Natural History Wanderings

Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association has a couple of December flower reports

Dec. 6, 2015 Culp Valley “Our hike today was in Culp Valley. This is the place where all the springs seep. Yes female flowers form the Mule fat, Baccharis salicifolia ssp. salicifolia. Hundreds of fresh looking Indian Valley bush mallow, Malacothamnus aboriginum. And a lot of other good looking plants as well.”

December 4 In Fish Creek we found one of our best flower spots with a lot of germination. We hiked this route because of the Desert milkweed, Asclepias erosa, so far the only spot we found them in the park and they where blooming. It is always full of all sorts of insects. Interesting to see a bulb what appears to be a Desert lily, Hesperocallis undulata, we noticed several plants in the area (leaves only). Good blooming Button brittlebush, Encelia frutescens. Had to look twice when we saw the green scrub, indeed Burrobush, Ambrosia dumosa, so incredibly green. In Fish creek Salton milkvetch, Astragalus crotalariae is always blooming and will do so for a couple of months. Blackbanded rabbitbrush, Ericameria paniculata is close to the end of bloom. Best of all there is a lot of fresh looking germination, already spotted some we haven’t seen in bloom before, definitely an area to return to.”

See photos  and older reports at : Anza-Borrego Desert Wildflowers Update