Desert Wildflowers Tucson - Southern Az.

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Wildflower Field Guide
Wildflowers and plants descriptions with photos
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We'd like to see your pictures too. E-mail your digtial photos and reports to Jim@desertusa.com. Use Wildflower Report as the subject of your e-mail. Let us know where you took the photo and the date.

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Feb 3, 2012 Tom reports: Goldpoppies are starting to emerge along the Sutherland Trail in Catalina State Park just north of Tucson.

Feb 3, 2012 John reports: Hi, I'm pretty sure the unidentified image below is Parry Penstamon (penstemon parri)

Jan 31, 2012 Christine reports: We too were up on the Hugh Norris to Wasson Peak trail and down the Gould Mine Trail on Jan 30. (Saguaro National Park) We saw oodles of wildflowers but there was this one in particular that I can not identfy. Does anyone know what it is?

And don't forget the lupines were just beginning their mass openings. It will be more beautiful up there in about another week or two.

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Jan 30, 2012 Tom reports: We saw 4 Mexican Goldpoppy in bloom while hiking the Baby Jesus Trail on Forest Service land just north of Catalina State Park, Tucson, AZ

Jan 30, 2012 Marilyn reports: During hike to Wasson Peak, starting on the Gould Trail , ascending on the Sendero-Esperanza Trail and the Hugh Norris Trail, descending on the King Canyon Trail, we saw 17 plants in bloom including Mexican Gold Poppies, Desert Zinnia, Desert Marigold, Filaree, Trailing Four O’Clocks and Ocotillo. It is looking like it might be a successful wildflower year in southern Arizona.

Jan 30, 2012 Saguaro National Park reports: One of our Teacher-Ranger-Teachers at Reconciliation Ecology at Manzo Elementary Ann G. took this photo yesterday of poppies blooming on the King Canyon Trail. She reports there'll likely be quite a show in the next couple of weeks because there are carpets of poppy plants up there, particularly just below the saddle. Brittlebush are starting to bud already, too. Thanks for sharing Ann!

Jan 23, 2012 DUSA reports: Light rain in forcast for southern AZ.

May 25, 2011 Jim report: Saguaro are blooming in many area around Saguaro National Park.

April 30, 2011 Saguaro National Park reports: The advancing season has brought a number of perennial trees and shrubs into bloom, along with the first noticeable cactus flowers! Bright red ocotillo continues to be the most eye-catching flower in the park, seen all along the Cactus Forest Drive, probably at its height (1 month late). Watch for the yellow blooms of mesquite, catclaw acacia, brittlebush, creosotebush, and blue palo verde: these woody plants are in scattered bloom throughout the park The first real show of cactus flowers has begun as well: the yellow rose-like blooms of the prickly pear are noticeable along all roadsides, and the show will be getting better as the season continues. Not far behind will be the Arizona state flower the saguaro cactus blossom, which this week has opened its first flowers here ... only a handful so they are hard to find yet.

Our traditional, final report, "windshield survey" of flowers along the Cactus Forest Drive reveals a very poor flowering year, with only fifteen species currently in bloom (and some of those only in one or two places.) Here's the list: creosotebush, velvet mesquite, brittlebush, ocotillo, blue palo verde, staghorn cholla cactus, prickly pear cactus, catclaw acacia, desert senna, paper daisy, desert marigold, desert fleabane, saguaro cactus, turpentinebush, teddy bear cholla cactus.

April 15, 2011 Saguaro National Park reports: Motorists on the Cactus Forest Drive at Saguaro National Park East can enjoy the bright red blooms of the sub-tropical Ocotillo plant. This thorny shrub is a reliable bloomer every spring, although this year's killing freeze has reduced the show to about one third of the plants.

Very few other flowering plants are noticeable on a driving tour. Scattered blossom reports arrive from some of the trails, but again in almost insignificant numbers. Plants like brittlebush, paperflower,(yellow) caliche globemallow, (orange) rock hibiscus,(pink) and hedgehog cactus (magenta) have been seem by a few observers.

