Natural History Wanderings

Wild in Arizona reports

Catalina State Park is showing small patches of poppies along the road to the Equestrian Center and above the Southerland Wash.
Picacho Peak State Park: One of the more promising poppy bloom along the Barrett and Anza Loops. Flowers are small now but look to explode after this week.
Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum wildflower areas are just starting to show.
Pinal Parkway has ok roadside blooms but will be great year for cactus in a month.
Saguaro National Park is still a ways off but will have a good cactus and tree bloom this year.
Tohona Chul Park has some nice flowers and looks to get better in the coming weeks.
Cabeza Prieta. has large amounts of Sahara Mustered covering the dunes but it is showing some wildflowers.

See photos at Wild in Arizona

DesertUSA reports

Poppies are blooming on the west facing slopes under praying hands, treasure loop trail area on Superstition Mtn. Rain expected over next couple of day

See photos at http://www.desertusa.com/wildflo/az.html#ixzz4a6rkhdwN

The northern slopes are covered in poppies on Dynamite and Goldmine trails. Sunday, February 26 – San Tan Mountain Regional Park

Picacho Peak. Brittle brush is nearly completely full grown. Some penstemon’s, desert marigolds, desert globe mallow, chicory and lupines are blooming, but not with such abundance … almost homogenously Mexican poppy. Think the peak is a week to ten days hence.

See photos at http://www.desertusa.com/wildflo/tucson.html#ixzz4a6s3sSPe