It’s going to be a good flower season this year. The rains have been steady throughout the desert. There’s been a strong El Nino pattern the entire month of February, with one storm after another barreling through. The weather has stayed cool, too. In past years we have seen temps in the 90s by now and strong winds drying out the flowers, causing them to bolt before they really got started. Not this year. It even snowed in Las Vegas, LA, and Tucson, this past week, three towns that very, very rarely see the white stuff.
What does this mean for the wildflowers? The cool weather and moisture allow the plants time to grow before they bloom. It means more flowers, bigger flowers, and longer lasting flowers eventually, even though in some places they will get off to a late start.
Not everywhere, though. Some areas are in full bloom now!
Anza Borrego
Anza Borrego is going to have a superbloom kind of year! They got 3 inches of rain in just one storm in mid-February, and the park has been hit by rainstorms every week this month.
Things are already looking fine in some sections, and it’s green, green, green all over the park. With all this rain it’s going to bloom and bloom and bloom. March should be amazing.
Right now the place to be in Anza Borrego is the eastern end of the park. Arroyo Salado is in full bloom. The trail to the Calcite Mine just before the eastern boundary is reputed to be THE hot spot for desert lilies right now. My favorite camping area, Coachwhip Canyon, is just plain lovely. Brown-eyed Evening Primroses and Lupines dominate, but there are lots of Spanish Needles, Ajo Lilies, Brittlebush, Poppies, and Sand Verbena, also. Indigo and Wild Lavender bushes are just getting started.
Speaking of Sand Verbena, the hills just east of Rockhouse Canyon Road are pink with fields of these flowers. They are, in my opinion, the sweetest smelling flower in the desert and the exquisite fragrance drifting on the breeze is heavenly! Look for the bright red flowers of Ocotillo and Chuparosa throughout Anza Borrego.
The big fields at the end of San Giorgio Road are just getting started. Look for Spectacle Pod, Dune Primrose, Sand Verbena and Lupine here. Although you may find some lilies, it’s still early times. The majority will be blooming in a couple of weeks.
If you are into off-road riding, Ocotillo Wells is undergoing a fantastic bloom right now. They got hit by the same big winter storm that set off the east end of Anza Borrego. Good things happening there!
Joshua Tree National Park
The southern end of Joshua Tree is full on right now. I hate to predict a “peak”, as every flower and every area is on a different schedule, but I would say that the southern end of Joshua Tree will be at its best this coming weekend.
If you can’t make it until March, that’s okay, too. There will still be flowers down south, and the higher elevations of the park will start to bloom then.
The lupines are the showstoppers in Joshua Tree right now. They contrast nicely with the golden hues of Bladderpod, Brittlebush, Desert Dandelions, and Desert Poppies. There are tons of at least three species of white evening primroses and lots of chia in full bloom currently. Look for Canterbury Bells and belly flowers like Purple Mat, Desert Star, and Bigelow Mimulus in the washes.
The cactus country transition zone between the Colorado and Mojave Deserts is fuzzy with a carpet of Cryptantha, but it’s still early times here, too. Things are green, green, green, though. I expect this area to pop in March. Goldfields, Brittlebush, and Bladderpod are blooming in Wilson Canyon.
Joshua Tree got SLAMMED by the storms this month. Currently all the dirt roads in the park are closed due to flood damage. I was in Joshua Tree and Desert Hot Springs during the big Vantine’s rain event. I hadn’t seen flash flooding this crazy since the big October 2015 storm that caused the 2016 Death Valley superbloom!
By the way, if you were planning to check out the Mecca Hills between Joshua Tree and Anza Borrego, bad news. The road is closed due to flood damage over the winter.
Mojave National Preserve
It’s looking really green in Mojave. Not much blooming yet, but I’m hoping for good things here as spring progresses. There are lots of lupine blooming on the Amboy Road between Mojave and Joshua Tree.
Death Valley
Death Valley’s rainfall is still below average. Don’t expect much from the main valley.
That said, the southern portions of the park HAVE gotten rainfall from this series of storms, and also got some earlier in the year. I saw signs of life on the southern part of the Greenwater Road, the Jubilee Pass area, and the southern portion of the park near Saratoga Spring. I think there will be nice flowers in those areas, but don’t expect a superbloom here this year. For that, you need to travel farther south. The mountains of Death Valley have also received precipitation. There might be some nice things going on higher up in April. A friend in Vegas assures me that Mt. Charleston and Red Rock NCA will pop later this spring.
Southern Arizona
It’s still early times here. There are a lot of roadside lupine, poppies, and brittlebush, but not much happening yet when you walk into the desert. I’ve seen Desert Star and Chuparosa in the washes. But it’s green. There are an awful lot of plants getting a good start. I haven’t had the opportunity to spend much time in the Arizona desert when it blooms, but people who have say that this year has the markings of a possible superbloom. Bartlett Lake near Phoenix is happening already. For the Tucson area, check it out in about a month. It will be amazing by then.
The flowers are out there this year. Some areas will have a significantly better bloom than others, though. Happy Flower Hunting!
