Wildflowers: Spring in Anza-Borrego

Pancake Prickly Pear, Opuntia chlorotica
Cactaceae

May 30, 2009. Smoke Trees (Psorothamnus spinosus) are in bloom, with their deep blue flowers, in the southern desert from Agua Caliente airport southward, including Indian Gorge, and the honeybees know it. In the north, we found Smoke Trees in flower at Coachwhip Canyon. Desert Trumpet plants (Eriogonum inflatum) are showing their little yellow flowers almost everywhere. And the rarely seen (in Anza-Borrego) Pancake Prickly Pear (Opuntia chlorotica) is producing yellow flowers. Look for this tree-like cactus at the Butterfield Stage monument at Foot & Walker Pass, on the rocky slopes along the first mile of the Little Blair Valley jeep road off County Road S-2, and in the southern desert in the Table Mountain area, on the road to the point the Lindsay guide calls the "Three Way Crossing," about a quarter of a mile before you get there.

Ironwood Tree, Olneya tesota
Fabaceae

May 25, 2009. Ironwood trees are in bloom along Highway 78 at Nude Wash, Quartz Vein Wash, and Pinyon Wash. NOTE: The sand beside these washes can be soft. If you drive, choose your turn-around spot carefully.

Ironwood Tree, Olneya tesota
Fabaceae

Sandpaper Plant, Petalonyx thurberi
Loasaceae

May 12, 2009. The Sandpaper Plants (Petalonyx Thurberi) have started to bloom in the desert, a sure sign that summer will soon be here. There are other signs, too. Blue Palo Verde trees have been showing their yellow flowers for a few weeks. Desert Willow trees are displaying flowers (some white, some pink) that look like snowflakes when viewed from a speeding automobile. Smoke Trees look like they could produce their deep purple flowers at any moment, and soon they will. But the hardy little Sandpaper Plant, a smallish shrub, will outlast them all, often managing to provide a touch of summer greenery to otherwise brown hillsides and fields.

Another sign that summer is on the way: The plants of the Milkweed genus of the Dogbane family are in flower. Insects love the plants of this genus, which are sometimes referred to as asclepiads. To visit an asclepiad right now is like going to a theater where colorful insects are the stars. You'll see Tarantula Hawks (wasps), Milkweed bugs, Lady bugs, and more. In Anza-Borrego, the milkweeds to look for are the tall White-Stemmed or Wax Milkweed (Asclepias albicans), Desert Milkweed (Asclepias erosa) with large gray-green leaves, and Rush Milkweed or Ajamete (Asclepias subulata).

At this time of year in the hot desert and nearby mountains, it's always wise to keep an eye out for rattlesnakes. Those colorful insects attract hungry lizards, and lizards attract hungry snakes. Don't step on one.

May 7, 2009. Yesterday afternoon we found Diamond Cholla (Cylindropuntia ramosissima) in bloom near Clark Dry Lake, and this morning we saw Desert Prickly-Pear (Opuntia phaecantha) on the trail to the ruins of the Marshal South home.

The northwest-facing trail lies in a great position if you appreciate flowers and can start hiking early in the day when the steepest parts of the trail are in the shade. The trailhead is at 2,800 feet above sea level, the ruins at 3,200 feet, which makes things a little cooler than the desert floor and increases your chances of catching cool breezes from the Pacific.

May 3, 2009. Off the Sunrise Highway (County Road S-1) near Cuyamaca Lake, the blooming is looking more and more impressive. From your car, whether you drive the Sunrise Highway or the adjacent Highway 79, you'll be able to see nice patches of Goldfields and yellow Tidy Tips. Park at the Fages Monument at mile marker 36 and take a short walk, and you'll discover many other plants in bloom, not least Cream-Cups (Platystemon californicus var. californicus), Checker Bloom (Sidalcea malvaeflora ssp. sparsifolia), and Owl's Clover (Orthocarpus purpurascens var. purpurascens). Photos.

Meanwhile down on the desert floor, the shrubs and trees continue their show. Desert Agave is starting to flower.

April 25, 2009. For the Wildflower Walk of the Week, go to the Marshal South home in Blair Valley. You should have no trouble making the three-mile drive off of County Road S-2 in a passenger car, and the one-mile walk to the top is on a well-graded trail. Unless you go on a busy weekend, there should be room to park. Keep score walk the trail and you may find that you've seen two or perhaps three dozen species in bloom. That should make it all worth it, right?

