In the Season of Flinter

Ah…’tis the season of Flinter in Southern California. You know…the season that follows Spring and Summer.

I have to explain this to my friends on the East Coast all the time. In Southern California we have three seasons, not four. For those of you who are used to the falling temperatures of Autumn in September, we are still in high summer when our kids return to school. Flinter begins in October and lasts through March, although there are those who argue for a terminus in April, when the long Avocado season begins and California Poppies burst into bloom.

Flinter is Southern California in a mood.

She tosses her hair and the temperature plummets to 35 degrees. She turns smiling and a hot, crystalline sun crashes off a sea so aquamarine it pierces your heart. The hills are a vivid emerald green but there are no wildflowers yet. On a perfect Flinter day, puffy clouds scoot slowly across a predominantly sunny sky and the temperature is 65 degrees. Angelinos rush about taking advantage of what the season has to offer wearing Ugg boots.


The north wind blows and you can see for miles from any mountain top or tall building in the Los Angeles Basin. The Santa Anas blow and allergy sufferers run to the nearest drugstore. Leaves on deciduous trees like Big Leaf Maple, Sycamore and Fruitless Mulberry begin to fall in November but linger as long as they possibly can. The vivid red leaves of Sweetgum and Japanese maple have been known to persist into January. Tell your friends….come to Los Angeles in December to see the fall colors but bring allergy medication, if necessary.

There are many diverse activities to choose from in Southern California during Flinter. Outdoor ice skating rinks spring up in the parking lot of malls during December, unimpressed by Flinter’s mercurial temperature changes. In January, oranges, grapefruits, lemons and tangerines are ripening on the trees while homeowners are raking leaves, and Gray Whales chug by our coasts on their way from Alaska to Baja. Rain falls in a good year and the mountain resorts rejoice as the snow level drops to 4,000 feet in the San Bernadino and San Gabriel mountains.

Feel like alpine skiing? Head on up to Mammoth Lakes or Badger Pass in the eastern and western Sierras or to Big Bear Lake in the San Bernadinos. Feel like cross country skiing? Check out Frazier Park or the lands just north of Lake Isabella in Kern County. Feel like surfing? Head to wherever you usually go but make sure the county hasn’t closed the beach after a strong rain due to contaminated run-off from storm drains.


Flinter is a wonderful season for hiking in the local hills and mountains. It’s hard to decide whether Spring or Flinter is better. The moisture seems to pull intoxicating, earthy scents from the chaparral, intensifying the spicy fragrance of plants such as California Sagebrush, Purple sage and Bay Laurel. Streams that are already drying up in late Spring are full of water and the life it attracts. Vernal pools appear and slowly disappear at Flinter’s whim. Secret waterfalls come to life.

If you live in Southern California, you really have to stand up for Flinter and witness for its capricious nature. Embrace the mystery and get out to breathe the clean air before the punishing heat and smog of summer arrives. Celebrate our ability to participate in any sport we wish. But be ready for anything…..Flinter is Southern California in a mood.