Each spring, the rare pebble plains ecosystem unique to Big Bear Valley comes alive with tiny wildflowers known as “belly plants” — so named because you have to get on your belly to appreciate their miniature beauty. These plants grow in heavy clay soil loaded with quartzite pebbles left behind from an ancient Ice Age lake and exist nowhere else on Earth.
Two ecological reserves work to preserve this rare habitat: Baldwin Lake Ecological Reserve and the Pebble Plains reserve in Moonridge, supported by the Big Bear Valley Education Trust and the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust. Visitors can view the blooms from April through May, with free guided tours on Saturdays at the Baldwin Lake Ecological Reserve.
Learn more about SBMLT’s pebble plain conservation efforts.
Originally published on BigBear.com