Specific Wildflower Locations
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 plus 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.
Current conditions are: (
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=28694)
February 17, 2020: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Wildflower Update
While we haven’t had enough rain to bring on a “superbloom” in the Park this year, there are a few areas where you can find a sprinkling of annual wildflowers. Desert Gold Poppies, Phacelia, and a variety of tiny “belly flowers” are starting to make their appearance near the Visitor Center and on low rocky hillsides. Little Surprise Canyon, the Yaqui Well Trail, and Cactus Loop Trail are worth exploring. Fishhook cacti are especially abundant (and in bloom!) along the Yaqui Well Trail.
Park at the end of the pavement at the north end of DiGiorgio Road and walk up the 4WD Coyote Canyon Road for a few lilies and a scattering of annuals. And a small pocket of wildflowers is blooming near the east end of Henderson Canyon, just west of the “PegLeg” area.
Check back in a week and see what has developed!
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.
Current conditions are:
Wildflower update February 16, 2020: The first few poppies are in bloom near Kitanemuk Vista Point, on the south-facing side. Fiddlenecks, slender keel fruits, red maids and forget-me-nots are also blooming in a few places on the reserve.
Poppies open up in mid morning, and curl up in the late afternoon/evening or if it’s cold, so check the weather forecast before leaving. The weather can change suddenly and it is frequently windy here during the spring. This is a DESERT grassland, so drink water often. Note that it can be very windy here in the spring.
3. Carrizo Plain National Monument https://www.blm.gov/visit/carrizo-plain ... l-monument
From their website:
The Carrizo Plain National Monument, located 100 airline miles (160 km) from Los Angeles, is an area by-passed by time. Soda Lake, its centerpiece, is a glistening bed of white salt, set within a vast open grassland, rimmed by steep mountains. The plain is home to diverse communities of wildlife and plant species, is an area culturally important to Native Americans, and is traversed by the San Andreas fault, which has created and moved mountain ranges, carved valleys and is marked by a subtle alignment of ridges, ravines and pools.
Current conditions are:
Currently as of March 29, 2019
The wildflowers are stunning at Carrizo Plain National Monument with more blooming daily on the valley floor and mountain ranges. Gold fields, Tidy Tips and Phacilia continue to bloom.
4. Death Valley (
https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/nature/wildflowers.htm)
From their website:
Death Valley is famous for its spectacular, spring wildflower displays, but those are the exception, not the rule. Only under perfect conditions does the desert fill with a sea of gold, purple, pink or white flowers. Although there are years where blossoms are few, they are never totally absent.
Fleeting Beauty
Most of the showy desert wildflowers are annuals, also referred to as ephemerals because they are short-lived. Oddly enough, this limited lifespan ensures survival here. Rather than struggle to stay alive during the desert’s most extreme conditions, annual wildflowers lie dormant as seeds. When enough rain finally does fall, the seeds quickly sprout, grow, bloom and go back to seed again before the dryness and heat returns. By blooming enmasse during good years, wildflowers can attract large numbers of pollinators such as butterflies, moths, bees and hummingbirds that might not otherwise visit Death Valley.
Current conditions are:
2020 Wildflower Update
We are not expecting a superbloom this year, but should have a variety of wildflowers in
different areas of the park.
5. Joshua Tree NP See:
http://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/blooms.htm
From their website:
Wildflowers may begin blooming in the lower elevations of the Pinto Basin and along the park's south boundary in February and at higher elevations in March and April. Desert regions above 5,000 feet may have plants blooming as late as June.
The extent and timing of spring wildflower blooms in Joshua Tree vary from one year to the next. Fall and winter precipitation and spring temperatures are key environmental factors affecting the spring blooming period. Normally, desert annuals germinate between September and December. Many need a good soaking rain to get started. In addition to rains at the right time, plants also require temperatures to warm a bit before flower stalks will grow. Green-leaf rosettes may cover the ground in January, but flower stalks wait until temperatures rise.
Current conditions: No reports at this time
6. Mojave National Preserve
Current conditions: No reports at this time.
Excellent source of additional information
The following list is, at best, just a small sampling of the best places to visit for the Spring Wildflower bloom. For your location, a little bit of research will get you some great places to visit that are close to home.
Desert USA:
https://www.desertusa.com/wildflo/wildupdates.html
Wildflower Search:
https://wildflowersearch.org/
Where to Find Wildflowers:
https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/ ... -weigh-in/
Wildflower Viewing Areas:
https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/viewing/all.php
10 Best:
https://www.fodors.com/news/outdoors/am ... ildflowers
Arizona Guide:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/d ... 245144002/
Other useful links: