The recent storms that brought rain to the valleys and snow to the mountains have also left their mark on Inland Empire hillsides.
Thanks to the wet weather, followed by sunny days, normally brown landscapes have become lush and green, verdant vistas.
Buzz Riebschager works with his horse in a grassy field near the Hidden Valley Nature Center and Wildlife Area in Riverside on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
Veronique Reaver and Buzz Riebschager let their horses enjoy a blooming Riverside field on a sunny Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
A man walks a trail through a green hillside in Riverside on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
Sunny skies after heavy rains equal rolling green hills near Corona on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
The hills near Pumpkin Rock in Norco are green Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, after recent rains. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
Inland Empire hills near Little Mountain in San Bernardino are green Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, after heavy rains earlier in the week. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
Inland Empire hills near Little Mountain in San Bernardino are green Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, after rains earlier in the week. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
Veronique Reaver leads her horse through a blooming field in Riverside on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
Veronique Reaver and Buzz Riebschager let their horses run through a field in Riverside on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
Veronique Reaver works with her horse in a Riverside field Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
Veronique Reaver works with her horse in a field in Riverside on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
Veronique Reaver and Buzz Riebschager watch their horses run through a field in Riverside on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
Inland Empire hills near Little Mountain in San Bernardino are green Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, after heavy rains earlier in the week. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
Hills near Little Mountain in San Bernardino are green Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, after heavy rains earlier in the week. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
Hills near Little Mountain in San Bernardino are green Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, after rainy weather earlier in the week. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
After several days of soaking rain followed by sunshine, dormant seeds under the dusty soil sprouted, filling hillsides with green grasses and weeds, announcing the coming of spring.
But these same grasses will dry out and become fuel for brush fires when the spring ends and hot and arid days return.
