Desert Wildflower Update

Easter is often thought of not only as a religious holiday, but also as a harbinger and celebration of spring. Well, Easter is late this year. Easter won’t be here until April 21. That’s about as late as it ever gets.

In a strange coincidence of synchronicity this year’s wildflower season is also running very late. Due to a surprising series of cold fronts and rainstorms, it has been a very wet, cool February. This is both good and bad news for the desert wildflowers. The rain, of course, is always welcome. In some places, though, the wind and cold have proved detrimental to this year’s bloom.

Anza Borrego

There have not been as many changes as I would have expected since my last visit. I think the passing fronts have slowed down, but extended, the flower season here.

Coachwhip Canyon is past its peak, but still has nice displays. The Brown-eyed Evening Primrose is almost done and the Lupines are looking pretty leggy. Caterpillars are making short work of the primrose that are left. There are still a lot of Sand Verbena, although not as much as I found 3 weeks ago. I found wonderful Lilies over the hill in the next canyon to the east. Some Ocotillo are blooming and the Notchleaf Phacelia is looking great.

East of House Rock Canyon, the Verbena is looking even better than last time. There are lots of Dune Primroses and Lupine mixed in, although not as many Spanish Needles as there were in February. The highlight of my visit to this location was the profusion of butterflies. There seems to be a migration moving through, and thousands of the beautiful insects are out pollinating the flowers and laying their eggs.

 

A great place to find Ajo Lilies is near mile marker 33 on S-22, on the south side of the road. You’ll find an amazing field of these beautiful flowers there, but they don’t show up well from the road. Park and get out and walk around. You’ll be surprised and amazed by what you see.

The Phacelia, Desert Dandelion and Chuparosa near the Visitor Center are stunning. I especially like the way the Phacelia hugs the cholla in the fields. There are superb opportunities to catch backlit cactus wreathed in purple. Dune Primroses are the highlight of a trip down San Giorgio Road and the beginning of the Coyote Canyon Road. There are a few Lilies here and lots of Verbena, but it is still early times for these lower elevation meadows. It will really pop in about a week.

Golden hillsides covered in Desert Poppies greet you as you move south towards Ocotillo Wells. Look for Agave blooming on SR-78.

The surprise treasure for this trip was Plum Canyon. The Wild Apricots are in full blossom. Yuccas are blooming, and even the Nipple Cactus have begun to flower. There were Phacelia, Canterbury Bells, Desert Poppies, Golden Evening Primrose and Chuparosa. Belly flowers were looking good, especially Purple Mat and Desert Star. The variety in this unassuming little canyon was surprising, especially since many locations at this altitude have not even begun to flower.

Anza Borrego will have great flowers all the way until Easter, provided we don’t have an extended heat wave before then.

Joshua Tree National Park

Can I say superbloom? I really think it is a superbloom year for Joshua Tree. The southern meadows are an absolutely incredible patchwork of yellow, purple and white. I have never seen such a profusion of Chia. Lupine are everywhere. There are four different kinds of white Evening Primroses, and tons of Cryptantha. Desert Dandelions, Desert Poppies, Bladderpod, Brittlebush and Golden Evening Primrose provide the yellow. My favorite in the meadows are the Sand Blazing Stars. Big flowers, satiny petals and subtle striping combine to make this flower a winner.

Belly flowers abound on the banks of the washes. Look for Desert Star, Purple Mat and Bigelow Mimulus. Canterbury Bells are all over the washes, and what’s more, they are only beginning. The number of plants coming up astounds me. In 2 weeks, these washes will be filled wall to wall with them, a sea of blue. The first Globemallow are starting to flower. Look for more as the days go by. Common Phacelia can be found under every tree and bush. Pincushions are beginning to show up. All of this is in the last few miles south of the Cottonwood Visitor Center.

Expect to see the endless fields of flowers creep up the Pinto Basin as the days go by and the nights warm up. The bloom farther north is barely beginning, but you can see the signs of bountiful flowers on the way. Smoke Tree and Porcupine Washes are showing some color. Look for Yucca flowers in Porcupine Wash. North of the cholla forest, the varieties change. The ground is covered with Goldfields and Wooly Daisies. Even further north, the Joshua Trees are blooming, too. And it’s still early times here. Expect even more as the weeks go by.

Traveling north of Joshua Tree. The Amboy Road is lined with Lupine and Desert Dandelion, making for a very pretty ride.

Mojave National Preserve

 

South is where to go for the flowers this year. The northern parks, well, not so much. I think it looked more promising in Mojave 3 weeks ago. The cold and wind have taken their toll. Although there are still a lot of green areas and there are a few Bladderpod blooming, nothing much is going on here.

Death Valley National Park

Poor Death Valley. The area did not receive the big December rain the southern parks got to set things off. There has been quite a phenomenal amount of rain this month, more than 3 inches.

A lot of the roadsides are very, very green. Passing through Jubilee Pass, I see lots and lots of tiny seedlings. Looking closer, I notice that there is an extensive variety to these seedlings – Desert Five-spot, Gravel Ghost, Primrose, Gilia… you name it. Brown-eyed Evening Primroses are beginning to bloom everywhere. I found Fremont Phacelia on the east side of Salsbury Pass. If it was late January or the beginning of February, I’d be psyched!

But it’s not. It’s the middle of March. These flowers are running 4 to 5 weeks late. In Death Valley you can’t afford to run a month late.

If the weather only heats up moderately, there will be a nice bloom in the southern part of the park. Triple digits anytime in the next 3 weeks will cause many of these tender seedlings to shrivel up and die.

The cold and wind from the last month’s storm systems have taken a toll. Expect nothing at Ashford Mill. The main valley north of mile marker 30 on the Badwater Road is looking especially grim.

It’s kind of like Goldilocks and the Three Bears – too cold, too hot… we need the sweet spot in the middle to have good flowers anywhere in the lower elevations of Death Valley this year. There will be some, but how many and how long they will last depends on moderate temps and not too much more wind.

Right now, the best flowers in the park are a few clumps of Desert Gold, Phacelia and Brown-eyed Evening Primrose on Hwy.190 between the Inn and the Ranch. Belly flowers, – Mohavia and Desert Star, are showing up in the southern Black Mountains. Sweetbush is blooming at the mouth of Titus Canyon.

The higher elevations are a different story. I am expecting a great flower season in the high country later on this spring. If you are looking for flowers in Death Valley, you might try April and head for the hills.

No matter where or when you go, happy flower hunting!