April 21, ’10: Wildflower Report Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park Wildflower Update
Admission: FREE this week in honor of National Park WEEK!
Free Admission through April 25th, 2010.

Beavertail cactus in bloom.

The wildflower displays at the southern part of Joshua Tree National Park, near the Cottonwood Visitor’s Center, have recently peaked.  You can still see abundant showings of yellow brittlebush blooms and chuparosa across the valley floors and on the mountainsides.  Ocotillo are also blooming in the Cottonwood area.  I saw one hedgehog cactus with a few unopened blooms and a couple of beavertail that had buds.  Many of the cactus flowers have already passed their bloom in the lower elevations.

At Joshua Tree NP the wildflowers bloom at different times throughout the park’s ecological regions.  Lower altitude areas have already passed their peak.  The middle of the park, which can be accessed on Pinto Basin Road, has some good wildflower viewing along Wilson Canyon, Ocotillo Patch and the Cholla Gardens. The northern section of the park near Hidden Valley and Ryan Mountain should have good displays soon.

If you have time to stop at the Cholla Gardens you will find some cacti with a few blooms.  I think the flowers are just starting to show in the garden.  Nearby, at the Ocotillo Patch, you will see some really pretty displays of ocotillo in full bloom,  probably the best color I’ve seen in the ocotillo in a few years.  I saw a huge beavertail cactus along the Pinto Basin Rd. just north of the Cholla Gardens.  You can park in the pullouts and walk into the desert a short distance to get a better view of the wildflowers along Pinto Basin Rd.

For more detailed wildflower reports please visit DesertUSA’s Wildflower Updates Page.