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Its hard to imagine the beauty the Arizona desert can provide. During the spring Arizona wildflowers are amazing. I have copied some of these pictures from the web site www.desertusa.com If you get a chance visit this web site and add it to your favorites. 2008 Wildflower Season
Arizona Overview:
2008 Reports May 12, 2008 IS reports: Big Park loop, Sedona, AZ 
May 12, 2008 Gladys
reports: The Saguaro Cactus are just starting to bloom in the
Tonto National Forest and in the Prescott National Forest, both in
Arizona. Be careful of the bees though, they are swarming the blooms in
early morning.
I also found some great cactus specimens on hwy 74
that cuts between 17 and 93 in Arizona. I had gone out to photograph the
cactus on the 9th of May but mostly found them to be way past the prime or
not started. I drove from Kingman down 93 across the Presscott National
Forest and down 17 into the Tonto National Forest searching for bloom.  
May 6, 2008
Pat reports: The
Tucson
Mountains are erupting in palo verde blossoms. They are all over, in the
foothills for miles, and the mountains themselves. Prickly pear and cholla
are also in bloom. Taken on the east side, near El Camino del Cerro, May 5.
May 1, 2008
Rex reports: It is easy to see that the Saguaros are starting to
bloom along Scottsdale Road. The arm of this cactus is approximately three
feet off the ground and very easy to photograph. It is located just north
of Dixileta on the east side. There are four flowers now, just out, with
many more coming soon. So for a photo it's a great opt. Shot May 1, at
11:00.
This night blooming cactus, Echinopsis I think it is, is located at the
Legend Trails entrance...that is Pima north to Legend Trail, east to the
entrance. It is a night blooming cactus, but the flowers remain open the
following morning. They last only a day, but there are three more buds that
appear ready to bloom any day. These are beautiful when it happens. Shot
April 30th, at 6:30 a.m.
April 21, 2008 Rex
reports: Phoenix Botanical Gardens...To me, it is truly
spectacular. The large cactus flowers seemed almost Jurassic Park in size,
and the the close-ups reminded me of colorful sea anemones. It is almost
impossible to visit right now and not be enthusiastic.
 
April 18, 2008 Rex
reports: I felt very fortunate to get beautiful light on these
hedgehogs, with their fresh almost perfect flowers. Shot in Carefree April
13th and 14th. Not only are the colors beautiful, nature takes care of
that, but the sharp spines offer an intriguing contrast to the soft lush
pedals. How lucky we are!
 
April 10, 2008
Pat reports: On Sunday (April 6) and Wednesday (April 9), I hiked
the Sweetwater Trail into the Tucson Mountains from the end of El Camino
del Cerro. The brittlebush was pretty much spent, but anybody that got up
there early enough would have seen many yellow hills. The traces are still
there. I went to see the mariposa lilies. I was hoping for fields of them.
No such luck. There are plenty, but they are scattered. Two hillsides have
them, and the better one is the later one, about 3, 3 1/2 miles in. I also
saw hedgehog blooms, very spectacular, but few and far between, and
ocotillo in bloom. Also, Esteve's Pincushion (with some pink flowers,
which I had never seen before). And desert mallow (an area with a goodly
quantity), white rhatany, white tackstem, larkspurs, resurrection ferns
(but not resurrected), sand spurge, paper flowers, plantain, a few
lupines, poppies, fiddlenecks, scorpionweeds, giant bursage, odora, a few
prickly pear and cholla flowers (there will be more), Coulter's hibiscus,
yellow
flowers
I don't know (a couple of species), a painted lady butterfly, and another
butterfly I don't know, and some interesting beetles. This is a time to
look for little surprise treasures in many nooks and crannies.
 
April 7, 2008 Jay
reports: On inspiration from all your postings, flew in from
Minnesota and took photos March 29 and 30. Keyed flowers from guide on
this site, a little tentative. Along US 70 east of Globe, saw late
poppies, lupine, mallow, phacelia, and desert chicory near Peridot and
much the same plus owl's clover and fields of a small yellow-gold flower
near Bylas. Also saw some clusters of poppies driving north from Globe on
AZ 77. Along US 60 from Queen Valley area to the canyon east of Superior,
brittlebush was blooming strongly and other flowers included lupine,
mallow, phacelia, and fairy duster, especially near Superior. Didn't go
inside Boyce Thompson Arboretum but I'll bet it's hopping. From about Fort
Thomas and points east, the bloom dropped to almost nothing; the same goes
for New Mexico from US 70 state line to Santa Fe.
