Natural History Wanderings

Death Valley National Park Wildflower update for 4/17/15

Yes, there are still flowers! The high country is where to go for flowers this week, but you’ve got to hand it to the Gravel Ghost. It’s a tough little flower, still hanging in there in the mid to lower elevations, triple digit temperatures, windstorms, and all! The wind continues to take a toll on the blooms.

Dante’s View Road is past its peak, but still has an abundance of beautiful blooms. This is the best road if you don’t have a high clearance vehicle.

Titus Canyon is my pick of the week again this week, just amazing. Emigrant Canyon Road is looking pretty nice. The paintbrush look especially pretty on this road. There are some flowers at Daylight Pass, especially on the east side, and Townes Pass. As usual, if you get out and hike around a little you’ll see a lot more. The Joshua Trees are about done in Lee Flat. North Pass in Saline Valley does not have a whole lot of wildflowers, but you can find the unusual and beautiful Rose Mallow blooming as you travel down the pass into Saline Valley. South Pass has abundant Cliffrose, Indigo Bush, Paintbrush and Lupine. The Racetrack Road has a wonderful cactus bloom going on. If you’re planning on bagging a peak in the Panamints, nothing is really going on much on the mountain trails yet, but there’s a patch of lupine shortly before the Charcoal Kilns and flowers coming up in Mahogany Flat and Thorndyke now. Happy flower hunting!