WHAT’S IN A NAME President's Message March 2025 by Margaret Rhyne
In the case of each California State Park, the official name reflects its category within the state park system. There are 280 park “units” in our state park system and many different categories for those units. PRMDIA is the California State Park Cooperating Association for five different “units” that fall under four different categories: State Park, State Natural Reserve, State Historic Unit, and State Recreation Area. Two PRMDIA parks are categorized at state parks - Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park and Saddleback Butte State Park. The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve is a State Natural Reserve or SNR. Its full official name is Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve State Natural Reserve. This is quite a mouthful so it is more commonly referred to as the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. Tomo-Kahni in Tehachapi is a state historic park or SHP, Tomo-Kahni State Historic Park. Finally, one park has two classifications: Providence Mountains State Recreational Area (SRA) is the home of Mitchell Caverns State Natural Reserve (SNR). So what do these categories mean?
State ParksThis is the most flexible category for state park units. It allows for both resource protection and recreational use. Parks in this category can contain a variety of facilities including visitor centers, campgrounds, restrooms and trails. Saddleback Butte State Park contains all of these features. In addition, it protects the last Joshua tree woodland in the eastern Antelope Valley from development and provides a trail and facilities for equestrians. Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park (west of the Poppy Reserve) features interpretive information, trails and protection for an outstanding desert woodland of California Junipers and Joshua trees. Both Saddleback Butte SP and Ripley Desert Woodland SP have restrooms and picnic areas. (For more information:
State Natural ReservesThe purpose of SNRs is to preserve land with unique plants and animals, geological features, or scenic qualities to a “condition of undisturbed integrity.” This type of park typically provides fewer recreational activities so that the natural ecosystem remains as undisturbed as possible. SNRs may have few amenities such as campgrounds or extensive open space accessible to the public. The Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve State Natural Reserve provides trails, a picnic area, restrooms and drinking water. Visitors are asked to stay on trails to preserve the ecosystem. Unlike many SNRs, the Poppy Reserve does have a visitor center, the “Jane Pinheiro Interpretive Center,” open yearly from March 1 through Mother’s Day in May.
Mitchell Caverns State Natural Reserve is in the eastern Mojave Desert inside of Providence Mountain State Recreation Area. The natural caverns feature intricate formations including stalagmites, stalactites, helictites, draperies and cave coral. To protect these unique natural features, entrance to the caverns is by guided tour only. The site also includes a visitor center which was once the home of Ida and Jack Mitchell who operated a resort at the caverns from 1934 – 1954 and offered guided cavern tours to the public. Click here for tour information: Mitchell Caverns Tours
State Historical Units The purpose of state historical units is to “preserve places, structures and artifacts of historical, archaeological and scientific importance.” Parks in this category include historic parks and historical monuments and museums. Some historical parks provide extensive interpretive programs exploring cultural history including the story of the First Californians, Spanish and Mexican eras and gold rush history. Tomo-Kahni State Historic Park in Tehachapi, protects the area that was once the winter home of the Kawaiisu or Nuwa people. It is near Tehachapi. The location was likely chosen for its moderate temperature and plentiful resources. The Kawaiisu are noted for their finely woven baskets of intricate and colorful design. Many Kawaiisu still live in the Tehachapi area. To protect the cultural features of the park, public access is provided only by making a reservation for a guided tour. Click here for tour information: Tomo-Kahni
State Recreation AreasThe primary purpose of SRAs is to provide outdoor recreational opportunities that address community needs that are both local and statewide. These parks may also be close to cities or highways and can accommodate large numbers of people participating in outdoor activities. SRAs offer a variety of recreational opportunities including hiking, boating and swimming. Providence Mountains State Recreation Area protects a pristine expanse of desert and mountains surrounding Mitchell Caverns. A campground has recently reopened and three different interpretive trails are available to visitors. Wildlife includes migratory birds such as mountain and western bluebirds, desert tortoises, bobcats, badgers and big horn sheep. In years with adequate rainfall, native wildflowers bloom. All natural features and wildlife are protected. More information: Providence Mtns - Mitchell Caverns
Other categories for State Park Units include State Seashores, State Cultural Reserves, State Wilderness, State Marine Areas and State Vehicular Areas.
Who Decides?Classifying California parks under the correct category includes a detailed process. First an inventory of natural and historic features is made and possible recreational activities identified. Then an evaluation is conducted to determine the purpose of the park and how it will best serve both the local community and the people of California. Recommendations are then made to the State Park Recreation Commission. Finally, a public review process is conducted by the Recreation Commission that allows for public input. Once the category is determined, the park name that reflects this category is created and included on maps, websites, signs and brochures.
Many thanks to the California State Park Foundation for providing much of this information. Sources: California State Parks Foundation California state park classifications Information also available through California State Parks: California State Parks Planning Handbook

Lots of Rain but Few PoppiesPresident’s Message September 2024by Margaret Rhyne
In the Spring of 2024 at the Poppy Reserve and others places known for carpets of the state flower, heavier than usual winter rains did not result in massive displays of California poppies as many had expected. Instead, the rain pattern resulted in early germination of non-native species including filaree and European grasses that crowded out poppy plants. Researcher Mike Powell, who visited the Poppy Reserve in early September after a storm generated by Hurricane Hillary dropped 4 ¼ inches of rain noted, “during this early September visit, a massive amount of filaree seed germination was observed (basically, a carpet of these plants everywhere) as well as a limited amount of poppy seed germination.” (To read Mike’s full article visit www.prmdia.org/research/) Other researchers, including Joan Dudney, an associate professor of global change ecology at US Santa Barbara, noted that native plants do better after a period of drought and can outcompete non-native species that are not adapted to a periodically arid climate. “I expected that we would see a bit of a dampened bloom this year, just because we had so much seed production of the non-native grasses last year,” Dudney said. (Los Angeles Times, April 5, 2024) Year of the Birdcage PrimroseIn other areas of the desert that did not get as much rain as the Poppy Reserve in either 2024 or 2023, species of native wildflowers flourished. Displays of verbena and desert lilies bloomed in parts of Anza Borrego. Closer to home in the eastern Antelope Valley, an outstanding display of verbena and birdcage evening primrose carpeted parts of Saddleback Butte State Park, the Antelope Valley Indian Museum and in and around Lake Los Angeles.