April 4, 2008
Pat reports:
Wednesday,
April 2, I went to Bartlett Lake. The brittlebush were abundant on the
hillsides. I also found chuparosa close to the lake. Bartlett Lake was
difficult to find (I got lost for two hours) from 101. You have to take
the Pima-Princess exit, which is the westernmost. Other Pima exits won't
work. Then north to Cave Creek, and east to Bartlett Dam Rd. Whatever you
do, don't use Google's map and directions!
I also went to Lost Dutchman SP in the
Superstitions. If you don't like yellow, you're in trouble! The slopes
were totally blanketed by brittlebush. Take route 88 northeast from US 60
east. Tuesday, I also found quite a bit of brittlebush on route 77 north
of Winkelmann, south of Globe. I saw other species, most notably poppies,
lupine, and desert mallow (in six colors), in small numbers. There are
still quite a few poppies along the roadside west of San Carlos on route
70, but the spectacular color on the hills is gone.  
April 3, 2008 Sara
reports: Sabino Canyon has an amazing display. Many times there
are 3 or 4 different kinds of flowers right next to each other. The Seven
Falls trail was gorgeous a couple weeks ago.
The trails along the water and up to the Phoneline Trail are lined with flowers. I took these photos on 3/28/08 in Sabino Canyon on those trails.  
April 2, 2008 Mary
reports: Don't give up on the Arizona wildflower season yet!
There are still 30+ species blooming at Catalina State park as of Monday,
March 31. I have never seen such a variety of flowers blooming in one
park. The park office said their nature walk guide reported seeing over
200 Mariposa lilies on Sunday. Mariposa's are also to be found on the
King's Canyon hike at Saguaro National Park. Although the flowers are
dimming there, I saw three species of flowers for the first time in my
first five minutes on the trail. On March 30 at Usery Mountain Regional
Park (close to Lost Dutchman State Park), the Pass Mountain trail was
brilliant with brittlebush and punctuated with chuparosa. The trail was a
hike through a desert garden of poppies, lupine, chicory, woolly daisies,
chia, desert wishbone bush, popcorn flowers, fairy dusters, flat-top
buckwheat, some stunning strawberry hedgehog cactus and more. Flower
identification is easy there because they have handy lists of blooming
flowers for five of their main trails.
 
April 1, 2008 Jan
reports: This is the excellent brittlebush show happening in the
Black Mountains near Yucca, in western Mohave County, Arizona. The
elevation of about 2000 to 2500 feet here means that this display will be
coming to an end by April 7 to 10 or so. It’s at peak now and portions of
it are declining rapidly as the showiest ray flowers (i.e. the “petals”)
fade and curl. These photos were taken on Saturday, March 29, 2008.
However there are alternate brittlebush areas up against the nearby Hualapai Mountains to the east of Yucca at elevations ranging from 3000 to 3700 feet that are just now beginning to fully open their buds. These areas will put on a very nice show for about the next 10 to 14 days (into mid-April) before fading away. I predict that the peak week for most of the 3000+ foot elevations will be between April 7 and 12. I also rate the brittlebush riot of 2008 as well above average, actually about as good as I’ve seen it in 9 years of living here; so if you can appreciate mass quantities of gold against a backdrop of craggy granite peaks, teddybear chollas, saguaros, and Joshua trees, then you should make a trip to the Hualapai Mountains by mid-April. Anywhere starting from about 5 miles south of Kingman and continuing on for about the next 50 miles (all the way towards Alamo Lake and Wikieup) ought to be great in the Hualapai Mountains over the next two weeks. The best brittlebush displays, as is common with this species, are on west, southwest, and south-facing slopes. There are plenty to go around and odds are excellent that you’ll have the entire slope to yourself. Crowds are nonexistent in this part of Arizona. So come and see! 
I just had to also send along a few photos of the wonderful Arizona mescal
bean shrub (Sophora arizonica), a relatively rare species that is restricted
to a handful of spots in Arizona and does not grow outside of the state.
These evergreen, leathery-leaved members of the legume family are
slow-growing and reach about 5 to 8 feet tall when mature. They favor
decomposed granite soils and clefts in between large boulders.
