Desert Wildflowers Joshua Tree NP

Plan your trip with our Joshua Tree NP Introduction Package

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April 3, 2013 Joshua Tree National Park reports: We are experiencing one of the best Joshua tree blooms for many years, especially in Black Rock Campground and throughout the northern section of the park. Wildflowers are not plentiful this year, but they are blooming in the southern part of the park and the bloom is moving gradually northward through the Pinto Basin. Cacti are beginning to bloom throughout the park.

March 28, 2013 Jim G reports: This photo was taken Sunday, March 24th in Joshua Tree. The location is at the top of Keys View looking West.

March 25, 2013 Jim B reports: Went to Mecca Hills Wilderness area and the southern part of Joshua Tree Park. Here are some photos of the wildflowers that can be along the road in southern JT. Must get out of car to see them up close.

March 23, 2013 Paul reports: The beaver tail on the J-Tree bajada at the nature trail parking area, and the chuparosa along the Cottonwood Canyon road.

The prickly poppy and Sand Blazing star were in a side canyon (4x4 recommended) off Box Canyon Road East of Mecca. Mecca Hills Wilderness area.

March 21, 2013 Joshua Tree National Park reports: More than 50 species of wildflowers have been observed in Cottonwood Canyon and on the Bajada Nature Trail, although generally just a few of each. Bladderpod along Pinto Basin Road and chuparosa south of Cottonwood Visitor Center continue to be visible from the road. To find other species you’ll need to get out and walk around a bit. Don’t forget that many wildflowers close overnight and don’t get up first thing in the morning; so after 10 am is usually best for flower viewing.

March 21, 2013 Jim reports: Joshua Trees in bloom in the upper part of the park, just a few wildflower found, did not go to the Cottonwood area.

March 17, 2013 Joshua Tree National Park reports: Joshua Tree National Park has begin renovating approximately 11 miles of Pinto Basin Road (map here) The primary purpose of the project is to make the road safer for visitor travel.

To improve road safety conditions, the existing road bed will be realigned and widened to allow a design speed of 35 or 45 miles per hour. Redesign and realignment of the road will also improve sight distance at the heavily visited Cholla Cactus Garden.(Cholla Cactus Garden is closed on weekdays until April 1)

During weekdays visitors may experience travel delays of up to 30 minutes while a pilot car leads vehicles through the construction area. Construction is not scheduled to occur on weekends or holidays. Visitors are urged to drive cautiously around construction areas and to follow instructions.

March 17, 2013 Theodore Payne Foundation reports: The wildflower bloom is developing nicely in Cottonwood Canyon and on the Bajada Trail with more than 30 species reported, although just a few of each. You will need to get out of the car and hike around to appreciate the diversity of flowering plants. Brittle bush (Encelia farinosa), creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) and bladderpod (Peritoma arborea) are the showy shrubs that can be seen along the road. Annuals that you will encounter hiking in Cottownwood wash include whitestem blazing star (Mentzelia albicaulis), brown-eyd primrose, (Chylismia claviformis), for-get-me-nots (Cryptantha spp.) and my personal favorite, desert star (Monoptilon bellioides).

Traveling south of JTNP through Box Springs Canyon, pull off the road and explore the washes and canyons. Tucked around crevices and rocky canyon walls are a few hardy annuals like little golden poppy (Eschscholzia minutiflora), notch-leaf phacelia (Phacelia crenulata), lupines (Lupinus spp.), white fiesta flower,  (Pholistoma membranaceum) and desert dandelion (Malacothrix glabrata). Perennials include chuparosa (Justicia californica), wishbone bush (Mirabilis sp.), desert lavender (Hyptis emoryi), brittlebush (Encelia farinosa) and sweetbush (Bebbia juncea).

March 12, 2013 Joshua Tree National Park reports: The wildflower bloom is developing rapidly in Cottonwood Canyon and on the Bajada Nature Trail with more than 30 species reported, although generally just a few of each. Yellow bladderpod (Peritoma arborea) bushes along Pinto Basin Road and the red flower of the chuparosa (Justicia californica) bushes south of Cottonwood Visitor Center are visible from the road.

March 8, 2013 DUSA reports: Light rain in parks of the park today.

March 7, 2013 Joshua Tree National Park reports: Joshua trees are budding & blooming as temps warm. Rain tonight/tomorrow should spur spring wildflower blooms.

March 4, 2013 Joshua Tree National Park reports: A few Joshua tree blooms were observed at Black Rock this week. The yellow flowers of the bladderpod (Peritoma arborea) bushes along Pinto Basin Road and the red flower of the chuparosa (Justicia californica) bushes south of Cottonwood Visitor Center are visible from the road, but little else is flowering. The young leaves of annual wildflowers are appearing in the south of the park and a few small blooms may be seen on the Bajada Nature Trail.

Feb 25, 2013 Joshua Tree National Park reports: After several dry months and a cold winter, Joshua Tree’s spring bloom has gotton off to a slow start. The yellow flowers of bladderpod (Peritoma arborea) bushes along Pinto Basin Road and the red-flowering chuparosa (Justicia californica) bushes south of Cottonwood Visitor Center are visible from the road, but little else is flowering. However, young leaves of annual wildflowers can be seen on the Bajada Nature Trail and along the roads, so hopefully we will have more flowers to enjoy as the weather warms.

