Anza Borrego Wildflowers

West Coast wild flower season begins in Southern California in early March.

Wildflower Species Types of Flowers Bigelow's Monkey Flower Brown-eyed Primrose Chia Chuparosa Creosote Bush Desert Chicory Desert Dandelion Desert Lupine Desert Purple Mat Fremont Pincushion Phacelia Popcorn Flower

Anza Borrego Desert State Park, the largest state park in California, and located about a two hour drive northwest of San Diego, is an excellent place to begin observing the season.

Wildflower diversity and density in the park is highly dependent on annual rainfall totals. In years with high rainfall, park lowlands can be carpeted with a wide range of wildflowers.

Early March marks the height of the wildflower season. Cactus flowers, predominantly cholla, barrel cactus and beavertail cactus, flower throughout spring.

The desert environment provides a habitat conducive to growing unique versions of some common wildflowers. At least one Lupine species, for example, is a native plant in almost every state in the United States. It is so common on roadsides in Texas, that the state named the Texas lupine or Texas blubonnet (Lupinus texensis) as the state flower.

The Desert lupine is one variation of the lupine species indiginous to the desert Southwest.

On any give day during wildflower season, a comfortable hike might provide the opportunity to view a dozen or more different wildflowers.

The album provides an up close look at a representative group of wildflowers common in the park and the greater Southwest region, to help with identification.

Because all are native plants or shrubs, with possibly the exception of the desert dandelion, all would be excellent candidates for a Southwest home wildflower garden.

In total, nine different flower families are represented.

• Bigelow's Monkeyflower (Mimulus bigelovii) Figwort Family (Scrophulariaceae)
• Brown-eyed Primrose (Camissonia claviformis) Evening Primose Family (Onagraceae)
• Chia (Salvia columbariae) Mint Family (Lamiaceae)
• Chuparosa (Justicia californica) Family of shrubs and herbs (Acanthaceae)
• Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata) Creosote Bush or Caltrop Family (Zygophyllaceae)
• Desert Chicory (Rafinesquia neomexicana) Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
• Desert Dandelion (Malacothrix californica) Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
• Desert Lupine (Lupinus sparsiflorus) Pea Family (Fabaceae)
• Desert Purple Mat (Nama demissum) Waterleaf Family Hydrophyllaceae)
• Fremont Pincushion (Chaenactis fremontii) Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
• Phacella (Phacelia distans) Waterleaf Family (Hydrophyllaceae)
• Popcorn Flower (Plagiobothrys nothofulvus) Forget-Me-Not Family (Boraginaceae)

Please click on any link to learn more about a specific wildflower.

© 2008 Patricia A. Michaels