Wildflowers of the CA Deserts
Eastern California includes portions of
three major desert ecosystems: the Sonoran, the Mojave, and the Great Basin. The extent and timing of spring wildflower blooms in the California deserts may vary greatly from one year to the next. Blooms are dependent upon many environmental factors; mainly winter precipitation and spring temperatures. In general, blooming begins as temperatures rise -- first at lower elevations in February and later at higher elevations in March and April. On mountain tops above 5,000 feet the blooming period may be as late as June.
Some believe that spectacular desert blooms occur about once every twenty years and others say that an ideal year comes once every 50-100 years. Most of my desert wildflower photos were taken during the spring of 2005 which was incredible! The desert bloomed really well that year because of a good amount of rain that fell during the winter months.
If you have good photos of California Desert Wildflowers to share, please do! Please give the ID and where the photo was taken.
![Desert Sunflower & Telescope Peak]()
Desert Gold and Telescope Peak, Death Valley National ParkExternal Links
My Desert Wildflower Page
My Trip Reports:
CA Poppy Reserve April 2006
Joshua Tree March 2005
Joshua Tree April 2005
Joshua Tree December 2007 (yes, in December things started to bloom!)
Mecca Hills and Joshua Tree March 2011
Death Valley March 2005
Anza-Borrego February 2005
Anza-Borrego March 2008
Anza-Borrego February 2010
Anza-Borrego February 2011
Anza-Borrego March 2011
Newberry Mountains March 2011
Desert Wildflower Reports:
California Desert Wildflower Watch
Carol Leigh's California Wildflower Hotsheet
Flower ID Help:
USDA Plants Database
Places to see desert wildflowers:
Death Valley Wildflowers
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
Mojave National Preserve Wildflowers
Joshua Tree National Park Wildflowers
California Poppy Reserve
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