LOS ANGELES — Come spring in California, after even a little bit of rain, people start asking the big questions: When does the Wild Flower Hotline start up and will this year be a superbloom?
The first question is easy: Theodore Payne Foundation’s Wild Flower Hotline resumed March 8, and updates every Friday into June. You can access the info three ways: as a phone message by dialing (818) 768-1802 ext. 7, by subscribing to the podcast, or simply reading the online blog.
The information is collected by botanist Lorrae Fuentes, who has assembled a network of botanist colleagues to report their wildflower sightings in Southern and Central California every week, said Theodore Payne Foundation Executive Director Evan Meyer.
Fuentes writes the scripts, which are then narrated by Emmy Award-winning actor Joe Spano (of “Apollo 13,” “NCIS” and “Hill Street Blues” fame, to name a few), “a sweet, charming guy who does this pro bono as a way of giving back to the community,” Meyer said.