Deserts & Wildflowers

A desert isn’t monochrome. And even though poppies are always the big crowd-pleaser, there's lots more to see, especially in big bloom years which are fewer due to ongoing drought conditions. Selected wildflowers, spiky cactus, rocks and landscape details and more from travels around California and Southwest US.

Poppies at Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve, Lancaster CA
California state flower, the poppy orange color is a total crowd-pleaser even in drought years.
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Happy Poppies Thrive in Sun
They're happiest on a sunny, mild and windless day
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2019 Poppy Fans, Poppy Reserve
On the Poppy Reserve paths. Don't trample the beauty.
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Poppies Aren't the Only Game in Town
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Purple Owl's Clover
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Purple Owl's Clover Stands Out in a Crowd
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Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park, Lancaster
Joshua Tree forest on a golden bed in springtime. One of a few pocket parks / desert woodlands in the High Desert of SW corner of the Mojave.
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Yucca Brevifolia (Joshua Tree)
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A Nice Healthy Specimen at Black Rock
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Near Juniper Flats, JTNP
North end of the park has the big trees
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Healthy one in Mojave National Preserve
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Joshua Tree in Bloom, JTNP
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Ocatillo in Bloom, JTNP
You don't always get to see one this full and healthy in bloom. Ocotillo are efficient desert-dwellers that drop leaves in the summer to conserve energy, avoiding the need for photosynthesis, becoming semi-dormant until weather cools and moisture arrives.
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Ocatillo Bloom Close-up
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Teddy Bear Cholla, Cholla Garden, JTNP
Cute, but don't hug.
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Teddy Bear in Full Bloom, Cholla Garden, JTNP
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Yucca & Rocks, Indian Cove, JTNP
Just dont fall on these spikes.
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Jumping Cholla
Dont get close to this one! It has a way of sticking to you. Bring pliers with you just in case.
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Barrel Cactus, JTNP
Even not yet blooming, this cactus holds its own
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Hedgehog Cactus
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The 2017 “Superbloom,” Henderson Field, Anza Borrego
This was the scene of the biggest desert wildflower displays in decades at the park.
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Henderson Field
Maybe not as beloved or instagrammed as a field of bright orange poppies, the cheery and dominating yellows, white and pinks nonetheless attracted thousands of visitors in 2017.
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More Views of the Field
These low-lying eye-catchers are ephemerals that have to wait decades underground before the right conditions nudge their appearance on the desert floor in such numbers. What a show!
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Henderson Field, Anza Borrego
2017 was the superbloom year
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A Hungry Sphinx Moth Caterpillar
Dining on tasty browneyes
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Moth Caterpillar, Anza Borrego
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"The Slot"
Tight squeeze in places
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White Desert Evening Primrose and Desert Sand Verbena, Anza Borrego
In 2017, the right conditions were achieved when substantial rain fell in early winter and lingered gently longer keeping temps cool. Rain, and no heatwave with less wind allowed these plants to put on a big show.
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More superbloom
Desert Gold aka Desert Sunflower
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Anza Borrego Nature Center
Desert Gold aka Desert Sunflower rises taller than its neighbors.
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Anza Borrego
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A Desert Beetle Munching on Desert Apricot Plant or something
Notice the texture of its back.. supposedly good for storing water... looks like a darkling beetle
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Cream Cups
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Paperbag Bush, Scutellaria mexicana
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Paperbag Bush, Scutellaria Mexicans
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California Barrel Cactus, Ferocactus cylindraceus
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Wandering in Flowers, 2019 JTNP Bloom
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Poppies & Wildflowers Near the Reserve
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JTNP Blooming in April 2019
Southern area of JTNP can present areas of floral abundance.
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Sand Blazingstar Bloom
Mentzelia involucrata. Flower is cup-shaped. This one was showing off in JTNP
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More Floral Abundance in Southern JTNP
Even a small patch like this can delight the eye.
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Bigelow's Monkey Flower
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Desert Dandelion, Malacothrix glabrata, with visitor
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