One Day Only
The Hidden Wildflowers of Lewis Hill
—Hannah Rook, Education Technician
AmeriCorps staff, Brekke & Zach, enjoy a beautiful bloom of the Striped Adobe Lily.
In the hills between Strathmore and Porterville a hidden gem appears only for a few hours a year.
Photo: Juan Verduzco
Lewis Hill was originally part of a 600 acre family ranch that raised citrus, olives and cattle. Their son, Cole, integrated modern farming techniques with natural land management practices as he lived on the hill itself. In the 1980s, a team of biologists, neighbors and the Audubon Society cultivated a list of plants on the property including two rare plants—one threatened and one endangered—that quickly became evident. When the family sold the ranch and moved, Cole’s wife, Priscilla, wanted to leave their beloved hill with the promise of natural beauty forevermore.
She ultimately suggested a conservation easement, and a few years later, Sequoia Riverlands Trust became the stewards in 2002.
Lewis Hill Preserve is open one day a year for the annual Wildflower Walk. It began as a guided hike but quickly outgrew the format. This year the walk was self-guided on a predetermined trail with opportunities to speak with retired Porterville College geologist Richard Goode, Audubon Society member Nancy Bruce, as well as the Sequoia Riverlands staff. If visitors wanted a tangible memory of the day, stickers were available and Dry Creek Nursery also had wildflower seeds, which were so popular they sold out. Visitors could see (and smell) the lilies, enjoy wildflowers in bloom, fly a kite, bird, picnic, and enjoy a unique piece of nature. As some in the Education department pointed out: millions of people visit the Giant Sequoias annually, but only a few hundred come to view the Striped Adobe Lilies.
And while 2025’s Wildflower Walk is over and we have to wait another year to see the Striped Adobe Lilies, keep a lookout in early 2026 to RSVP for the next Wildflower Walk. You can also watch for all the wonderful events coming up in 2025 at Sequoia Riverlands Trust.
