Natural History Wanderings

It rained most of the day today and there were very few people out looking at flowers. We drove on Borrego Springs Rd. and saw many flowers on sides. Flowers in bloom included Brown-eyed Primrose, Fremont’s Pincushion, Sand Verbena, Popcorn, California Suncup, Arizona Lupine, Creosote,Desert Dandelion, Desert Chicory, and Wild Heliotrope.

We had been told that Henderson Canyon Road might have the best wildflowers and they are the best we have seen so far. There are many flowers and species. There are some Sphinx Moth Caterpillars as well so I am not sure how long the bloom will last and what plants will be impacted. There were abundant amounts of Desert Sunflower and Sand Verbena. Also in bloom were Dune Evening Primose, Brown-eyed Evening Primrose, California Suncup, a spreading camissonia, Popcorn, Spanish Needle, Fremont’s Pincushion, Creosote, Brittlebush, Laxflower, Arizona Lupine, Desert Chicory, Bush Pepperwort, Ocotillo, Wallace’s Eriophyllum, Downey Prairie Clover, and my personal favorite Desert Lily. Also seen were Ravens and White-winged Doves.

After drying out over lunch at Kendall’s Cafe, we did a hike from the Visitor’s Center parking lot out towards Hellhole Canyon. The dominant blooms were Creosote, Fremont’s Pincushion, and Desert Dandelion. Also observed in bloom were Wild Heliotrope, Chuparosa, Popcorn, Nama (only one small plant), Desert Star, Desert Chicory, Barrel Cactus, Poppy (closed due to rain), Brown-eyed Evening Primrose, Chia, Wallace’s Eriophyllum, and Beavertail Cactus, which had large pink-red flowers. There were also many jackrabbits (at least five sightings), Black-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Raven and Anna’s Hummingbird.