Anza Borrego State Park Archives ~ Page 3 of 3 ~ Rambling ranger

February 26, 2019

Desert Wildflower Update

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.

Sand Verbena, Brown-Eyed Evening Primrose, and Spectacle Pod — Coachwhip Canyon

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

Lupine and Brittlebush — 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.

Lupine, Brittlebush and primroses in Joshua Tree — Early morning light in Joshua Tree

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

Bigelow Mimulus — You may have to look a little harder for flowers in Death Valley this year.

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

Kofa National Wildlife Refuge — Chuparosa

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!

January 21, 2019January 21, 2019

There Will Be Flowers

Another wildflower update – I’m just so excited about the rain! I’m in Monterey on the California coast and it’s raining now, destroying any chances for me to see the eclipse. It rained and blew so hard earlier on this week that the power was out for 24 hours. I had to laugh – I wanted to spend a little time on the Pacific Coast in winter so that I could experience the big storms and watch the wild winter waves. Be careful what you ask for…

What’s got me really excited, though, is that some of these storms have made it over or around the mountains and are reaching the desert.

Rainfall totals in Death Valley are still grim. But it IS a big park, and the only place they report totals from is Furnace Creek. The southern part of the park has been receiving rain. I camped at the southern end of the Greenwater Valley in mid-December and there were sprouts coming up, and green fuzz between Jubilee and Salsbury Passes.

Mud Cracks and Flowers — Broad Flowered Gilia

Mojave is getting green patches, but not much going on there yet. They DID get over an inch of rain in early December, so there are possibilities for later in the spring.

Joshua Tree should be GREAT this year, There are already good flowers happening there, and it will get better and better.

Box Canyon Road near Mecca, my favorite way to get from Joshua Tree to Anza Borrego is full of blooms, now, too. But there’s one problem – the road is gone, washed away in flash floods. Don’t know if it will be repaired by spring or not.

Anza-Borrego is forecasting an awesome year, too. They also got over an inch in the early December storm, half an inch New Year’s Eve, and a shower a week since then. They are already reporting some flowers, probably triggered by an October storm. Expect the bigger bloom to start in about a month.

Caltha Leafed Phacelia and Fremont Pincushion — Desert Bouquet

I want you to be excited, too, so here’s a few desert wildflower pix to get you going. If you’d like some of these images as wall art or printed on merchandise, check out my site at Fine Art America.

Broomrape

Turtleback

Gravel Ghost

Very tall belly flower! Bigelow Mimulus

The bug is more beautful than the flower!

Cracked Ground

Paintbrush

Bee on Indigo Bush

Emigrant Canyon, Death Valley National Park

Goldenbush

Beavertail Cactus

Fiddleneck

Happy flower hunting!

December 14, 2018January 24, 2023

2019 California Desert Wildflower Predictions

It’s been raining in the desert. There are possibilities.

El Nino weather patterns generally bring moisture to the Southwest, and this is an El Nino year. Although it’s way too early to know for sure, things seem to be shaping up for a decent bloom this spring.

Anza Borrego State park, CA — Springtime in the desert.

Most places have gotten a good soaker sometime in the last two months. Here are my predictions:

Death Valley

Well, it IS the driest place in North America, after all. Although some parts of this huge park received rain, there has not been a big enough storm to trigger germination. However, there has been more rain than last year. It’s still early. A wet winter could make a difference. But don’t count on one. I don’t expect a big year, but I think there will be patches of great wildflowers. You just might have to hunt for your floral treasures here this year.

Mojave National Preserve

Parts of Mojave have received over an inch of rain in December, most of it in one storm! If we get a few more good rains, evenly spaced into January and February Mojave should have a decent display of wildflowers.

Joshua Tree National Park

Put your vacation dollars here! Well over 2 inches of rain has fallen in J Tree over the last couple of months. One big storm in mid-October yielded over an inch and a half of precipitation. The totals so far are nearly as much, or possibly more, rain than Joshua Tree had at this time two years ago. (Some of the data for this year is missing.) 2017 was a great flower year in the southern part of the park. If the rains continue, the flowers may be just as exceptional this year.

Coachella Valley

Over an inch of rain has fallen on Palm Springs so far this season. At this time last year, none had fallen. It’s not a lot, I’m not predicting great things, but there will be wildflowers.

