It’s raining in the desert! From Saguaro to Death Valley, it’s pouring. This is good news for wildflowers this spring.
Early season flowers blooming in eastern Arizona include Desert Hyacinth, Brittlebush, Bladderpod, and Mexican Gold Poppy. I found all of these in the Gila Box Riparian Area near Safford.
Further west in the Sonoran Desert, look for Fairy Duster, Brittlebush, and Desert Marigold.
In the California desert, exciting things are starting to happen. Anza Borrego is set to have an incredible season, with five inches of precipitation in two months! Ajo Lilies are beginning to bloom. There are even some fishhook cactus blooming in remote canyons. You can find Sand Verbena and Brown-eyed Evening Primrose from Anza Borrego to southern Death Valley. Look for Anza Borrego to peak between the last week of February and the middle of March. If you can’t make it then, the cactus will be blooming from mid-March through April.
In Joshua Tree, it continues to rain. Things are greening up. Flowers are beginning to bloom in the southern end of the park.
Mojave National Preserve is getting a lot of moisture, too. Can anyone tell me what’s happening with the flowers there? I believe it will be a great flower season there, any day now.
Death Valley is getting SLAMMED with rain. Many park roads are closed. But flowers are blooming in the southern end of the park. From the Ibex Dunes to Jubilee Pass, you can find good blooms in Death Valley even now. If you’d like to see what the rain is like there, check out this picture on their Facebook page.
It’s starting to happen, folks! Make plans and get out there! Happy flower hunting!
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