DesertUSA - Wildflower Reports
Phoenix and Northern Arizona Area 2009

2009 Reports

May 15, 2009 Bill reports: More saguaro cactus blooms in the Papago Park area.

May 5, 2009 Barbara reports: These were shot on Sunday May 1st in Walnut Canyon, AZ – near Sunset Crater.Mohave Mount Cactus and not sure what the blue one is, but caught a bee doing his job.

May 2, 2009 Bill reports: Saguaro blooms are poppin' all around the Saguaro Lake area.

April 29, 2009 Boyce Thompson Arboretum reports: More pictures from the park.

April 29, 2009 Ann reports: The Boyce Thompson Arboretum was full of colour when I visited last week. The Agave were in full bloom, as were the hedgehog cacti and the wildflower garden.

The saguaro cacti were showing buds at the Desert Botanical Gardens, in Phoenix. It’s possible that they will begin flowering this week.

April 20, 2009 Jessica reports: These pictures were taken Sunday, April 19, along US 60 between Superior and the Renaissance Festival. The Prickly Pears, Hedgehog cactus, and varieties of Cholla cactus were all loaded with blooms.

April 9, 2009 Kyra reports: Today was my first visit to DesertUSA, what a treasure on the net! April 4th was my 40th birthday and I chose to spend the afternoon at the Desert Botanical Garden, which was also a first for me. I captured some really wonderful photos I would like to share. Thank you for the opportunity to do so!

April 2, 2009 Jamine reports: Thanks to Sam’s tip, I headed up to Bartlett Lake on Sunday 3/29. Viewing from the car, I thought, hmmm, maybe a few types of wildflowers. Then I got out & walked around & what heaven! There were about 2 dozen types of wildflowers sprinkled everywhere. About 6 different bird calls were going on at any moment & B-flies fluttering by J I recommend Bartlett Lake to anyone who enjoys a peaceful photographic sanctuary. Definitely walk into the wilderness & immerse yourself in nature’s wonders. Also, take bug spray! I got totally eaten up by venturing into the brush.

Mar. 30, 2009 Pete reports: These were taken Sunday March 29th, at Boyce Thompson Arboretum. We read the review at Desert USA and made the 90 trip. What a wonderful and magical place. Bees, butterflies, blossoms and hummingbirds everwhere. An exercise for the senses.

Mar. 24, 2009 CB reports: There are patches of wildflowers along the roads between Florence - Kelvin and Superior, southeast of Phoenix. The photo below, taken Sat. 3/21 shows Lupines, Desert Marigolds and Poppies which were just outside the town limits of Superior. The flowers are a not as abundant as they were in recent years, but there are some nice little patches.

Catalina State Park's Rim trail had a nice variety of wildflowers 3/14 and many were just approaching maturity. No big patches, but not barren either.

Mar. 24, 2009 Sue and Shari reports: Here's a photo of the Prickly Poppies along Ellsworth Road that we mentioned in our March 22 posting for Mesa, AZ. As of March 23, there was a nice variety of wildflowers along the Saguaro Lake trail at Butcher Jones Reacreation Area off Bush Highway in Mesa, including Desert Globe Mallow, Fairy Duster, Blue Dicks, and others. Included is a photo of the Owl Clover there. Mexican Gold Poppies are still blooming in one area off the turnoff from Bush Highway to Butcher Jones, and are also blooming along Bush Highway north between the Butcher Jones turnoff and Arizona Highway 87. More poppies and owl's clover are blooming from the intersection of Bush Highway and Highway 87, going west on Highway 87.

Mar. 23, 2009 Lisa reports: My name is Lisa and I am an intern at the BLM Yuma Field Office. This spring we sponsored several weed pulls at some local sand dunes near Yuma. Contained within these sand dunes is a healthy population of the Blue Sand Lily (Triteleiopsis palmeri) which is considered an Arizona rare plant.This flower only responds to heavy winter rains and may not flower for many years. This year, there are several blooms popping up all over the dunes!!

Mar. 22, 2009 Sue and Shari reports: No photos, but there are Prickly Poppies in bloom along the east side of Ellsworth Road, south of MeKellips Road in Mesa, Arizona (east of Phoenix). They’ve been blooming for last few days.

Mar. 22, 2009 Sam reports: Went back to Bartlett Lake today 3-22-09 to check on how the wildflower's were faring. Everything looks beautiful. All the flowers were still blooming and looking fresh. Only saw one other person besides me taking pictures. There's a lot of grandeur being missed and that is sad. Folk's, don't miss out on this. Just turn left going toward rattlesnake cove turn off, but continue NE on the road for about a mile.

