It was a disappointing spring for wildflowers. The only ones I'd seen were along Highway 178 between Inyokern and Lake Elizabeth—and I hadn't had much time to stop and enjoy them during my drive.
So when I was invited to once again tour Tejon Ranch, I was hopeful I'd see some spring blooms. After all, some of the best wildflower displays I've ever seen have been there.
Then again, I've also seen Tejon Ranch totally brown and dried up. So there were no guarantees.
I was pleasantly surprised what awaited us. No superbloom by any means, but plenty of color in a feast for the eyes, like the red penstemon...
...white and yellow desert evening primrose...
...and purple of the "grape soda" lupine (Lupinus excubitus, which really does smell like grape soda, as long as you smash it into your nose).
The Joshua trees were flowering and fruiting...
...and the petals of the chia sage were poking out in deep, luscious hues.
Under a sycamore tree, the bladder-like pods of the milkvetch flower looked ready to burst in our faces as we peered down at them.
At the former limestone quarry...
...there were sprouts of baby blue-colored phacelia...
...yellow daisies...
...golden California sun cups...
...and yellow-and-white coreopsis.
Most striking to us was the appearance of the orangey Western wallflower, part of the mustard family...
...which thrived on its own but was also comfortable growing inside another bush!
The lizards were out in their full glory...
...and although no cattle were being grazed at the time, we spotted a couple of mule deer on a hillside.
A lunch stop at Ray's Perch proved to be unbelievably windy...
...which made us wonder what hunter Raymond Liner was thinking with all that time he spent hanging out up there, perhaps looking for condors while chatting with his wife on a CB radio.
It was a lovely spot, however, for owl's clover and more lupine. 
Despite our proximity to their corridor, we didn't spot any condors—but we did see a golden eagle land in a tree.
And we pulled off to the side of the road long enough to watch it unfurl its wings.
Our pace was leisurely enough to also see several horned larks perched on a barbed wire fence...
...and a great egret stand majestic by a pond.
I hadn't been to Tejon Ranch since 2019, so I guess I was due for another visit. It's so amazing how I see so many different things every time I go back.
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