By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer
The weather gods were kind to to the Southwest this year. We got a respectable amount of rain, it came down gently, and it was spaced just far enough apart for the natural landscape to reap the maximum benefit. As a result it looks like we're in for a record wildflower year. So don't even think about not getting out to see the show. Who knows how many years it will be before all these conditions come together so perfectly again?
Use the following websites to help plan your trip:
The Theodore Payne Foundation website tracks wildflower bloom throughout Southern California. Or, if you prefer, call their Wildflower Hotline (818/768-3553); Emmy Award-winning actor Joe Spano narrates it. Both the website and the hotline will update information weekly March through May.
Anza-Borrego State Park has its own Wildflower Update. Poppies, verbena, and desert lilies (which you don't get a chance to see every year) are already in bloom there.
Desert lily at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
The Antelope Valley California Poppy Preserve does not expect poppies to be exceptional this year--the rains were a little later than ideal. But don't let that keep you from going. They are expecting lots of other wildflowers.
Death Valley National Park also has its own site.
The National Forest Service also has a website with information on wildflowers throughout California.
Prefer combining your wildflower scouting with a hike? Join one of the California Native Plant Society sponsored hikes and learn a little more about what you're seeing. Go to the Tree of Life Nursery site to find the hikes; they have posted links to the Orange County, San Diego, and Los Angeles chapters.
The Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix has an excellent wildflower report, covering all of Arizona, on their website.
Desert USA, a multi-media company site, also has a wildflower report--with tons of photos. It covers five Western states.
You might also take a look at Photography by David Senesac, the site of a Silicon Valley engineer with a passion for wildflowers.