There are some indications that we will have a good bloom of prickly pear cactus in a few weeks

April 1, 2011 Saguaro National Park reports: Not much change in the wildflower picture at saguaro East this week. There are only a few bright red Ocotillo blooms and a scattering of yellow Brittlebush flowers along the Cactus Forest Scenic Drive. Still, this is a great place to enjoy the variety of forms of the many species of cactus that grow in the Sonoran Desert, including of course the Giant Saguaro (which blooms yearly in May.) When you stop by the Visitor Center be sure to check out the early blooming magenta Hedgehog Cactus in the garden ... the wild versions are still just in bud. You can also find a list of all the flowers seen in the park to date ... most are so tiny as to be almost invisible or are only found in one or two locations, but they are there!

March 30, Jennifer reports: These pictures were taken near the Chevron station in Rio Rico, AZ on March 27. This is a town near Nogalas at the southern tip of the state. The white poppies mixed with the yellow / orange Mexican poppies was a beautiful sight!

March 29, Sara reports: We hiked the Sunset Trail at Picacho Peak State Park yesterday, 3/28/11. Most of the ocotillo are blooming nicely, and a couple of the hedgehog cactus have started blooming.

March 25, 2011 Saguaro National Park reports: The desert has begun to green up a bit after both a very dry winter and a killing freeze. Drawing on reserves in their branches, Ocotillo have begun to leaf out and reports of scattered bright red blossoms are coming in from most corners of the park. Along the loop road pink Fairy Duster continues to be the only bloom that is noticeable -- and it is not conspicuous. At the Visitor Center the magenta Hedgehog Cactus in our garden have opened to the delight of visitors, but there is no sign of cactus flowering in the desert yet. If you see a spot of yellow in the park it could be one of three daisy-like flowers: Brittlebush, Bahia, and Desert Marigold -- all of these put out a few flowers any month of the year; all are scattered and scarcely noticeable right now. We think it can only get better. Contact Jeff Wallner, Park Guide, for more information: (520) 733 - 5152 fax: (520) 733 – 5195

March 25, 2011 BLM Safford Field Office reports: Not much happening in the Safford area yet. Got a little rain last night.

Feb. 28 2011 DUSA reports: Tucson got snow yesterday, it quickly melted and may have help the wildflowers.

Feb. 25 2011 DUSA reports: Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument few wildflower, had no rain of significance until last week when the park received about 1/4 inch.

Feb. 18 2011 DUSA reports: Rain is forecasted for the Tucson area.

Feb 1, 2011 DUSA reports: Picacho Peak State Park Every year in March, the park sponsors a Re-enactment of the Battle of Picacho Pass. Arizona State Parks sponsors many re-enactments of history throughout its 25 park system. Since many people only know of the battles that were fought in the eastern states, this desert battle becomes another history lesson. This also is a good area for wildflowers.

Jan 25, 2011 Organ Pipe Cactus reports: The desert wildflower season is always unpredictable. A good flower season requires early winter rains followed by a warm and unusually wet spring. Regardless of the intensity of the flower season there is almost always something blooming from February through May, from brittlebush in late winter, to giant saguaros in late spring.

Jan 2, 2011 Dusa reports: Some rain in the area

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When will the desert wildflowers bloom? We start our report in January, plan your visit to coincide with the peak of the bloom - keep up to date with DesertUSA's Wildflower Reports. Be sure to bookmark this page for weekly updates.

We'd like to see your pictures too. E-mail your digtial photos and reports to Jim@desertusa.com. Use Wildflower Report as the subject of your e-mail. Let us know where you took the photo and the date. We will post them on our wildflower reports. Thanks for your support and photos.

We have an online wildflower field guide that is designed to help you identify desert wildflowers by color, scientific name, region and common name. The pictures are sized to work on the iPod, iPhone. iPad and similar devices. With your iPod or phone you will easily be able to identify wildflowers while in the desert. Links for downloads are on the bottom of the Wildflower Field Guide page.

Photos tips: Most digital point-and-shoot cameras have a macro function - usually symbolized by the icon of a little flower. When you turn on that function, you allow your camera to get closer to the subject, looking into a flower for example. Or getting up close and personal with a bug. More on desert photography.

Mojave Desert Wildflowers - This book is the standard by which all other wildflower books are measured. The author, Jon Mark Stewart, has combined super photography with concise information. This book has an entire color page for each wildflower covered, with a discussion of the wildflower. 210 pages with 200 color photos. More...

What's Blooming Now - Check the Wildflower Reports

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