Flowers of Arizona mescal bean are typically a lovely lavender-lilac color, although variants ranging from nearly white to deep purple do occur. They are scented almost uncannily like grape soda. The plants do not flower at all in dry years, and I have never seen them blooming this heavily before, so it is a special treat to be able to see them massing their blossoms like this. These photos were taken on Thursday March 27, 2008 about 20 miles south of Yucca, Arizona, off of Alamo Road near La Cienega Ranch in the foothills of the Hualapai Mountains at about 3200 feet elevation.
March 27, 2008
Barbie
and Nemo report: Wildflowers are here in Tucson, today! Drive to
the farthest parking lot in Catalina State Park, north of Tucson. Auto
admission is $6 per vehicle. Obtain trail map and description page at
entry station.
Follow well-marked trail signs to SUTHERLAND TRAIL. This is an easy sand trail, with a few small rocks and some easy steps, but not suitable for wheelchairs. Bring plenty of water, a snack, hat and sunscreen, a camera with extra batteries and storage capacity, and good walking shoes or light hiking boots. Ideal timing is to begin around 8:00 a.m., although as late as 10:00 a.m. is also okay. Stay on SUTHERLAND TRAIL as it winds in and out of patchy and abundant wildflowers. Walk a total of two miles, then come back the way you began, or wander down the running steam in the final stretch. The highlight is near the end of your way up the trail, when you are surrounded in an immersive wild garden, with flowers as far as you can see, hillsides covered in brilliant shrubs, and mountains as a backdrop. Flowering plants include: brittlebush, Mexican poppy, fairy duster, calylophus, lupine, phacelia distans, blue dicks, popcorn flower, desert chicory, fiddleneck, hyptis desert lavender, ephedra, owl's clover, cream cups platystemon, desert honeysuckle anisacanthus, penstemon parryi and several others! March 26, 2008 Jan reports: Mohave County, Arizona. The display shown in the attached photos is going on just off of US Highway 93, northwest of Kingman, AZ, a mile or two past the junction with AZ Highway 68 that goes to Bullhead City/Laughlin. These are the southwestern slopes of the Cerbat Mountains at an elevation of between 3200 and 4000 feet. This area was last really good back in 2001 as far as I know, although something surely was happening in 2005 as well, which was a year I didn't manage to visit. 
The combination of poppies and Mojave yuccas (Yucca schidigera) is
striking - the yuccas are dramatic with their 2-foot tall candelabras of
creamy white flowers. Somewhere between a third and half of the Mojave
yucca population is in bloom with these massive clusters, which is a
pretty heavy showing, and the poppies, as always, are visible from miles
away.
Meanwhile, the brittlebush show on the Black Mountains to the west of
Yucca is literally as good as I have ever seen it - hundreds of acres of
bright golden flowers that carpet the bajadas below the cliffs. It looks
like rivers of gold are pouring off of the slopes and out of the canyons
that cut the eastern escarpment of the mesa. This, too, can be seen for
miles. I need to go visit this area again - if it is this visible from a
large distance, it must be eye-popping up close! Photos and a report to
follow shortly, I am sure. Thanks for the Desert USA wildflower updates. I
love the service you provide! March 26, 2008 Scott reports: We were in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on March 23 and the flowers were spectacular at the higher elevations on the Ajo Mountain loop drive. The brittlebush was at peak bloom near Arch Canyon and the Estes Canyon Trail. Given the high temperatures expected in the coming week, the flowers are likely to disappear fast. The ground flowers (poppies, lupine, brittlebush, etc.) in all of the lower elevations of the park are pretty much burned out. We found a few small but spectacular patches of owl's ear clover at the higher elevations, very little lupine, and only one small patch of poppies. The ocotillos are just coming into bloom and a very few hedgehog cactus were beginning to open up. On our visit on March 24, Saguaro National Park is almost finished for poppies and lupine. The northern part of the park had only a few areas where the brittlebush was in the last stages of bloom. On the southern end of the park just past the Desert Museum and before the Red Rock Visitor Center, the hills had a pretty good cover of brittlebush. Very little lupine present and the poppies were gone. Some smaller flowers such as the desert hibiscus were relatively abundant in the southern part of the park. As in Organ Pipe, the ocotillos were just beginning to bloom. Overall, Saguaro NP was disappointing compared to Organ Pipe Cactus NM. The Superstition Mountains were at peak brittlebush bloom in Lost Dutchman State Park on March 24. The poppies and lupine are on the decline but the slopes were draped in glorious brittlebush yellow. In the gullies and a few of the open areas the lupine and poppies were still hanging on. To the south side of the park, beautiful clusters of chuparosa bushes were present in some of the gullies. The display looks like it has at least another week to go unless it gets terribly hot.  
