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March 26, 2013 Nita reports: Thank you for the great service your website provides! To keep paying it forward, I’d like to report that Bartlett Lake is showing a glorious amount of poppies along the road into the park (Service Road 205 and the beginning of Bartlett Dam Rd).

March 26, 2013 Mimi reports: Wildflowers along Bush Highway east of Mesa, Az.

March 25, 2013 Mark reports: Bartlett Lake service road 295

March 25, 2013 Shari reports: Taken at Lost Dog Trail March 22, 2013 Scottsdale area.

March 23, 2013 Rich reports: these photos are from last week taken in the Thunderbird Park area. Additionally I've taken some photos while traveling around from site to site and I found several unique varieties at Stetson Valley Parkway and the CAP.

March 21, 2013 Penny reports: Joshua Tree Parkway on US 93 outside Wickenburg is full of trees in full bloom. Just outside Bullhead City along Boundary Cone Road there was a massive field of purple Desert Sand Verbeena. North of Bullhead City and Davis Dam, along Kathrine Spur Road was a surprisingly early bloom of Prickly Pear cactus.

March 19, 2013 Sarah reports: Sunday March 17th , drove down from Flagstaff to South Mtn Park looking for wildflowers, but found nothing. Went to McDowell Mtn Park, and found the figurative pot o’gold! They were mainly in the wash near the Granite Trail, but some I climbed up out of the wash to photograph. Still mainly poppies, saw owl clover here and there, but not much else. Rangers at the entry station were helpful in explaining where to find the best showing.

March 19, 2013 Fred reports: March 18 Bartlett Lake- I would say the North Bartlett Dam Road has reached peak color. Abundant poppies and a good variety of other flowers if you do a little walking from the road. Some white poppies mixed in.

March 18, 2013 Yvonne reports: Wildflowers are blooming abundantly in NE Mesa from Bush Highway to Saguaro Lake to Fountain Hills. Also Usury Pass to Bush Highway has flowers. Lots of poppies – but they won’t last long and plenty of others such as Blue Phacias, Gilias, Eucryptas, Lupines (not real lush), Tackstem, Goldfields, Globemallows (near Fountain Hills), etc. They opened overnight – it was amazing.

March 18, 2013 Colleen reports: Lake Pleasant: This location is AT PEAK or just slightly beyond when it comes to annuals. The entire hillside along the south end of the Pipeline Canyon Trail has burst into yellow with Mexican gold poppies and California poppies. I even saw a handful of albino poppies on the west side of the trail – something I’ve never seen outside of Bartlett Lake! There is a nice mix of other flowers, including lupine, blue dicks, scorpionweed, and fiddleneck. A very nice stand of bright orange globemallow begs for some nice photographs just south of the Pipeline Bridge. Though the poppies will only last another 7-10 days, the perennials like brittlebush are just starting to bud and show, so watch this location for the perennial bloom over the next two weeks

Silly Mountain: The ridiculously silly brittlebush bloom on this hillside along the highway has started almost a week or two early and will peak likely this week.

Bartlett Lake: The hillsides around the saddle area are looking spectacular right now – poppies, lupine, chuparosa, fiddleneck, cream cups, and chia. Though the areas north of the saddle along Service Road 459 are definitely showing a solid wildflower bloom – including the white albino and pink poppies! – a stroll through the desert revealed many, many buds still waiting to bloom. The shooting is great here right now, but I think this area will likely see peak in the next 7-10 days. Lots of potential still!

Silver King Mine Road: Patches of poppies are evident along the east-facing mountain sides as you drive this recently graded dirt road. A short hike up the hillside will get you to a relatively young patch of poppies. A scattering of London rocket, fiddleneck, and lupine are also filling in. The verdict is still out as to whether we’ll see a spectacular bloom here, but there’s enough going on to warrant putting it on the watch list.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park: Though not prolific yet, thus far, the Arboretum is showing perhaps the most diverse mix of desert blooms – poppies, globemallow, blue dicks, desert marigold, desert filaree, penstemon, popcorn flower, wild cucumber, and Mormon tea – along the Main Trail. Though good for ample photographic opportunities now, I think this spot will continue to get even better in the weeks ahead.

March 18, 2013 Rick reports: Although not a huge bloom this year, there are still some spots of really nice color if you are willing to do what it takes to get there. Hiked into the eastern Superstitions (north of the Peachville Mountain area) yesterday and found some nice patches about a mile up off the desert floor. There was another really nice bloom further up on the next mountain, but it was getting late in the day and the Mexican poppies would be closing up shop shortly. This area is off the Silver King Mine Road several miles up past the corral.

March 17, 2013 Ken and Kris report: Photos were taken at the McDowell Sonoran Preserve on the Lost Dog Trail on March 17, 2013. There were several patches of Mexican Poppies, lupine, fiddleneck and phacelia. Also found desert chickory, blue dicks and a few that were new to me--suncups and blue fiestaflower.

March 17, 2013 Sam reports: I went to Bartlett Lake and got some shots for the report. One more good rain will seal the deal.

March 16, 2013 Jeana reports: Bartlett lake wildflowers.

