Wildflowers in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, USA

September 17^th, 2012. In the high country around Prescott the fall wild flowers are abundant and glorious. Yellows, reds, and pinks among the many colors. Yavapai Co., Arizona.

August 5^st, 2012. Hiking in the Superstitions at this time of year is tough because of the intense heat. The rewards are there, but don't get caught out there without water! Maricopa Co., Arizona.

July 21^st, 2012. When rain comes to the desert in good quantity during the summer the response tends to come much quicker. With hot temperatures plants grow faster and for sure the water will soon evaporate. Shrubs can often open flowers in less than a week in response to rain. That is what I found in Rainbow Valley south of Goodyear in Maricopa Co., Arizona.

April 8^th, 2012. Today I took a small group of people to see wildflowers and birds into the Goldfield Mountains from the north along Bulldog Canyon, a stretch of trail designated as the "Great Western Trail" With summer-like temperatures in excess of 30°C and weeks since the last precipitation annual wildflowers are mostly whithered away. Now is the time for perennials and the cacti which were leading the way with their spectacular blooms.

March 11^th, 2012. Upon my arrival at the trailhead for the Harquahala Wilderness west of Aguila, Arizona, for a day of nature hiking, I wasn't expecting to see a whole lot. Except for narrow strips along the road most of the trees and shrubs looked wilted for lack of rain. Even annuals next to the road were sparse. As I hiked, however, I kept finding more and more. One small flower here, then there, then another flower hiding beneath brambles. By the end of the day I had recorded close to 50 species of plants blooming. Amazingly I was the only hiker to enyoy over 9000 ha.

March 4^th, 2012. From Ajo, Arizona all the way to Puerto Peñasco on the coast of the Gulf of California wildflowers lined the highway. Away from the roadway flowers were smaller and scarcer because they do not benefit from the extra rain water running off the pavement. For most of the distance from the border town of Lukeville-Sonoyta all the way to Rocky Point the wildflower show was enhanced. Precipitation goes further closer to the Sea because of higher relative humidity. Many flowers were beginning to fade so expect just a couple of more weeks left. Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument had plenty blooming along the roadways as well.

February 19^th, 2012. In the Tucson Mountain west of Tucson the peak blooming of wildflowers is close. This is earlier in the season than usual and it is also rather subdued. Very little rain has fallen since December and temperatures have been mild - few, if any hard freezes in most areas and not too hot. A group of very observant botanists found more than 50 species blooming in Kings Canyon. The plants are smaller than usual and rather sparse - but a delightful day was had searching and appreciating the ones we found. Visitors coming to the Arizona Deserts in the coming months should still find flowers open, particularly east and north of Phoenix and Tucson.

February 5^th, 2012. The foothills north and east of Carefree, Arizona tend to receive more rain that the lower deserts to the west and as a result I found some wildflowers blooming. Most were widely scattered and smaller than usual due to a dry January.

January 24^th, 2012. Moderate rainfall in the Sonoran Desert during November and December of 2011 gave us hope for a good wild flower season. But now January is almost finished and barely a trace of rain has appeared all month. Prospects for a banner year are essentially nil and if February is dry then few if any herbaceous flowers are likely to appear this spring. Woody shrubs and cacti will be able to store water until their blooming periods in April and May providing a colorful show. On January 29 I saw the following at White Tanks, which were very small and difficult to see: