.

At 10 a.m. Sunday, March 18, there's a Curry Point hike, near the South Gate entrance, in which leader Michael Marchiano will tell you something about the flora and fauna of the chaparral wilderness of California. Hikers will be able to compare varieties of manzanitas: the Mount Diablo, the Eastwood and the Big Berry.

For a full schedule of hikes, see this schedule.