March 16, 2013 John Aho reports: this is "peak week" to drive out to Peridot Mesa on the San Carlos Apache Reservation, expect about a bit under 2 hours drive (with a gas stop and a snack stop) from the Valley via highways 60 and 70 east. Saturday afternoon the Mexican goldpoppies were as glorious as last year when I photographed them. Make sure you buy the required $10 tribal recreation permit to visit Apache lands; buy your permits in Globe at the Circle K or FastStop convenience stores. You can also get 'em at the Basha's store on the Rez - just a mile or two past peridot mesa. Need driving directions? Take highway 60 from the Valley east to Globe; from Globe, continue east on hwy 70 east to San Carlos. Just past milepost 268, slow down and watch for a dirt road on the left -- its unmarked except for a cattle guard that is bracketed by two white H-shaped poles. Its decently-graded with a couple bumpy patches, my low-slung car made the drive up-and-over Peridot Mesa (worth driving over, too; color's better on the other side).

March 16, 2013 Frank reports: These were taken at Bartlett Lake north of Carefree. The drive in, the hills are covered in green with sporadic patches of poppies. Once you are close to the lake the road forks ,the road to the left takes you up in to the hills and the poppies are starting to bloom nicely. Not nearly as heavy as years past but there are some nice photo opportunities. It might be a little early in the season for everything to be in full bloom?

Butterflies were shot at the Desert Botanical Gardens. The exhibit opened on the 2nd of March if people want to take some shots. Nothing was in bloom at the DBG just yet… again… I think it’s a little early in the season.

March 15, 2013 Lost Dutchman State Park reports: Rangers report that the most visible area to see wildflowers is by hiking along Jacob's Crosscut Trail and along Prospector's View Trail. Blue dicks, Chuparosa toward the Siphon Draw Trail - Filarees and Poppies toward the Siphon Draw Trail

March 15, 2013 Holly reports: Pipline trail by Lake Pleasant Park is full of color...

March 15, 2013 Paul @ Boyce Thompson Arboretun reports: Highway 60's bordered by blooming color through Gold Canyon and Florence Junction on your drive to the Arboretum this week - visit Saturday (March 16) for the 11am wildflower walk there's a special guest tour leader: author Colleen Miniuk-Sperry (she wrote: "Wild in Arizona: Photographing Arizona's Wildflowers, A Guide to When, Where, & How"). Expect new wildflowers each day along Arboretum trails - this week showy pink Parry's Penstemon is our most vivid new flower; also watch for unobtrusive little ones such as Peppergrass and Indian Wooly Wheat, too.

From March 15-22 watch for bright patches of blue phacelia - and walk the High Trail to see unusual flowers such as wallflower, red mint, miner's lettuce and desert anemone. Wild cucumber (Marah gilensis) remains the most interesting and dramatic: with "Jack & The Beanstalk" vines that have climbed their way as high as 12-feet through native jojoba, mesquite and other trees in locations throughout the Arboretum gardens.

Watch for clusters of tiny, off-white, starfish-shaped flowers on these vigorous green vines. Other flowers throughout the park include fetid marigold (yellow); wild rhubarb (green); London rocket (gold) and henbit (purple); as well as bluedicks and Mormon tea (watch for the latter two along the main trail from Ayer Lake uphill). Walk the short trail that leads behind the Palm Grove to smell the jasmine-sweet, unique perfume of barberry shrubs there.

March 15, 2013 Tony Reports: snapped a few quick shots on my drive past Peridot Mesa (that's on the San Carlos Apache Reservation, 20 minutes east of Globe via highway 70) Thursday afternoon - and I can attest that Mexican goldpoppies here are worth the drive; they're as impressive as reported in previous years. Keep in mind that you need a $10 tribal recreation permit to take photos on the Rez; permits are available at Circle K and FastStop convenience stores in Globe - and also at the Basha's on the Rez - just a mile or two past peridot mesa.

March 14, 2013 Laurie Reports: No photos, unfortunately. I have found Pass Mt Trail from Meridian Rd TH to be the best wildflower viewing at this time. there are poppies scattered along the trail up to the pass and lots of other flowers. phacelia, desert chicory, eucrypta, gilias, red maids, mustards, lupine, fairy duster. brittlebush budding out so should be flowering soon, as well. it is beautiful

March 14, 2013 Penny Reports: March 10, 2013 alongside Highway 238 between Maricopa and Gila Bend (the edge of the Sonoran Desert) we spotted quite a few varieties of wildflowers in bloom including the Desert Globemallow and Desert Marigold. Also what I think is a form of Bladderpod nestled inside a dormant brush.

Taken March 13 along Pinal Pioneer Parkway (Hwy 79). There are lupines lining the roadside and large patches of Mexican gold poppies scattered down good portions of the Parkway.

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Wildflower Field Guide

Photos tips: Most digital point-and-shoot cameras have a macro function - usually symbolized by the icon of a little flower. When you turn on that function, you allow your camera to get closer to the subject, looking into a flower for example. Or getting up close and personal with a bug. More on desert photography and wildflowers photos.

 

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Mojave Desert Wildflowers book 200 color photos

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