Mar. 19, 2009 Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park reports: “Wishbone” Four O’Clock are blooming white and trailside near Ayer Lake and also along the “Switchbacks” section of trail below Picketpost Mansion. Other wildflowers to watch for this week are Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa), Flat-topped Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasiculatum) California Blue Bells (Phacelia californica) and Fairy Duster. The first few Prickly Pear cactus blossoms are beginning to open, and by the end of the month we should see the distinctive and vivid magenta flowers of our own signature Echinocereus – the “Boyce Thompson Hedgehog” cactus.

At least three different lupine species are inflorescent this week, too! Want to learn stories behind some of our most charismatic desert wildflowers? Guided tours are offered daily at noon during March, with special guests including Arizona Native Plant Society’s Cass Blodgett March 21, author Christine Maxa (“Arizona’s Best Wildflower Hikes”) March 25, and Meg Quinn (“Wildflowers of the Desert Southwest”) on April 1. Does Fleabane Daisy (Erigeron divergens) truly drive away fleas? Join a guided 12:00 tour, easy 90-minute hikes included with daily park admission of $7.50 for adults or $3 for ages 5-12. Check the BTA website (http://ag.arizona.edu/bta) for complete details and dates. Boyce Thompson Arboretum is near highway 60 milepost #223 as you approach the scenic copper-mining town of Superior.

What will you see and smell this week? The pungent and unique “fermented grape soda” fragrance of Mescal Bean (Sophora secundiflora, or Texas Mountain Laurel) perfumes the trail just as you start walking behind the visitor center, and Parry’s Penstemons are at their peak. BTA’s High Trail is not wheelchair accessible, and is a more challenging hike – but here you find Miner's Lettuce, yellow Bush Penstemon, and Wallflower at the west end of the trail. Wallflower are those tall yellow globes on thin green stalks. This week and in April watch for the first Phlox of the season. Hoping to find the “penstemon-like” Red Mint, or Betony? A thick patch of Stachys coccinea is below the trail at the steep steps approximately across from the main trail’s marker #42. As you approach the east end of the High Trail watch for Ocotillo, or “Flaming Sword,” blooming above the creek. The season’s last few Anemone are here, too, but quickly going to seed.

Mar. 17, 2009 Jan reports: We found these lovely poppies and owl clover between Butcher Jones Beach, turnoff on Bush Highway and the Beeline Highway, near Saquaro Lake, Mar 10, 09. It is drying out fast but the low spots are quite spectacular.

Mar. 17, 2009 Sarah reports: Went to Bartlett Lake, in the areas mentioned here, and found very few wildflowers…almost none. Not sure where everyone was seeing them, but on March 14, we didn’t see them; though it was a waste of a drive.

Mar. 15, 2009 Sam reports: Took my wife out to Bartlett lake to see wildflower's on 3-14-09 and wasn't disappointed. On the west side of the lake in the foothill's on a side road that led to rattlesnake cove and point's NE, were just teeming with wild flower's. Everything! Mallow, Poppies, gold and white, Ocotillo, Lupines and flower's I don't know the names to. Oh, and some other wild thing that grow in this area, so be careful were you step. I want to thank your other posting people for the information. These flower's are going strong and could go another two week's or more. As we were leaving the lake area we got a thunder shower to water the desert. It was fantastic!

Mar. 14, 2009 Joanne reports: Although not as prolific as last year, there are still lots of esquisite wildflowers blooming if you are willing to look for them. These patches were found up on the hillsides off a dirt road just north of Superior, Az. on March 13th. We also found our first blooming cactus of the season and it's a stunning beauty!

 

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Arizona Wildflowers

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Make your plans now to be in the desert during the wildflower season and take your digital camera with you. Send your pictures and reports to Jim@desertusa.com. He will post them on the wildflower reports site so that everyone can enjoy the wildflowers. Please do not change the automatically generated subject line on your E-mail to us. We use this subject to make sure we are able to spot your E-mail. (Please include dates and locations of your pictures).

Some pictures and slide shows from 2006 and 2005

We have made a slideshow of 45 pictures we received during the 2005 season. We have now added 2006. If you have a fast connection and the Flash plugin installed - click below to enjoy the show.

2006 Wildflower season. - Click here to play.

2005 Wildflower season. - Click here to play.

Send your pictures and reports to Jim@desertusa.com. He will post them on the wildflower reports site so that everyone can enjoy the wildflowers. Please do not change the automatically generated subject line on your E-mail to us. We use this subject to make sure we are able to spot your E-mail. (Please include dates and locations of your pictures).

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