Stepping onto the trail, you'll walk past a pair of low Turpentine-Broom shrubs in fruit. Good citrus aroma. A few steps later, the red flowers of Beavertail cactus catch your eye, while the Gander's Cholla quietly produces flowers that are barely distinguishable from its green stems. Keep going. There's Oceanblue Larkspur with Engelmann's Hedgehog, Rock Hibiscus, Lycium with orange berries, and Desert Onion. Jojoba, Parish's Golden Eyes (Vigueria parishii), and lots of Wishbone Plant in flower. The Brittlebush may be fading, but the Rock Pea, Apricot Mallow, and Long-Stem Golden Yarrow are bright and new. Near the home, some Fish-hook Cactus have finished their year's blooming. Panamint Dudleya adds red and blue color.

Cactus flowers – Beavertail Cactus, Hedgehog Cactus, and Gander's Cholla – are appearing in Grapevine Canyon north of Highway 78, along the Pacific Crest Trail north of Highway 78, and beside County Road S-2 at Little Blair Valley. If on driving the Montezuma Valley Road between Culp Valley and Ranchita you notice what looks like the Dune Evening Primrose of the desert, take another look. At this time of year, it's the California Evening Primrose, with different leaves and more pink flowers beside the whites.

Tidy Tips, Anza-Borrego in the Mountains, 18 April 2009

April 18, 2009. It's getting to be time for Anza-Borrego in the Mountains. Near the Fages historical marker, where Anza-Borrego Desert State Park crosses the Sunrise Highway (County Road S-1) at mile 36 (elevation 4,700 ft.), Goldfields are filling the fiields. Looking closely, you may see buds and a few blooms on such plants as Purple Sanicle (Sanicula bipinnatifida), California Milkweed (Asclepias californica), Tidy Tips (Layia platyglossa), and Checker-Bloom (Sidalcea malvaeflora ssp. sparsifolia). If you go, be sure to bring suitable clothes to put on if the day turns out to be cooler and windier than you expected. Oak trees along the trails are in the process of growing leaves which will provide cool shade on warmer days to come.

Canyons off of Highway 78 continue to surprise. In Plum Canyon, except for the Desert Pincushion, most of the annuals are gone, but blooms on the Chuparosa are remarkable. They have endured! Chuparosa has a nice way of growing next to granite boulders, or with such plants as Rush Sweetbush (Bebbia juncea), Brittlebush (Encelia farninosa), or Desert Chicory. Any of these pairings makes for a lovely photograph. The Apricot Mallow is newly blooming, as are the cacti – Hedgehog and Beavertail in bright reds, Gander's Cholla in a quiet yellow-green. The deciduous Desert Apricot (Prunus fremontii) is now producing bright green leaves and green fruit. The Turpentine-Broom (Thamnosa montana) has lost its flowers and is producing brownish fruit. Beside the Mine Wash jeep trail on the way to the Kumeyyay village are plenty of Spiny Senna, and some nice cactus blooms. Spiny Senna is also a colorful presence beside Borrego Springs Road and Yaqui Pass Road south of Christmas Circle in Borrego Springs.

Buds and flowers are starting to appear on Desert-Willow trees, a sign that summer is on the way. Try the First Crossing of Coyote Creek, just beyond Desert Gardens. Of course, you already knew that many Blue Palo Verde (Cercidium floridum) trees are covered with their yellow flowers.

On a jaunt up Grapevine Canyon almost to Angelina Spring, we found some plants not commonly seen: a Yaqui Mammillaria (Mammillaria tetrancistra) displaying bright red fruit, a Panamint Dudleya (Dudleya saxosa ssp. aloides) in flower, and several Fremont's Monkey Flowers (Mimulus fremontii) which are similar in color to the Bigelow's Monkey Flower but with a different face.

April 1, 2009. On March 31, we recommended a circle drive from Borrego Springs down Borrego Springs Road to Highway 78, then westward on 78 to County Road S3 and back to Borrego. It's still a beautiful drive. You'll noticed lots of Ocotillo in bloom as you approach Highway 78 and make the turn to the right.

