3/03/11 OAUSA Net Photography/Desert Wildflowers/Locations

[DaveK]

With all the rain we have been having, there should be a decent wildflower season this year. A perfect time to put that new camera to some good use or a perfect time to use some of Sean's tips and techniques.

We will have John Aydelotte, KE6U, as our guest speaker. John is a professional photographer and has spent many years photographing the desert areas of Southern California during the wildflower bloom season. Check out his website here, http://digitaljohn.com/index.html.

I will post some information here shortly about the conditions in the usual places. Join us and add your experiences in photography.

Also note that the net will be transmitted on the KA6UAI Repeater on Palomar Mountain in San Diego:
449.300
Negative offset
100.0 PL

Make sure to set the offset to negative.

[DaveK]

Here is current information and some links to the agencies responsible for managing the parks and areas where flowers are either in bloom or are expected to be in bloom:

1. Anza Borrego Desert State Park (from their website, http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=638)

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the largest state park in California. Five hundred miles of dirt roads, 12 wilderness areas and many miles of hiking trails provide visitors with an unparalleled opportunity to experience the wonders of the California Desert.

For a current update with a map of the park, click this link: http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/638/files ... 202011.pdf

Current conditions are:

Things are blooming, and are a beautiful reward for visitors willing to leave their cars and get out and look for them. Substantial rain could bring an improvement, too, so we recommend watching weather reports and checking for updates at the link above.

As blooming annuals dry up, various shrubs, trees, and cacti will come into bloom, but even these seem to be unpredictable this year. Some cacti bloomed this winter, rather than waiting for April! Our best advice for a year like this one: visit now, and come back often, to maximize your chances of seeing your favorite desert wildflowers in bloom.

2. California Poppy Reserve - http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=627

From their website:

This State Natural Reserve is located on California's most consistent poppy-bearing land. Other wildflowers: owl's clover, lupine, goldfield, cream cups, and coreopsis, to name a few, share the desert grassland to produce a mosaic of color and fragrance each spring.

3. Carrizo Plain National Monument http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/bakersfi ... rrizo.html
From their website:

2011 Wildflower Status

28 February 2011: Due to cool / cold weather the wildflowers have gone into hibernation. The morning of February 26 over two inches of snow fell in the Monument. A few Goldfields, Hillside Daisies and Fiddleneck are beginning to show up at the south end and east side of the monument. The Hillside Daisies are noticeable but do not occur in large quantities. Because of recent the warm weather, the flowers are two to three weeks ahead of schedule. However, the weather forecast for the next 10 days is colder, ranging from the mid-50s during the days to twenties and thirties at night.

4. Death Valley See: http://www.nps.gov/deva/naturescience/w ... e-2011.htm

From their website:

Feb-18-2011-01

Garaea canescens, locally known as Desert Gold, is in full bloom on the volcanic hills near Ashford Mill.

February 22, 2011
The volcanic hills north of Ashford Mill still have the best display of wildflowers in the park. Desert gold now cover the hills and the low-growing cryptantha carpeting the ground may not look like much, but produce a sweet perfume that carries on the breeze. Sand verbena add sprawling patches of pink to the mix.
East of Jubilee Pass the sprouts that came up later are starting to bloom, but unfortunately from tiny plants that appear to be stressed from lack of moisture. Recent rainstorms brought high expectations, but little actual rain. Only 0.14 inches of precipitation fell at Furnace Creek on Feb 18, the first measurable rain since early January. This may be enough to keep the wildflower sprouts alive, but more is needed to produce much of a show.

5. Joshua Tree NP See: http://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/blooms.htm

From their website:

Blooming Wildflowers
A field of golden poppies, brown-eyed primroses, and chia is on display along the western side of the road at the southern boundary of the park. Please park carefully in designated places to enjoy the flowers. Wildflowers, especially poppies, close up at night then open again when the sun is high the next day. A stretch of desert that looks barren of wildflowers at 9 am may be quite colorful by noon.

Also check: http://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/l ... eID=415791


6. Mojave National Preserve See: http://www.nps.gov/moja/naturescience/w ... lowers.htm

No reports at this time.


Excellent source of additional information

Desert USA: http://www.desertusa.com/wildflo/ca.html

Plants Blooming Now In Southern California: http://tchester.org/plants/lists/blooms.html

Other useful links:

Total Escape: http://www.totalescape.com/active/leisure/wildflwr.html

Desert USA: http://www.desertusa.com/wildflo/ca_abdsp.html

My Photo Scout:http://ca.myphotoscout.com/2010/04/07/w ... alifornia/

[gon2srf]

Awesome post Dave, I just saved all the links....Thank you.

[cruiserlarry]

Great info, Dave..

Looks like this should be an amazing year for desert blooms...lots of rain, not too cold...I'm looking forward to exploring some of the sites you listed soon...

[cruiserlarry]

I corrected the listed date for this net - 3/3/2011 (thread originally said next Friday, 3/11/11)

[DaveK]

OOPS!!

Thanks Larry