Natural History Wanderings

updated 3/12/13

DesertUSA has the following wildflower reports for Arizona:

The sunset trail in Pichaco Peak State Park north of Tucson Az. There were small patches of Mexican poppies and some phacelia blooming but much more to come.

Cave Creek Park – On the southeastern area of the Go John Trail, sparse poppies are showing up. Not great for those wide field of flowers shots, but a good time to get down on the ground for close-ups.

Lake Pleasant Regional Park reports: With the cooler temperatures and ample rainfall this year, we are in for a good flowering season, so get out and take a look! We are starting to see wildflowers here at Lake Pleasant Regional Park. For the groundcover, we are seeing the little white popcorn flowers pop up, and a good number of purple/pink filaree blossoms. For taller wildflowers, the yellow fiddleneck is just starting to show blossoms, although not yet having its characteristic fiddleneck look. A large number of long stem desert hyacinths are getting ready to bloom with several already making a purple splash throughout the park. The Mexican gold poppy is just starting to show, but not in abundant numbers.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum reports: Color’s getting stronger by the day! New flowers to seek this week include a bright patch of blue phacelia at the east end of the main trail, below Picketpost Mansion and the first few yellow wallflowers and desert anemones on the High Trail. This should also be peak week for rhyolite bush (ragged rock flower). Wild cucumber remains the most interesting and showy of our spring flowers with “Jack & The Beanstalk” vines that have climbed their way as high as 8-feet through native jojoba, mesquite and other trees in locations throughout the grounds. Watch for clusters of tiny, off-white, starfish-shaped flowers on these thriving green vines.