You may want to turn left at Old Kane Spring Road for a look at the Cactus Garden -- although you probably wouldn't want to drive more than two or three miles without 4WD -- there are patches of soft sand and boulders. The Barrel Cactus, the Beavertail Cactus, the Silver Cholla, the Golden Cholla, the Gander's Cholla, and the Hedgehog Cactus are in flower. The Fish-hook Cactus has been in flower for a few weeks. The Yaqui Mammillaria (Mammillaria tetrancistra) is sporting its bright red pencil stub-size fruit. Only the Teddy Bear Cholla and Diamond Cholla are yet to bloom. We are especially fond of driving this road late in the afternoon as the sun slips behind the mountains, backlighting millions of cactus spines.

Back on Highway 78, you'll find the roadside full of Desert Dandelions. Here and there you'll notice Spiny Senna, the spectacular shrub pictured above and described below.

March 28, 2009 – Spiny Senna, a Plant to Look for Now – When you walk or drive past it, you may think it's a Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa) but with flowers a much deeper shade of yellow. Stop and take another look. Brittlebush flowers have as many as 21 straight and narrow petals. This shrub has only 5, and they are nicely curved. This shrub may grow brown bean-like buds, while Brittlebush doesn't. If you look closely, its narrow green branches grow spines which, although easy to bend, are pointed at the end.

The plant is Spiny Senna, a Fabaceae or member of the Legume Family (hence, the bean-like buds). The spines are the reason for its scientific name, Senna armata. Spiny Senna blossoms from spring into summer, starting in March or April. This year it's been more in evidence that it has in several years. Look for it along the Borrego Springs Road southeast of Borrego Springs, off Highway 78 at the start of the Pinyon Wash Jeep Trail, along the Mine Wash Jeep Trail, across Mescal Bajada, in Yaqui Meadows (on the way to Glorietta Canyon), and in the southern desert in Indian Valley and Bow Willow. If you like good rich colors, you will love Spiny Senna.

Spiny Senna, Bow Willow, 20 March 2009

March 27, 2009 - A couple of hikers stopped at ABDNHA's Borrego Desert Nature Center with an enthusiastic report of their walk in Plum Canyon. Chuparosa, Barrel Cactus, Beavertail Cactus, Teddy-bear Cholla, and, while fading, Fiddleneck, Phacelia, Fagonia, and Fiesta Flower. Especially in the late afternoon or early evening, this is one of the best walks in a park of best walks.

March 25, 2009 – We have an anonymous report of blooms in Hellhole Canyon. The report doesn't say whether the blooms were seen from along the California Riding & Hiking Trail or somewhere else in the canyon. What it does report is: "magnificent" Chuparosa, full blooms of Barrel Cactus, Beavertail Cactus, and Hedgehog Cactus, Indigo Bush (some in full bloom), Desert Lavender, Apricot Mallow, Desert Chicory, large areas of Desert Pin Cushion, Desert Gold-Poppies, Dwarf Gold-Poppies, Chia, Desert Dandelion, Trixis, Spectacle Pod, Bigelow's Monkey Flower, Phacelia (presumably Phacelia distans or Wild-Heliotrope), Goldfields, Desert Tobacco, Wishbone Bush, Fiesta Flower, and Rancher's Fiddleneck. And, says the report, water is running in the canyon too!

March 21, 2009 – Anybody who drives to the desert right now can't help but notice the shrubs in bloom. First it's the Brittlebush beside the highways. In the fields beyond, it's the scarlet tassels of the Ocotillo. For a few weeks, people have been noticing the flowers on the Creosote and the Cheesebush. Alas, the one flowering shrub that perhaps gets the least attention of all, and is also one of the most common, is White Bur-Sage, or Burroweed. To botanists, it's Ambrosia dumosa, a member of the Sunflower family.

For a nice drive right now, go south from Borrego Springs on the Borrego Springs Road. Watch for Ocotillo in bloom as you approach Highway 78. If you turn right at Highway 78, you can turn left at the Old Kane Spring Road (the pole line road) to look for cactus in the Cactus Garden. You'll find flowers. Or, turn left at Mine Wash and enjoy the sight of Brittlebush and Gold-Poppy on Round Granite Hill and Desert Dandelions in this part of Mescal Bajada. Return to Borrego Springs on Yaqui Pass Road, perhaps stopping to make the short walk to the Kenyon Overlook and the view of masses of yellow flowers between the washes of Mescal Bajada.

For something closer to Borrego Springs, drive the Coyote Canyon Jeep Trail north from the end of DiGiorgio Road for two miles to Desert Gardens. You should start seeing the Ocotillo tassels here and in Ocotillo Flat which is just to the north.

Reports for Winter 2009.