Wildflower Reports 2010
Phoenix and Northern Arizona Area

June 16, 2010, Mike reports: Sand Penstemon (Penstemon ambiguus) was blooming along and near roadsides along Hwy 89 in Page, Arizona during the Memorial Day weekend. It is be a wonderful, attractive, mounded, 3'x3', long-lived, perennial plant which blooms from June-July (and even through the entire summer), is adapted to *droughty*, sandy, well-drained (required) soils, cold deserts, and is native as far east to Colorado and Texas, north to Wyoming, and west to Nevada. Not recommended for hot deserts. Consider this rabbit resistant, fast-growing, fine-textured foliage plant for use as an ornamental in xeriscape gardens. Be patient: when grown from seed this plant may need a few months before it germinates, plus an additional few years before it blooms profusely. It may be act as an annual or die back to the ground in the very cold winter areas-so don't worry! It will *be back*! Available commercially. Check with a local nursery for plant germination questions. Shot with a 2004 Kodak Easyshare Camera.

June 11, 2010, Paul reports: Claret Cup hedgehog cacti in the Pinal Mountains are at peak color this week, watch for these hardy echinocereus plants blooming vivid scarlet-red along the road up to Pioneer Pass and also the more commonly traveled Forest Road #657 up to Signal Peak. The high elevation Manzanita shrubs are still blooming with clusters of fragrant pink flowers, you'll still see lupines along the roadside, bigger pink flower clusters on the Locust trees. Watch for wallflower, too, the orange-blossomed variety which blooms up in the ponderosa pine forests. Birds singing in the woods at the top end of Pioneer Pass on our hike included Greater Pe-wee, Grace's Warbler, Hermit Thrush, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Warbling Vireo and Black-headed Grosbeak.

June 2, Globe, AZ: Paul reports: wildflower color's spotty but temperatures are lower up here in Gila County -- escape the Valley or Tucson this weekend and watch for Prickly Poppies (also known as "Cowboy's Fried Egg", Argemone pleiacantha) along highway 60 north of Globe driving towards Salt River Canyon. Walked my dogs this morning off a Forest Service Road just past milepost #225; had my Nikon Koolpix 4500 and got a few nice JPGs of Prickly Phlox, Penstemon Pseudospectabilis and Groundsel. Birds singing along the trail included Scott's Oriole, Black-chinned Sparrow, Gray Vireo, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Spotted Towhee and Bewick's Wren. Escape the heat -- head up to Globe and Gila County!

May 22, 2010, Allen reports: The saguaro cactus is putting on a real show in the Wickenburg to Scottsdale area, with many buds left to open.

May 21, 2010, Paul reports: higher elevations in Gila County are getting productive for wildflowers; got these shots of Parish's Larkspur (Delphinium) and also locust and Indian Paintbrush off highway 288 between Roosevelt Lake and the town of Young, AZ, this week. Beautiful drive - you'll also see Penstemon pseudospectabilis blooming hot pink and and Yerba santa (white roadside flowers) right along SR288. Last week we found nice Delphinium and paintbrush, along with a few final Sego Lilies, on the San Carlos Apache reservation north of Globe (tribal recreation permit required).

May 12, 2010, Tom reports: Any idea what this flower is. I found it in the White Tank Mountains.

While I cannot be specific, it has every appearance of a common succulent. John 7/2/10

May 9, 2010, Jennifer reports: They were taken with a kodak easyshare v1003 on May 7, 2010. We took Rodeo dr off AZ stare route 95 in Mohave Valley, AZ to some dirt roads untill we hit old route 66 just past Oatman, AZ. We headed east toward Kingman on 66 for the rest of the pictures. Looks like gold poppies, ocotillo, Mohave Thistle, and many more.

May 5, 2010, Paul reports: the Toll Road Trail (#200) in the pinal mountain foothills near Globe has spotty color, but vivid if you look for it and are in search of closeups! Shot these with a Nikon Koolpix 4500, 4mp. Wednesday morning i found Colorado Four O'Clock (Mirabilis multiflora) and also Monkeyflower and New Mexico Thistle at peak color. A few Delphinium, too - there's water in the creek here; walk the trail before it gets too hot and you're likely to hear Scott's Oriole and Black-chinned Sparrow singing in the hills along the creek and trail. Trails north of Globe off highway 60, nearer the Apache Peaks, have more delphinium, hedgehog cacti and "antelope horns" Asclepias asperula.