Anza Borrego State Park

Borrego Springs has received 1.76 inches of rain so far this fall. It’s looking good. It will take a lot more to make a superbloom, but I am predicting a fair-to-good wildflower season for Anza Borrego next spring.

There are still a lot of variables. At this point it’s a guessing game. No matter where you go in the California desert, prospects are looking much more hopeful than last year, though. This year, there will be flowers, Time will tell just how many and where to find the best blooms.

February 13, 2018

California Desert Wildflower Forecast

So what’s gonna happen with the desert wildflowers this year? People have been asking, so I took a quick little survey of my favorite spots so I could make an educated guess. Take it with a grain of salt. Things could always change. I remember one year at Death Valley when all the experts said it was grim, too dry, don’t expect any wildflowers this spring! Then we had the rainiest February on record. It was a lovely wildflower season.

There ARE a few teeny tiny seedlings coming up in Death Valley.

Sorry to say, unless something unexpected like that happens, it will be a rather poor wildflower season due to the La Nina weather conditions we have been experiencing.

La Nina weather patterns generally mean the southwest will be hotter and dryer than normal. The northwest will be wetter and colder. This winter we have definitely seen those conditions, as anyone bogged down in the rain in Washington or praying for precipitation in southern Colorado will verify.

The California desert is a tough place to live even in a good year. This year is downright brutal.

Take Anza Borrego, for instance. Sorry, all the flowers bloomed last year and none are left for this year. Just kidding. There are other reasons why nothing is blooming, like heat and especially lack of rain. The state park has only received 1.1 inches of precipitation since July. There was a big storm in September in the mountains, but it didn’t even reach the valley floor. They did get one good rain in January, but it was not enough for the annuals to germinate. It’s already really hot, just under 90 degrees at the end of January. Those big fields filled with lilies, verbena and primrose last year are bone dry and dirt brown, with no little green things coming up. There ARE a few plants getting started in the far eastern reaches of the park. Word is some of the upper elevations are getting a few blossoms. Try Plum Canyon. The occasional ocotillo, brittlebush, or chuparosa (all perennials) are currently putting out a few blossoms, and they’re just getting started. You can depend on the perennials, even if the annuals take a year off.

If you are planning a wildflower trip here, make it early March and you may find more happening at the higher elevations. The valley is looking pretty dismal.

Joshua Tree is suffering under the same conditions. Brittlebush, which I’ve seen blooming randomly everywhere else in the California desert, is looking dead here, worse than just dormant. Even the leaves are all shriveled up and brown. Ray of hope – I did see a bladderpod bush and an ocotillo with blooms. Don’t expect much from the flowers here this year, though.

Surprisingly, Mojave National Preserve is actually looking better than it did last year. I saw brittlebush and bladderpod blooming here. Little green things are creating a fuzz on the sides of the road. Last year I saw nothing.

Death Valley is doing a little better. Little green seedlings are trying to get a foothold in many places. There were two storms in January here. You might call them scattered showers. Some parts of the park got a lot of rain, some none at all. The usual hotspots near Ashford Mill and the west side of Jubilee Pass are looking very sad. All dried out, no green coming up at all. The west side of Jubilee Pass through Salisbury Pass, all the way to the Greenwater Road, had a fine green fuzz on the sides of the road. Desert Gold was blooming from about MM21 through 26 on the Badwater Road, with a lot of little plants getting started. I did not see any Brown-Eyed Evening Primrose plants anywhere. This is usually one of the early bloomers. The seedlings are usually getting started by the end of January. Not a good sign.

Sand to Snow National Monument — Globemallow in Big Morongo Canyon

The wind was relentless the entire time I was there, which will dry those tender little seedlings off in a hurry. Another rain could be the maker/breaker of the wildflower season here. Expect an average year, no massive fields of flowers as far as the eye can see, but there will be flowers. This is a year to contemplate the perfection of each individual bloom. Marvel over how tough these plants must be, to bloom and share with us their beauty in spite of only an inch or so of water for the entire year!

My bet for the best place to catch desert wildflowers this year is the Coachella Valley. Although this area is also suffering a lack of rain, I saw a few different plants blooming here – brittlebush, ocotillo, sacred datura, globemallow, even a patch of sand verbena. They were the early birds, few and far between.

I would wait a couple of weeks until late February or early March. I would recommend the trails in Sand to Snow National Monument. The monument hosts quite a lot of diversity in habitats, so you may find something blooming somewhere!

Tag: Anza Borrego State Park

Desert Wildflower Update

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