March 24, 2008 TW
reports: These photo’s were taken on 22 March, around Bartlett
Lake, mostly on the road to Bartlett Flats. We’ve been out there every
weekend for the past three weeks, and it’s been a steady crescendo of
color. As good as these photos are, with all the color, there are still
many species that were still just buds or barely popping out. The mix of
yellow and white poppies was an especially nice touch.
 
March 23,
2008 Elba reports: This picture was taken on 3/22 at
Bartlett Lake. There is an amazing display of color along FR
459. Saw a wide variety of flowers including Owl's clover, cream
cups, white, yellow and pink poppies, lupine, popcorn flower,
phacelia, chuparosa, chia and blue dicks.
Organ Pipe
National Monument:
and nearby
March 22, 2008 Pat
reports: Organ Pipe Cactus
National Monument. There is an Ajo
Mountain loop with entrance across
from the visitor center. The flowers
are in the higher elevations.
March 4, 2008 AB
reports: The 21 mile loop
at Organ Pipe had plenty of poppies
in large patches, thick and thin.
March -5 The road from Why to Sells
is ablaze with color.. again, in
patches.\, but an awesome variety.
Feb. 29, 2008 David reports: My parents and I went to Organ Pipe National Monument yesterday. My report is nearly identical to the one you have on the website. On the Ajo Loop Drive there are many dense patches of poppies. It make for a beautiful – although not spectacular – drive. We saw a few Lupine, but no only one relative small thick bunch of Lupine. Unlike your other report, I doubt they will be thick. I saw a couple of dozen Fairy Dusters in full bloom. Most of the Brittle Bush have buds, but very few in bloom. Less than 1% are in bloom. They have not had any recent rain. While most of the park along Ajo Drive is what I would call a lush green, I saw a few sections that look like the ground cover is drying up.
Feb. 24, 2008 David reports: Ajo Trail, Organ Pipe National Monument on February 23, 2008. I found small areas with good coverage. Flowers did not open until after 10 a.m. A park ranger said that late afternoon was prime time.
Feb. 24, 2008 Tom reports: Here are some pictures from Organ Pipe NM on Saturday 2-23. Middle section of Ajo Mtn Drive has some large patched of Poppies. Looks as though there will be many more over the next week. Lupine is just starting to bloom and they look to be very thick as well once they start. Brittle Brush have green buds and look to be close to blooming as well.
Feb. 18, 2008 John reports: The poppies at Organ Pipe were exceptional and most abundant south of the "arch" on the east loupe one way driving road. These pictures were taken 16 FEB '08 4-5 PM within 200 feet of the road. I would recommend the 2 hour drive loupe just across from the park headquarters.
March 11, 2008 Bruce reports: Poppies are still beautiful at Saguaro West Picture Rocks wash area as of March 10th. Well worth a visit. Very easy access to fields of poppies!
March 10, 2008 Bruce reports: Sunday March 9, 2008 we took a bike ride around the Saguaro National Park just east of Tucson. The 8 mile loop around the park was beautiful and the weather could not have been better. The view would change dramatically from one lookout point to another. There were plenty of wildflowers to give the view that extra color. March 6, 2008 Ursula reports: Here are a few pics I took yesterday, March 5th at Saguaro National Monument West in the Picture Rocks area. It was a gorgeous day and the poppies were amazing.
Estimated Blooming Dates for Saguaro
NP
In the late winter and early spring the desert can spawn from its dry sands an event so spectacular and colorful that you forget about its harsh unforgiving nature. It is called the wildflower season, and it is an uprising of annuals, and a short period when the perennials show their brilliant colors. Wildflowers occur in the mountains, grasslands, wetlands and in deserts, but the characteristics of each environment evoke different emotions. The desert is known for its sparse, dry terrain, which receives little rain and extremely high temperatures. Normally, the desert is painted with browns, mauves, pastel greens and grays. But during the wildflower season, the dull desert palette becomes filled with brilliant new shades of blue, magenta, yellow, white and red. When Will The Wildflowers Bloom? Although it is an annual event, the wildflower season is never the same from one year to the next. Weather conditions play an integral role in the outcome of each wildflower season. If the winter has too much or too little rain, or if the temperature is too warm or too cold, the seeds of desert annuals will remain dormant or bloom in fewer numbers. Only when the conditions are near-perfect will you witness a spectacular wildflower showing, a time when an abundance of aromatic colors fill each landscape with a breathtaking effect. A decade may pass with less than fruitful wildflower displays, but when the conditions are just right, the wildflowers fill the landscapes in a phenomenal riot of color. This year we have had rain in the desert regions so we expect some good displays. During the past two weeks (Feb. 15th - March 1st '08) DesertUSA has received numerous reports and photos of the first showings in the desert areas. Click here to view the reports.
