Natural History Wanderings

Wild in Arizona reports

The Estrella Mountain Park is starting to show carpets of poppies high on the northern slopes of the Rainbow Valley trail. Start at the Rodeo Arena Parking lot and hike west, the best wildflowers are 1/2 – 1 mile in and showing Lupine and Fiddleneck at 1 foot tall already. This area should be great in 1-2 weeks with recent rains that will double the bloom stalks and give solid midday carpets of poppies. Also look for a brittlebush/strawberry hedgehog bloom in 3-4 weeks.

The White Tanks were OK.  There were enough poppies to keep your attention but little else.  There were a few lupines but sparse and small.  The best areas were the first 1/2 mile of Mesquite Trail west of area 7.  The west side of White Tank Mountain Road near Area 3 and the trails that lead west of area 3.  The brittle bush was not flowering but it was very healthy and the flower buds were starting.  They will be a better show than the poppies.

See photos at AZ. Wildflower Field Report 2/22/17