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Wildflowers: Winter in Anza-Borrego

Fossil Canyon

22 January 2012 - Tom Chester sends this report after a drive down S-2 to Fossil Canyon. The canyon is in the Coyote Mountains, and often is a good place to find wildflowers in bloom before they appear further north. It is reached by turning east at the stop sign at Shell Canyon Road on the north edge of Ocotillo.

Blair Valley - Good germination by the parking area next to S2, but it is essentially all non-native Filaree or Storksbill, accompanied by a smaller number of native Pectocarya and Popcorn Flower. The Filaree and Pectocarya were beginning to bloom.

Mason Valley. Good germination of a number of native annuals, as well as non-native Filaree or Storksbill and Sahara Mustard, both of which were blooming. Most of the Sahara Mustard was very small pathetic-looking plants with just a few flowers, which is all they will have total unless they get more rain, and maybe even if they do.The Popcorn Flower was beginning to bloom there as well.

Mason Valley to Carrizo Badlands Overlook. There seemed to be fairly uniform decent germination whenever we looked at the roadside and beyond, but we didn't stop, so don't know what it was composed of. At the Carrizo Badlands Overlook, no germination except under some shrubs, and in a little drainage. the germination there was pretty sparse, but way better the none, of mostly native plants: Phacelia distans, Erodium texanum, and even Desert Five-spot.

Fossil Canyon. EXCELLENT germination there, entirely of NATIVE annuals!!!! We saw no Sahara Mustard, Storksbill, or other non-native annuals. What a pristine area plant-wise!

Non-plant wise it is not quite so pristine, due to shotgun shells; shooting
noises; car and motorcycle tracks; broken glass; old cans; etc., in a small
number of areas.

If we get more rain, this canyon will look good. we saw:

Zillions of baby Pygmy Gold Poppy and Parish's Gold Poppy
Hillsides colored green with zillions of baby White Pincusion (Chaenactis carphoclinia)
Zillions of baby plants, probably Phacelia minutiflora
Lots of Blazing Star (Mentzelia involucrata or Mentzelia hirsutissima), and Emory's Rock-Daisy
A good number of Desert Chicory
A Desert Mistletoe in flower

There were plenty of other baby annual species as well. These annuals all looked like they had germinated fairly recently, perhaps from the December rain. Some had only just grown their first true leaves. Furthermore, the shrubs all looked pretty good. Brittlebush had lots of its big green rainfall leaves, and the Caesalpinia virgata was just leafing out.

If they don't get any more rain, the annuals will all flower pathetically. But if we get rain in the next month, it will be a good year there.

Details and Photos. Storksbill, Sahara Mustard, Phacelia distans, Desert Five-spot, Pygmy Gold Poppy, Gold Poppy, Blazing Star, Emory's Rock-Daisy, Desert Chicory, Desert Mistletoe, Brittlebush, Caesalpinia virgata.

Plant Life, Desert Hillside, Chilly Winter Morning

22 December 2011 - Winter is here. The flowers are hibernating. Some of the shrubs are freshly green, thanks to recent rains, while other shrubs remain faded by the summer sun. Cheesebush is one shrub in a lovely time of its life, partly gold because of the sun, and partly green because of the rain.

Desert Holly, a species of saltbush, is displaying tiny red buds where it it found, in salty soils in the badlands. The yellow flowers of Boundary Bush, a holdover from the fall, remain in Canyon sin Nombre, while Black-stem Rabbitbrush, another holdover, can be seen in Pinyon Wash and Coyote Canyon. Desert Dicoria, with greenish-white fruit and greenish flowers, is a common sight in the Borrego Valley. Datura is also commonly seen.

A walk on the Coyote Canyon Jeep Trail, from Desert Gardens to Second Crossing, finds flowers on Rush Milkweed at Ocotillo Flat, and several Spanish Needles, a lone Sand Verbena, and a tall Desert Agave. Mule-fat is providing seeds and cover for the many bird species around Second Crossing, and a few yards past the gaging station are a few remarkably large stands of Bladderpod with green fruit and yellow flowers.

The only sad thing to report is Sahara Mustard, its tiny leaves sprouting in various spots beside the jeep trail. Fortunately, it isn't everywhere. That's the good news.

The other good news: By the end of winter (on the calendar), there will be annual wildflowers in bloom in Anza-Borrego.

Details and photos: Cheesebush, Desert Holly, Boundary Bush, Black-stem Rabbitbrush, Desert Dicoria, Datura, Rush Milkweed, Spanish Needles, Sand Verbena, Desert Agave, Mule-Fat, Bladderpod, and Sahara Mustard.