Natural History Wanderings

DesertUSA  reports

Saguaro National Park Reports: Flower frenzy at the park! All of these flowers were spotted during a morning hike along Javelina wash which is in Rincon Mountain District(East).

Right now prickly pear plants are surrounded by occasional nice patches of a yellow and white flowering shrub which none of my guides identify, but which in good years permeates the desert off of Wentworth, Sahuarita and Houghton roads between New Tucson and Corona de Tucson. There are still enough palo verdes in bloom to provide a good backdrop.

In the next few weeks the seas of prickly pear surrounding Corona will begin to bloom, and the ocotillos at the Ocotillo Preserve to the east of South Houghton Rd south of Corona are in full flower, if not in full leaf, right now (note well, this is the otherwise unmarked environmentally sensitive land east of Houghton, not the off-limits neighborhood at the south end of Houghton). Recent rains on Thursday and today will preserve the bloom. Visit soon, this area is quickly being overrun by buffelgrass and development, but if you go, please respect property owners’ rights as well as the environmentally sensitive lands at the preserve – stay in front of the fences and park safely off the roads.

See photos of above reports at Desert Wildflowers Tucson – Southern AZ – DesertUSA