Poppies in full bloom at Urban Forest in Huntington Beach

Spring is definitely in the air at the Urban Forest in Huntington Beach’s Central Park.

Thousands of California poppies are in bloom at the site, a sea of orange for anyone to enjoy at no charge.

Loren Carroll, who planted the poppies, said they began to bloom about 10 days ago, and it’s hoped they’ll be be blossoming into May.

Carroll, a local resident who is a member of the Huntington Beach Tree Society, has also put walking paths and boulders into her designated space at the Urban Forest since she began volunteering there four years ago.

Loren Carroll is a volunteer who has spread California poppy seeds at the Huntington Beach Urban Forest over the past four years. She was motivated to volunteer after losing her son Matthew four years ago.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

She originally began helping out after the sudden 2018 death of her son, Matt, who was a junior at the University of Oregon. She planted an oak tree at the Urban Forest in his honor, and there is a sign acknowledging “Matt’s Point.”

His favorite color as a kid was orange, Carroll said, so her late son definitely would have enjoyed the presentation of poppies.

“You have to figure out healthy ways to move forward,” she said. “This is my healthy way. Working up here is very therapeutic for me, but I’ve also met great people. It’s just a big community, and our goal is to make this place look nicer for everybody else.”

The California poppy, California’s state flower, is in bloom at the Huntington Beach Urban Forest.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

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