Birdcage evening primrose (Oenothera deltoides) was especially prolific in the eastern Antelope Valley. Other common names for this unique plant include bird cage plant, basket evening primrose, lion in a cage, and devil’s lantern. These names reflect the way that the plant distributes its seeds. As blooms disappear and the plant dries out, the branches turn upward forming what resembles a large bird cage (or basket or lantern). Then the dried plant, like tumbleweed, breaks free of its root and tumbles across the desert, dispersing its seeds along the way.
Birdcage Primrose blooms and "cage." Photos 1 and 2: Saddleback Butte State Park, April 2024. Photos 3 and 4: Antelope Valley Indian Museum, January 2024. Photos by Margaret Rhyne
Visit Saddleback Two events are planned for Saddleback Butte State Park that will allow participants to see one of the “birdcages” in the visitor center and perhaps in the park as well. On October 26, PRMDIA, Support Saddleback volunteers and State Parks will host a Fall Clean Up Day. For details visit our Activities Page.
On January 1, 2024, Saddleback Butte will again be the place for “First Day Hikes.” Three hikes for different ability levels will be led by park staff and volunteers. For more information about this event, the Fall Clean Up Day, and other events, visit our Actvities Page and/or follow us on FaceBook.
Monarchs and QueensPresident’s Message December 2023by Margaret Rhyne
In California, a small state park is dedicated to protecting just one unique insect, the western monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). The Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove, nestled alongside Highway 1 south of Pismo Beach, is a protected overwintering site for western monarch butterflies. It is not the only “overwintering” site along the coast but it is the one that consistently has the most butterflies.
The coastal sites, stretching in a narrow band from San Diego to Mendocino County, provide the ideal climate for monarch’s winter diapause, a period of decreased resource consumption and suspended biological development similar to hibernation. Trees (including eucalyptus, Monterey pines, sycamores, coast live oaks and willows in Southern California), shelter groups of monarchs in camouflaged clusters, with wings closed showing only the tan underside in overlapping layers, resembling dead leaves. Monarchs begin arriving on the California coast in October and leave around February to begin looking for suitable sites for reproduction in California and other western states, west of the Rocky Mountains. Eastern monarchs overwinter mainly in Mexico and migrate to areas of the U.S. and Canada east of the Rocky Mountains to reproduce.
It takes both western and eastern monarchs 4 and sometimes 5 generations to complete the migratory cycle and return in Autumn to overwintering sites. All monarchs lay eggs only on species of milkweed, the only host plant used by both western and eastern monarchs.
Current monarch populations remain seriously threatened. 2018 through 2020 were disastrous years for western monarchs. At the Pismo grove, just 122 butterflies were counted during the winter of 2020. Although the 2022 count showed a promising rebound of 24,128, western monarchs have decreased 90% since the early 1990s. (Source: Xerces Society)
Are there monarchs overwintering in the desert? Yes! In 1976, monarchs were observed spending the winter in canyons of the Inyo Mountains adjacent to the Saline Valley. In 2016 formal winter counts began in these canyons and are continuing this year. (See Saline Monarch Count for more information.) A few areas in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona are also known overwintering sites.
In the spring and summer, monarchs search many areas in the desert both developed and wild in their search for milkweed and nectar. However, if you see an orange and black butterfly in the desert it is most likely one of the monarch’s “lookalikes.” Because of toxins in milkweed, the host plant that they rely on, monarchs (who are usually immune to these toxins) are toxic to predators, who soon learn to leave them alone. It is advantageous then for other butterflies to imitate their coloring. As discussed in a previous newsletter, the most common example of this is the painted lady (Vanessa cardui). Another desert monarch lookalike is the queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus). Queens look even more like monarchs than painted ladies and are found in California’s deserts throughout the year. Like monarchs, they rely on different species of native milkweed as host plants and also are toxic to predators. (Their caterpillars look alike as well! Click on the link below for the Lady Bird Johnson Widflower Center for more monarch and queen comparisons.)
Another orange and black desert butterfly with white dots like monarchs and queens is the California patch (Chlosyne californica). My husband and I spotted one in Joshua Tree National Park in October on a California juniper. Their host plants include a variety of desert sunflowers. The Hydaspe fritillary (Speyeria hydaspe) is another orange and black butterfly. We spotted one in the Tehachapi foothills this past spring, perched on a Mariposa lily.
Hydaspe Fritillary courtesty Bruce Blackadar
California Patch
What can we do to help monarchs and all butterflies? The best action to take is to plant native wildflowers. It is also helpful for monarchs and queens to plant milkweed but be sure to avoid tropical milkweed (common in garden centers, unfortunately) and plant only native species. Information about host plants used by monarchs and all of the butterflies mentioned is available on Calscape. Visit this great resource for information about California's native butterflies. And look for even more monarch "lookalikes."