Flowers, flowers, flowers; Forget-Me-Not —
Desert wildflowers 2008
Click on photo to see wildflowers video:
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While most of the California and Arizona wildflowers I filmed this Spring were in parks of one sort or another, many striking blooms were found outside these protected areas. One thing for sure about the desert; it is full of surprises. Flowers will bloom wherever and whenever they get the chance. This short film looks at some of the wonders, beauty and issues facing the rest of the desert.
Joshua Tree National Park - April 2008
Click on photo to see California wildflowers video:
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By now, most of the desert wildflowers that thrilled us during February and March have finished their show. The plants no longer crave the attention of pollinators; rather they seek to grow and release their seeds while camouflaged in shades of gray and tan. Even so, millions of the energy-rich vessels they produce will be discovered by foraging birds and animals and help support the desert’s web of life for months to come.
For desert wildflower lovers, though, there are still some great opportunities. On April 11 and 12 I revisited Joshua Tree National Park, this time entering through the West Entrance. Many hillsides of the northern section of the park were decorated with carpets of pale yellow Desert Dandelions and the deeper yellow of Goldfields. Here and there Indian Paintbrush and Kingcup Cactus added dashes of scarlet and crimson to the scene.
By April 11, the Joshua Trees' own season to bloom had mostly ended in the lower, warmer parts its range. However, higher up in Sheep Pass, each limb of the spiny trees was still adorned with a magnificent white floral bonnet. The added altitude of Sheep Pass was noticeable in other ways, too. That day the valleys below baked in heat, while up in Sheep Pass I was very glad to have brought a long sleeve shirt along.
As the road wound its way south and descended into Pinto Basin, the temperature rose and blooming Joshua Trees gave way to blooming Yuccas crowned with cream-colored bouquets of their own. One time, while I hunched over my camera in front of a Yucca, I felt something go whizzing by. At first I couldn't figure out what happened, but a few minutes later the source, or rather sources, of the disturbance appeared; a pair of courting hummingbirds. They zigged and zagged through the air at terrific speed, punctuated by brief rest periods atop a Yucca.
In Pinto Basin the forest of Teddy Bear Cholla Cactus is in bloom. Stray from the official paths at your own risk, though, as the plants bristle with needles and are only too happy to demonstrate why they are also called Jumping Chollas! One botanist told me she carries a pocket comb to help dislodge the balls of needles; my choice is a pair of needle nose pliers. The pliers are also useful for extracting needles from boot soles - which the barbs can penetrate. Mixed in with the fearsome chollas are the pink-hued flowers of Prickly Pears and the small, subtle violet blooms of Lavendar Bushes. It's a beautiful sight -- from a safe distance.
Later, right by the Cottonwood Visitor Center, I came across purple Mojave Asters and yellow Prince's Plume in bloom. Just outside the park's southern boundary the Palo Verde Trees are decked out in bright yellow as Spring continues to serve up new wonders.
Happy Earth Day and good flower chasing,
Peter Rhalter
How to get there:
Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve
April 2008
Click on photo to see California wildflowers video:
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If there is one key to finding wildflowers, I think it must be timing, timing, timing. That principle is on display right now at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. A few weeks ago I read reports that the California Poppies hadn’t arrived and 2008 would be a very poor poppy season at the reserve. Well, whoever wrote that was just off on their timing; go look now! The hills are so filled with blooming poppies that you can spot their orange hue from miles away. The poppies are not alone, either— spectacular fields of yellow Goldfields share the range with them. Less plentiful, but still beautiful, are purple Lupine, magenta Owl’s Clover, purple and white Gilia and many others. The showstoppers, though, are the California Poppies and the Goldfields; truly unforgettable sights.
One other enjoyable note: while the exotic grasses that have seemingly threatened to choke out the poppies in recent seasons are present, they are not nearly so abundant. Apparently they did not benefit from the rains’ timing, which makes this year’s flower watching experience all the more pleasant.
Happy flower chasing,
Peter Rhalter
How to get there:
Joshua Tree National Park - March 2008
Click on photo to see California wildflowers video:
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My latest visit to Joshua Tree National Park was memorable. The desert was covered with so many flowers in so many places that it was easy to forget how rarely this happens. Last week it was happening.
The highlight for me turned out to be an unnamed low ridge of sand in the Pinto Basin. It lies between the backcountry registration box/parking lot (which is marked on the map in the newsletters the Park hands out) and Pinto Mountain. The distance from the parking lot is about a mile of level, easy-to-walk sandy soil.
Even from the parking lot pale splotches of yellow and pink could be made out on the rise. This hint of floral presence didn't prepare me for the sights ahead. As I approached the splotches turned into thousands upon thousands of low-lying blossoms, most notably floppy white Dune Primroses poking through vibrant magenta clusters of Sand Verbenas. What an amazing garden! The entire north end of the ridge glows with a carpet of brilliant yellow Desert Golds. Other abundant flowers ranged from tiny white Cryptanthas to yellow Desert Dandelions. There were surprises too, like the little purple flower with the red-striped seed pods that I still can’t identify (note: thanks to Dr. Barbara Collins' assistance, I have learned this plant is probably a Fremont's Milkvetch).
