Natural History Wanderings

Anza-Borrego Desert Wildflowers Update reports March 1, 2017
Blow Sand Canyon Loop – Hiking Details

In Fault wash we found a big flower field of Notch leaf phacelia, Phacelia crenulata ambigua.
We cut accross, Una Palma time for a short hike. Unfortunately the singe palm died in 2015.
The goal was to find Mojave cleomella, Cleomella obtusifolia and we found plenty of those along our trail and the big surprise some in bloom.
Desert lily, Hesperocallis undulata are there in high numbers as everywhere else.
Desert sunflower, Geraea canescens, some in bloom, hundreds ready to go in the next weeks.
Comment”  The flower fields of Notch leaf Phacelia, crenulata ambigua, in the Borrego Badlands is a very rare event.  To get there: Fonts point to short wash to Fault wash.  4WD preferred to get to the startiing point.

Down the very wet Tule Wash, that was interesting driving a wash for the first time with no tire tracks and sinking a bit in the mud.
Tule wash was filled with Orcutt’s woody aster, Xylorhiza orcuttii, so that begs for a hike.
Turning right on Pole line, HWY 78 west.
The goal of this long drive was to find Western Sea-purslane, Sesuvium verrucosum in bloom, YES only the one plant we found before, in good bloom.
Later back to the linanthus jonesii and close to 5 p.m. we found one plant in bloom, added another blooming plant to our list.

See photos and older reports at http://www.abdnha.org/pages/03flora/reports/current.htm 

Desert USA reports

We visited the Anza Borrago area on 2/1/17 the road to Coyote canyon is almost back to normal after the rain, this area has the most wildflowers now. Each day will bring more flowers to bloom and the bloom may last for weeks, if it does not get too hot. This weekend should be a good one to go. Cactus should start to bloom in the next few weeks.

See photos and older reports at  http://www.desertusa.com/wildflo/ca_abdsp.html#ixzz4aF1DWPfe

Anza Borrego Desert Natural History Association has two new reports

General Flower Update by ABDNHA  February 26, 2017
The Borrego Desert is verdant green with leaves and buds of wildflowers needing just a few more warm, sunny days before the buds open to show their springtime colors.  Today we note a few locations where individual open flowers can be seen for those willing to wonder among the blooms are open, including the north end of DiGiorgio Road with a few open Desert Lilies and a few others, and east on Henderson Canyon Road just west of PegLeg some patches of Sand Verbena and a few open Desert Lilies.

The weather is still cool for hiking, and the blue skies and mountain views round out a day in the desert.
For the full bloom, we are looking at mid-March, but will be watching each week.  Flower maps are now available at our ABDNHA Borrego Desert Nature Center at 652 Palm Canyon Drive.

Check out BorregoInSpringtime of Facebook – it’s our online photo festival of Smartphone photography.

February 26, 2017 Blow Sand Canyon Loop – Hiking Details
We started our route by exiting in the Texas dip, down the San Felipe wash. On the bank flower fields of Bigelow’s monkey flower, Mimulus bigelovii bigelovii and Parish’s poppy, Eschscholzia parishii. Along the route germination was staggering, but no great display in flowers. We’ve never had such a high plant and bloom count on this hike before, germination and plants about to bloom in very high numbers. Asian mustard, Brassica tournefortii was of course present in high numbers.

See photos at Anza Borrego Desert Natural History Association