Joshua Tree National Park is seeking volunteers to help control the aggressive Sahara mustard plant that is invading the park and surrounding communities. This rapidly spreading annual is most successfully controlled by manually pulling plants before they are able to spread their seeds across the desert landscape.

Please consider joining park staff and fellow volunteers to pull Sahara mustard plants for a few hours this spring. The weed pull events will be held from 8 am to 1 pm on the following Saturdays in March: 3/2, 3/9, 3/16, 3/23, & 3/30 .Contact Kipp Callahan at 760-367-5575, or by e-mail at: kipp_callahan@partner.nps.gov.

Feb 21, 2013 Randy reports: Visited the south entrance to Joshua Tree. I only saw a few scattered Creosote and Chuparosa blooms, mostly along the road between the Bajada nature trail and the ranger station.

Feb 20, 2013 Joshua Tree National Park reports: The north side of the park was socked in and dusted with snow when Ranger Pam Tripp snapped this pix at the Cholla Cactus Garden at 7:15 this morning.

Feb 1, 2013 DUSA reports: The park got some rain last week, but it is still early.

Jan 24, 2013 DUSA reports: 70 % chance of rain tonight and Friday.

Jan. 10, 2013 DUSA reports: Monday had snow in in the Black Rock area on the northern side of the park. On the Wednesday at southern entrance of the park there is not much evidence of any rain, some rain is in the forecast for the area today and early next week. Here is what it looked like yesterday.

Dec. 18, 2012 DUSA reports: Rain is forecasted for today

Dec. 3, 2012 DUSA reports: Still early, the park did get some rain, no flower reports at this time.

Oct 21, 2012 Joshua Tree Reports reports: Desert dandelion (they're everywhere!)

Aug 1, 2012 DUSA reports: About a 1/8 inch of rain fell in the lower part of the park last week, some rain still in the forecast.

May 9, 2012 Barb reports: We entered the park from the south entrance and exited from the west entrance.

This beauty was right in the middle of the Ocotillo garden on the road in the transition zone. All sorts of cactus are blooming near the rocks along the walk at Cap Rock. Throughout the park, wild flowers line the roads and hiking paths.

Apr 24, 2012 Tomoe reports: My husband and I went to Joshua Tree National Park on April 21st and 22nd. At the Cottonwood Spring area, there were many Sand blazing star, Canterbury bell and Desert Chia. At the temperature almost 100 degree, some Sand blazing star was opening completely. I took these pictures there.

Apr 24, 2012 Karen reports: I went to Joshua Tree for the first time this weekend. With our lack of rainfall, I didn't expect to see much in the way of flowers but I saw quite a few. I didn't venture far from the road. These were on the Pinto Basin Road driving from Twentynine Palms to Cottonwood this morning.

Apr 21, 2012 Joshua Tree reports: In the south of the park, the Mastodon Peak Trail continues to delight, with cacti, Mohave asters and rock live- forever replacing the Canterbury bells and brown-eye evening primroses. Sand blazing star is still going strong and Sylvia’s Wash, 2.7 miles south of Cottonwood Visitor Center, is an excellent wildflower stop.

Apr 12, 2012 Mary reports: The first part of the Mastodon Peak Trail is one of the prettiest displays of desert flowers I have seen. The draws going up from the trail are packed with Desert Blazing Star, Canterbury Bells, Primroses and Chia. The poppy fields north of I-10 are in full force and include on close look Yellow Head, Whispering Bells, Spanish Needles and Thick Leaved Ground Cherry. Last year I could not find a Ground Cherry anywhere, and this year they were easy to spot. On an excellent wildflower walk with Ranger Julia in Cottonwood wash we identified 30+ species of blooming plants including Star Gilia and the succulent Rock Live Forever.

Other than this area around the Cottonwood Visitor Center, I only saw a few scattered roadside blooms in the very dry looking park desert. The park ranger told us that this area of the park received the three inch downpour in September and another inch in February. It is interesting how this rain pattern resulted in three feet tall Canterbury Bells, three feet wide Desert Blazing Star and thousand of Chia, while park regulars such as Desert Dandelion and Lupine are sparse and smaller than usual. Fortunate to have this diverse pocket of flowers in an overall dry year.

Apr 10, 2012 Lynn reports: Tooks these pictures on 4/9/12 in the Cottonwood area.

Apr 9, 2012 John reports: Wildflower pics that I took on March 31st in the Cottonwood Spring area of Joshua Tree NP.

Apr 9, 2012 Paul reports: On the west side of the road to Cottonwood Station between the road and the wash, poppies were in bloom as of 4/7/12. In the wash itself is a good place to find some nice blooms of Canterbury Bells as others have reported.

Spring Blooming Periods

Lower Elevations: 1,000 – 3,000 feet
Yuccas—March and April
Annuals—February, March, and April
Cacti—March, April, and May

Higher Elevations: 3,000 – 5,000 feet

Joshua Trees and Yuccas—March and April
Annuals—March, April, and May
Cacti—April, May, and June

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