This might be the best showing of Sand Verbenas I’ve come across since they paved Palm Desert over. The Sand Verbenas were so thick I had to walk zigzag to avoid trampling them. If anyone saw me, they must have figured, "Now, here’s a hiker who’s been out in the sun too long." After my desert jig, a quick walk to the top of the ridge was rewarded by the discovery of some stately Desert Lillies standing sentinel straight, as if to survey their domain. Special thanks to Karina of the Desert Institute of the Joshua Tree National Park Association for suggesting this location.
In other parts of Pinto Basin, there are fields of Desert Golds that come right up to the road. There are dry washes filled with Mojave Poppies, Purplemat, Desert Dandelions, Lupines, Brown-Eyed Evening Primroses and more. In fact, many areas are plastered with the little white Primrose flowers; of all the flowering plants it looks like the rains must have particularly favored this one -- the intensity of the bloom has to be seen to be believed.
Oh, I mustn’t forget; the Joshua Trees and Yucca are flowering, too.
My three days in Joshua Tree were way too short.
Happy flower chasing,
Peter Rhalter
How to get there:
The Sonoran Desert - March 2008
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The Sonoran Desert was a delight to explore last week. This is an interesting year in which there are a diverse variety of flowers appearing and no single species predominates. I saw many, many gorgeous areas with this fascinating mixture of blooms. From the Superstition Mountains all the way down to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument the desert is blazing with patches of Lupines, Mexican Poppies and Desert Dandelions. I hiked the Sunset Trail in Scottsdale and found Phacelias, Fiddlenecks, Blue Dicks, Desert Dandelions, Tackstems, Brittle Bushes and many others in full bloom to accompany the marvelous Poppies and Lupines. For more information on the Sunset Trail (and others in Scottsdale) contact the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy.
One thing I observed about the Mexican Poppies is that their distribution seems to follow water courses, so they look like brilliant streams of gold flowing down the hillsides. Along the Ajo Mountain Loop in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument I came across a dry wash that was filled with Mexican Poppies—a wonderful sight. The poppies only bloomed within the wash, not up the banks. I wonder, do the seeds respond to being tumbled by water before they germinate, or is there just more moisture present in these places? In Organ Pipe I also noted my first Owl’s Clover of the season along with some vigorous Apricot Globe Mallows.
This is a great time to be out and about in the Sonoran Desert as the wildflower season progresses.
Happy flower chasing,
Peter Rhalter
Joshua Tree National Park
February
- March 2008 NEW!
Click on photo to see California wildflowers video:
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If there has ever been a moment that made me feel like I had found the Garden of Eden, it was on February 23 at the south end of Joshua Tree National Park near the Bajada Nature Trail. Everywhere around me were fields of Gold Poppies, Brown-Eyed Evening Primroses, Desert Dandelions, Yellowcups, Chias and purple Lupines. The breeze was filled with the perfume fragrance of flowers. Splattered on the ground were patches of Purple Mat and tiny daisy-like Desert-Stars.
I passed the entire afternoon within about a 1/4 mile square area of desert, constantly finding new clusters of flowers to hold my attention. One memorable plant was the Rock Nettle, its blooms glowing a ghostly white in the sunshine.
8 days later I returned to the same spot. My, what a change; the poppies had virtually disappeared with any remaining flowers shrunk down to, perhaps, a quarter of their former size. The fragrant Lupine were still abundant, but the Yellowcups were gone—now appearing up the wash at a higher elevation. In their place was an immense flowering of Chias, dense and brilliant, swaying in the wind. I was pleased to locate the Rock Nettle again.
That second visit reinforced the message that this wildflower season will be a very exciting one with different flower species succeeding one another other in sequence. The areas that have received rain deserve to be be visited repeatedly; you can't step in the same field twice.
Happy flower chasing,
Peter Rhalter
P.S. In between visits to Joshua Tree, I spent a very enjoyable day searching for wildflowers along the Amboy Road and into the Mojave National Preserve with outstanding reporter Lauren McSherry and photographer Eric Reed from the San Bernadino Sun. The article about that trip can be found here. More of Eric Reed's excellent photos from that day can be seen here. My thanks to both of them.
How to get there:
San Bernadino Sun article
Mojave National Preserve - Feb. 2008
Click on photo to see desert wildflowers video:
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The wildflowers have arrived! California’s lower deserts are sprouting patches of yellow, purple, red and white. On February 10, I headed out to the Mojave National Preserve to get an idea of what has appeared so far. My route was a wide arc along Interstate 40 to the town of Baker and from there south on the Kelbaker Road to the junction with Interstate 15.
As I drove on I-40, flowers started to appear about 20 miles west of Baker; first solo blooms and then patches of Desert Dandelions, Yellowcups and Desert Gold. At Zyzyx, I exited to get a closer look at less than 70 mph.
After last year’s drought it is a great relief to see the flowers return. While they are numerous, most are not large and you have to get out and look for them. There is also lots of greenery along the desert floor that hints at what could be more spectacular displays later in the season. Even so, what is blooming right now is delightful.
The vicinity of Baker, including Zyzyx, was particularly good. Around 10 miles south of Baker the flowers ended. The rain this winter was not evenly distributed, so the flowers are going to appear in patches. Further south, near Kelso, flowers started to appear again. The most spectacular fields of yellowcups that I saw were along I-15 between the Kelbaker exit and Ludlow. The hills were ablaze with color. Unfortunately, there aren’t any freeway exits along that stretch of road, so there was no place to stop.
All in all, for wildflower lovers this is a promising start to Spring.
Happy flower season,
Peter Rhalter
P.S. Come back for more sights and sounds of the desert in bloom.
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