Natural History Wanderings

Desert USA reports

late fall as torrential rains fell over the park in October, but almost no additional precip has fallen until mid-December.

On Sunday, December 20th we drove down the Badwater Road to Harry Wade Road, which has only recently been reopened from the flash floods of October. South of the Badwater Basin, many of the alluvial fans were green with new growth of annual wildflowers, a good two to three months early. We counted four species in bloom; the classic Desert Gold, Sand Verbena, Brown Eyed Evening Primrose and exactly one Forget Me Not. What an unusual surprise for the Solstice!

It is very strange to have blooming wildflowers at the Winter Solstice in DVNP. The green plants should be emerging in January and blooming in March; not emerging in early November at blooming at Christmas! I do not know whether these plants will survive until spring, or bloom again in early March. If we get more rain (of which there has been little since October) other young flowers may replace them.

See photo at  Death Valley Wildflower Report – DesertUSA