2008 Hot Spots The hot spots for wildflower sightings are Southern California between 29 Palms and Amboy, CA and the southern part of Joshua Tree NP. Sand verbena is showing shades of purple in the Palm Desert and Palm Springs regions. The bloom has just started in Death Valley and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Reports indicate that Arizona is looking good. Organ Pipe NP is blooming now. It is difficult to pinpoint the best time to visit the desert during the spring wildflower season, which generally occurs from March through June. Rest assured, no matter when you visit the desert at this time, there are always plants in bloom. Within the last three months DesertUSA Staff has seen Mojave Aster, Banana Yucca, Creosote, Brittlebush, Primrose, Lupine and a few other common wildflowers in bloom. The recent rain and warm weather has spurred an early bloom for some plant species.
What To Expect A few years ago, I traveled to the desert to experience the wildflower season for the first time. As my car descended into Borrego Valley, I expected to see fields of flowers and color so stunning I would have to stop and take it all in. I was disappointed when I rounded the corner to discover the desert looked dry and brown as it always did. It became evident that a quick stop at the park visitors center might provide the information we needed to find these famous desert wildflowers. I purchased a wildflower brochure, park map, and few other books and headed out into the desert. There were a few other cars parked off to the side of the dirt road where the map indicated a wildflower viewing area. My friends and I pulled off the road and parked. I scanned the area for patches of abundant color, but I saw nothing but browns and dusty greens on a backdrop of sand. Off in the distance, I saw a few people squatted down on the ground as if they had discovered something of great interest. When they passed by a few minutes later, I asked them "What did you find out there?" They replied, "We were trying to identify a wildflower, we think it was a Brown-eyed Evening Primrose. "I traced their footprints back to the location where they had found the wildflower and looked closely at the ground. Surrounded by hand, knee and shoe impressions I discovered a small wildflower blowing in the breeze. It was only four or five inches tall and had multiple yellowish bell shaped flowers with brown spots.
After I took a few snapshots of the Brown-eyed Evening Primrose, I wandered around the vicinity and discovered many other beautiful wildflowers. They were sparse, but each was a delicate work of art. Some were lone plants, others grew in bunches, but each was unique and amazing in its own way. With the brochures and maps I had purchased earlier in the day, I was able to identify quite a few of the wildflowers, which made the whole experience more significant. After taking a number of pictures, my friends and I decided to head to another wildflower area to see if we could find some cactus in bloom. As we drove, I kept an eye on the roadside flora. A flash of magenta caught my eye, and I signaled by friend to stop the car and back-up. I jumped out and ran a few feet from the road to discover a Beavertail Cactus in full-bloom. Its magenta flowers were magnificent and so brilliant against the soft and unobtrusive desert landscape.
Best Places To View The Spring Show The wildflower variety will vary between deserts and regions. The Sonoran Desert has one of the largest varieties of plant and animal life which makes it an excellent desert to view the wildflower show. If you are in California, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park or Joshua Tree National Park lie within the Sonoran Desert and are both excellent locations to visit during the spring finale. Death Valley National Park, which is located in the Mojave Desert, is another area where wildflowers are abundant. Antelope Valley California Poppy Preserve near Lancaster is an excellent location to view a golden sea of moving Poppies. Arizona hosts some of the best wildflower shows in the U.S. Organ Pipe National Monument and Saguaro National Park are two Arizona parks well-known for their fantastic and abundant wildflower species. If you have a day to drive down the Apache Trail on historic route 88, you will be well-rewarded by some of the most amazing vistas and landscapes filled with dark lava rock, saguaros, cholla and numerous wildflowers. A large population of Chihuhuan Desert flora can be found at Carlsbad Caverns National Park located in New Mexico. White Sands National Monument, also located in New Mexico, is a unique location to capture images of the colorful flowers as they bloom against the backdrop of white gypsum sand dunes. Big Bend National Park in southwestern Texas is yet another location which demonstrates flora common to the Chihuhuan Desert region. You have to make some effort to discover some of the more unique desert beauties; they are not always in easy to find locations. Along the roadsides you will find many wildflowers, but off the beaten track you can find some of the most spectacular landscapes and desert blooms. Where To Get Information About The Wildflower Season DesertUSA will provide you with the most current and up-to-date information about the wildflower season. We post weekly wildflower updates on our Web site and send out e-mail bulletins to list subscribers. The February, March and April issues of DesertUSA Magazine will cover topics related to the wildflower season, so check back again soon. In addition, we will display a list of phone numbers to Wildflower Hotlines for various regions.