May 5, 2010, Kristy reports: I was up around Lake Pleasant in Peoria on Saturday and was delighted to see so many cactus in bloom. Lots of color, and 3 different varieties, including Cholla, Prickly Pears *the yellow ones?), and another kind that I am not sure the name of. Here are a few shots if you'd like to share them. :)

April 27, 2010, Doug reports: Four Peaks Wilderness, Tonto National Forest, Arizona. This is a Hedgehog cactus in bloom. While the wildflowers are still rampant the cacti are starting to bloom as well. Pricky pears are blooming but not saguraos at this point in time. The desert is drying out compared to the super green conditions in March. Made the image with a Contax 645, 120mm Apo Macro lens, Leaf Aptus digital back.

April 24, 2010, Bruce reports: Photos taken while piking in the Superstition Mts. near Apache Junction August 19, 2010

April 23, 2010, Boyce Thompson Arboretum reports: Highway 60 may not be the ‘yellow brick road,’ but truly is lined with gold and yellow from the hillsides of Brittlebush that drivers will see this week all the way from Silly Mountain through Gold Canyon — coloring entire hillsides up-and-over Gonzalez Pass and on toward Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park.

Pinal and Gila County both continue to offer a wealth of flower color, and the Arboretum has one final wildflower guided walk this Saturday, April 24, at 11 am lead by Arizona State Parks volunteer Cass Blodgett, along with Carolyn Hills from the Arizona Herb Association. Arboretum flower walks are included with daily admission of $7.50 for adults, $3 for ages 5-12.

April 20, 2010, Kofa National Wildlife Refuge reports: The refuge is still incredibly and uncharacteristically green from all the winter rain. This is the week to see the beavertail cactus blooming - the fuchsia flowers are spectacular and abundant. Along the King Valley Road, the globemallow is lovely, along with chicory, tackstem,scorpionweed, desert marigold, ghost flower and the last of the brittlebush. A drive down the road towards Adams Well will be worth bumping through all those small washes as every one of them is filled with blooming pink fairy dusters.

Most flowers can be seen from about any of our roads, but keep in mind that these are rough high-clearance 4WD roads, and very slow going. Off-road driving is not allowed, not even in washes, but a short hike into some of our side canyons might reveal hidden blooms. If you visit, make sure you stop and pick up a yellow brochure with our map public regulations at the entrance kiosks or at refuge headquarters in Yuma.

April 19, 2010, Marie reports: Took a drive to Boyce Thompson Arboretum today, Sunday, April 18 and I'm glad I did it. The view was absolutely breathtaking and love the flowers. These Poppies and Chias were taken along US 60 mile post 218 with my pocket-sized Canon IXY Digital LI3. It was well worth it going to Boyce Thompson Arboretum.

April 17, 2010, Kevin reports: Arizona route 191 immediately North of Interstate ten has many poppies in bloom. My opinion: much better for photography than Guthrie Pass between Safford and Three-Way.

It is not quite a carpet of color, but large patches are solid with poppies. The display continues for several miles north on Arizona Route 191, but the best display is just North of Interstate ten. I was there 4/15/2010 and made the attached image with my Canon 1DS-mkIII

April 17, 2010, Sam reports: A friend and I took a hike on one of the trails around Lake Pleasant in Arizona. Still lots of flowers!

April 16, 2010, Paul reports: roadside Goldpoppies are vivid along Highway 60 through Claypool this weekend if you're planning to head towards, Globe, Clifton, or points east Check out the Round Mountain Park near the city of Globe -- lots of variety this weekend including Sego Lily, fragrant Mahonia (just try to describe the sweet smell of these abundant golden-flowering shrubs); Desert Onions, Bladderpod Mustard, Penstemon Barbatus, and the first of many photogenic magenta blossoms on the native hedgehog cacti. Watch for the occasional crested hedghog on the East Trail (these are few -- and cool to see). Learn the flowers of Round Mountain on a guided tour Saturday, April 17, from 3:00-5:00 PM lead by Arizona Native Plants Society's Cass Blodgett where you can learn to ID wildflowers -- admission's free, and so is Cass's tour! Other places to seek wildflowers this week near Globe include the Toll Road Trail (#200); the creek is running, Black-chinned Sparrows and Scott's Orioles are singing and flowers include Seep Monkeyflower, Fringed Gromwell, Verbena, and Cream Cups. North of Globe near the Tonto National Forest's Timber Camp hike around the transition zone where Pinyon-Juniper gives way to Ponderosa Pine for Evening Primrose, Indian Paintbrush, Bluedicks and other first-of-Spring flowers at woodland elevations. Friday morning just past dawn we heard a Merriam's Turkey Tom "gobbling" and other birds singing territorial songs in the woods including Grace's and Black-throated Gray Warblers -- American Crow, too.

April 15, 2010, Della reports: I'm from Missouri and have always wanted to see the desert wildflowers. Thanks for the tips on where to go, it was simply amazing! Bartlett lake apr 12. Taken with my iPhone.

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