Yesterday Death Valley National Park had the following posting on its website for February 4, 2011:
“The bloom is beginning, but don’t make a special trip to Death Valley just to see it yet. While several species are flowering in scattered patches near the Jubilee Pass / Ashford Mill area, most of them are inconspicuous and appreciated only as individuals. Masses of flowers are yet to come, so be patient.
An early exception is on the volcanic hills just west of the Badwater Road between Ashford Mill and the southern end of West Side Road. The black basalt outcrops absorb sunlight and warm the soil while wind-blown sand trapped among the boulders hold rainwater to make a perfect early-season garden. Desert Gold and Sand Verbena that have sprouted there in the fall are much more advanced than elsewhere.”
An earlier posting on January 20, 2011 was:
“Although many locations in California had the wettest December on record, Death Valley received only moderate amounts of precipitation. So far, only 0.51 inches of rain has been recorded at Furnace Creek since July 1, 2010.
None the less, we are seeing sprouts of wildflowers in the southern part of the park due to rain in October. On hillsides and alluvial fans near Jubilee Pass the plants are well established and may start showing blooms after it starts to warm up in February. The wildflowers that sprouted from December rains are growing more slowly due to the cool temperatures, so may not be large enough to bloom until March. It is too early to predict when peak bloom will occur this year.”
Natural History Wanderings 
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