2007 Wildflower Season
   
Make your plans now to be in the desert during the wildflower season and take your digital camera with you. Send your pictures and reports to Jim@desertusa.com. He will post them on the wildflower reports site so that everyone can enjoy the wildflowers. Please do not change the automatically generated subject line on your E-mail to us. We use this subject to make sure we are able to spot your E-mail. (Please include dates and locations of your pictures). 
Organ Pipe National Monument:
and nearby
March 14, 2007
the Parks Reports: The desert is beautiful with various shades of green,
but not with colorful wildflowers. We received less than an inch of rain
during the critical "sprouting time" for wildflowerplants, therefore we
are not expecting much in the way of colorful blooms. Right now a
scattering of yellow brittlebush can occasionally be seen along the
highway. Thanks to the scant rain received over President's Day, a few of
the ocotillo are showing greenery and their red candle-flame flowers.
Send your
pictures and reports to
Jim@desertusa.com.
He will post them on the wildflower reports site so that everyone can
enjoy the wildflowers. Please do not change the automatically generated
subject line on your E-mail to us. We use this subject to make sure we are
able to spot your E-mail. (Please include dates and locations of your
pictures).
March 23, 2007 The Park Reports: We report no significant changes from last week. The lack of significant rainfall Saguaro National Park west has continued to hamper the wildflower showing so far this season. As visitors enter our park over Gates Pass Road, they are greeted with intervallic clumps of Mexican Gold Poppies. Once inside the park, visitors will see some Fairy Dusters and Penstemon along Kinney Road on their way to the visitors’ center. Visitors can also see Wild Hyacinth sporadically spread throughout our park, primarily along Picture Rocks Road. One of the best trails to see our limited amount of wildflowers is the King Canyon trail. This week, visitors walking the King Canyon trail can expect to see Desert Globemallow, Jewel Flower, and Mexican Gold Poppies. Also, any of our countless Ocotillos seen throughout the park should at least be in the initial stages of their seasonal bloom as red buds have begun to appear. March 14, 2007 The Park Reports: Due to some colder temperatures this winter, the wildflower season is off to a slow start at Saguaro National Park East. A drive along the newly-reconstructed Cactus Forest Drive will reveal scattered blossoms of the native mustard known as Bladderpod. Unfortunately, the most common green plant right now is London Rocket, an invasive weed (with insignificant yellow flowers) that may crowd out many natives this spring. Jan 1, 2007
DUSA Reports: No reports at this date.
Estimated
Blooming Dates for Saguaro NP
Due to the drought I am afraid our season will not compare to last year. Scroll down to the bottom to see 2005! 2006 Wildflower Season A few pictures from the 2006 season
Overview
Mar. 1, 2006: The outlook for 2006 is not good at this point, we got some rain this week. There are a few sighting of wildflowers in most areas see updates below.
Arizona Wildflower Reports
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I took numerous
pictures of the Beavertail in bloom and saw a few other similar cacti as we
continued down the road. When we reached the next view spot, I discovered many
new wildflowers that had not been present at the previous location. Fiddleneck,
Spanish Needles, Southwestern Thorn Apple (Datura), white Popcorn Flowers,
yellow Sunflowers and Wooly Daisies.The trip was well worth it, and I learned
what the desert wildflower season was all about. It is not about abundance, but
delicate beauty, which shows itself in some of the driest and most unpredictable
places. Every so often, a spectacular season will occur and fields of
wildflowers will cover the desert landscapes. Each season yields a different
variety and abundance, but each can be enjoyed just the same.
