Natural History Wanderings

Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History has a report for a few wildflowers found on a hike along Wind Caves to Gypsum Peak

A hike in Fishcreek along the Windcaves up to the Gypsum peak.
On of the goals was to check how many of the very rare Narrow leaf Sandpaper Plant, Petalonyx linearis where still alive.
We where pleased to find 2 alive and still blooming, but struggling.
Unfortunately we found 3-4 plants that where obvious dead, still attached to the ground, we are confident about the ID of the dead plants that where alive in 2015.
All dead plants where on the sun facing slope, the other plants (alive) seem to be in a slightly better spot.
In a new location, facing away from the sun, one possible alive (looking less dead).
Biggest surprises, one Smoketree in good bloom and one Pigmy cedar with a couple of nice flowers.
The dominant plant higher up and sometimes the only species present, Pigmy cedar and a young Desert willow, Chilopsis linearis arcuata, that didn’t know when to bloom.
The number of species in bloom is very low, in many cases we only found a single plant in bloom

See photo at Anza-Borrego Desert Wildflowers Update