Natural History Wanderings

Bloom report out of the Anza-Borrego Desert from Anza-Borrego Wildflowers Guide

2020-March-9 We had significant rain in 2019

But after that everything stopped, finally 2/10/2020 new rain 0.1 – 0.5 Inch.
Bloom at lower (<1000 ft) elevation is dwindling with some exception to the south.

This season we have a normal bloom and a better than average around Fish Creek and Carrizo Canyon.

Best flowers:

In the south the bloom is far above average. That said, it involves some walking.
Starting at Bow Willows and crossing the Sweeney Pass.
Bow Willows and Carrizo Canyon (soft sand), here we found over 100 different plants in bloom and on a canyon wall we counted over 200 Eremalche rotundifolia | Desert five spot in bloom.

Fish Creek is far above average, but the bloom is always low to begin with.

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Borrego Wildflowers reports

March/06/2020 Oyster Shell wash – Fish creek overlookBloom in Fish Creek is very good this season.You generally don’t find hundreds of blooming Eriogonum thomasii | Thomas buckwheat in a canyon wash.Finding a variety of 3/4 of the plants in bloom is very good.
Species in bloom: 74.

March/05/2020 Rockhouse Canyon Loop- The bloom around Carrizo Canyon seems to be the best right now.
We did the ‘regular’ Rockhouse Canyon Loop very often, so it’s time to explore a couple of other washes.
This might be one of the best scenic hikes anywhere close to and in the Anza-Borrego Desert.
Despite the huge boulders, the hike is mostly easy, with some short exceptions.
The bloom is good from the start, with flower fields of Diplacus bigelovii bigelovii | Bigelow’s monkey flower and Eriophyllum wallacei wallacei | Wallace’s woolly daisy.
Our estimate, the bloom will get better the following weeks.
On our way back another Eremalche rotundifolia | Desert five spot hotspot, with over 100 blooming plants.

Here we recorded the best bloom variety this season.
Species in bloom: 109.

See photos and older reports at: Bloom report out of the Anza-Borrego Desert