Natural History Wanderings

The Anza-Borrego Foundation reports

Thousands of visitors come to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park® each year to enjoy the beauty of unique and captivating desert wildflowers in bloom. With 92 different plant families, 346 genera and hundreds of flowering species, there is quite the variety of flora to discover! There are many factors that determine when, how many and which blooms will appear in any given season. A combination of sun, rain, temperature and wind set the stage for the springtime arrival of wildflowers. So, when is the best time to experience this phenomenon? That is one of the most frequently asked questions at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park! It is very difficult to answer, as each year’s conditions can vary greatly. However, the second week of March is often the peak of the wildflower bloom.  When all conditions are perfect you will see the carpets of flowers you often see in the media.

Click here for a downloadable Wildflower Location Map

Wildflower Update: 3/12/19

Visitor Center area: Visitor Center garden, along paved trail to campground, and in Hellhole and Little Surprise Canyons.

Coyote Canyon : The dirt road into Lower Coyote Canyon (high-clearance 4WD vehicles only), but remains rough beyond Desert Gardens due to recent flooding. You can park at the end of DiGiorgio Rd. then walk a short distance up the dirt trail to fields of flowers to the east. Please avoid private dirt road.

S-22 Roadsides: Purple sand verbena is blooming north of Highway S-22, near Mile Marker 31.

Borrego Badlands: Park off Highway S-22 (just west of mm 35) and walk in to Coachwhip Canyon or Arroyo Salado Primitive Camp. Vehicles with good clearance can drive 1/8 mile to restroom.

Texas Dip: Great display of poppies on south-facing hillsides above San Felipe Wash (just north of Hwy 78).

Ocotillo Wells SVRA: Bloomed early in the season. Start at their Discovery Center, near mm 91 on Hwy 78.

Blair Valley: Mile marker 33 on highway S2 and various pullouts along the highway. Little Blair Valley and dry lake bed are blooming.

June Wash: Park near mile marker 42 on highway S-2 and walk up the wash. Try also Carrizo Badlands Overlook at mm 52.

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borregowildflowerslowers.com  has two new reports

Mar/13/2019 Glorietta Canyon Loop 4

We’ve seen it raining numerous times over Glorietta canyon, time to check out what the rain produced.
Vast number of Emmenanthe penduliflora penduliflora | Whispering bells, Phacelia distans | Common phacelia, Eschscholzia parishii | Parish’s poppy and Mentzelia involucrata | Sand blazing star at the canyon entrance.
The Eschscholzia parishii | Parish’s poppy will only pop open later in the day.
Fields of Nama demissa demissa | Purplemat in the canyon Close to the entrance yes a big unmistakable Plagiobothrys jonesii | Mojave popcornflower and probably over a hundred more into the canyon.
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