Desert Wildflowers - Phoenix - Northern AZ

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Wildflowers and Plants - Descriptions with photos

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May 12, 2013 Jan reports: May 9, 2013 at the far end of Coronado Trail, in Rimrock, AZ. This is an area that was under development until the crash caused all work to stop. Now we have paved roads and amazing access to a wildflower show that changes daily. Take the McGuireville Exit off I-17 and head into McGuireville, Rimrock. McGuireville Road becomes E. Beaver Creek Rd. Stay on the main road and stay to the right as you come to the Beave Creek Gas Mart. Cross Beaver Creek and stay on Montezuma Ave. At the Golf Course / Restaurant turn right onto Lake Shore Drive. Follow Lake Shore until you come to a T. Turn right onto Rimrock Dr. Rimrock Drive becomes E Coronado Trail. Pass the beautiful campus of Copper Canyon Academy and keep going. Stay on the main road and you will pass a field of Globe Mallows in full glory, next the Mexican Verbena are quite showy and on up the hill are the Desert Marigolds, more Globe Mallows, Fairy Duster, Longleaf Ephedra (Mormon Tea), spreading phlox, Desert Four O'clocks, Silverleaf Nightshade, Needle and Thread Grass, Yucca, Velvet Mesquite, Prickly Pear, Strawberry Hedgehog Cactus, Blackfoot Daisies, Milkweed, Purple Asters, Creasote Bush and the pink flowering woody shrub that I have yet to identify. There are also many varieties of grasses that add a nice contrast to the wildflower show.

May 3, 2013 Usery Mountain Regional Park reports: Wildflowers, shrubs, and cacti currently blooming in the park include buckhorn cholla cactus, chuparosa, creosote, desert globemallow, desert lavender, desert marigold, gilia, goldfields, prickly pear cactus, ratany, saguaro cactus, strawberry hedgehog cactus, and trixis.

April 29, 2013 Boyce Thompson Arboretum reports: The Arboretum is in full glory right now. It is probably about 90% in bloom from roses to irises to cacti to the last of the wildflowers. Check out the Demonstration Garden’s Iris Bed, Cactus Garden and Perennial Garden. The Rose Garden is unparalleled in its beauty this year. Cacti throughout the trails are giving their all. There are still poppies, spiderwort, fleabanes, desert marigold, lupines and penstemons to be seen and enjoyed.

April 29, 2013 Jan reports: This beauty is our AZ State Butterfly. She is the Two-tailed Swallowtail, and one of her host plants is our beloved AZ Sycamores, which grow prolifically along Beaver Creek, here in Central Arizona. Several Two-tailed Swallowtails have been visiting my native wildflower gardens in Lake Montezuma and spend many hours enjoying the Penstemons. Photo taken April 8, 2013. They are very patient subjects, allowing me to get very close with my camera as they feed. What A Gift!! They were here again, April 27, 2013.

April 27, 2013 Jan reports: Lake Montezuma, Arizona - Thanks to your amazing site I now have a positive ID for the beautiful, and very fragrant night blooming Matthiola Longipetala (Night Fragrant Stock) that this little family of Coues Whitetail deer were enjoying on April 18th. Also blooming now, April 27th, are the Creasote Bush, Evening Primrose, Blackfoot Daisy, Phacelia, Globe Mallow, Strawberry Hedgehogs, Desert Marigolds, Cliff Rose, Fairy Dusters, Indian Paintbrush and a few lingering Penstemons. The Prickly Pear Cacti are in full bud, so it won't be long now for that beautiful show!

April 19, 2013 Desert Botanical Garden reports: The Harriet K. Maxwell Desert Wildflower Loop Trail is absolutely amazing this week with just about everything in full color – penstemon, owl’s clover, salvia, verbena, poppies, blue desert bluebell, chaparral sage, gaura, and desert marigold. And it smells like a chocolate factory with all the chocolate flowers in bloom. If you only have 30 minutes or so to visit the Garden, run in and do the Wildflower Loop for probably the most amazing 30 minutes you’ve spent in a garden!

Along the Garden’s trails look for a vast array of cacti blooming from beavertail prickly-pears, engelmann’s prickly-pear, hedgehogs, pincushions, senitas, organpipes, ladyfinger cactus, and toothpick cactus.

April 16, 2013 Lourie reports: Round Mountain Park in Globe AZ and in the PInal Mts along Icehouse Canyon Rd on 12 Apr 2013. Lots of flowers. Sweet scented night stock covering hillsides. Lots of Doubting Mariposas and Eatons Penstemon. Beautiful hedgehog flowers. Arizona morning glory and what I think is Texas false garlic. The drive up into the Pinal mts saw Manzanita and Sugar sumac flowering everywhere. Astragalus and lupine along the road and rare find Bristlehead.

April 16, 2013 Louis reports: This was taken at the Boyce Thompson arboretum in Superior, AZ on April 12.

April 12, 2013 Jake reports: Horseshoe Reservoir Az, Kayaking day with perfect finds.

April 9, 2013 Rich reports: These photos were taken on April 6th, in the Superstitions on the Massacre Grounds trail. There were a few rarities spotted, including the Desert Mariposa lily. I saw only a small number of each, and they were striking!

April 9, 2013 Jeana reports: Flowers were all over the bloomin desert on the sixth of April on the trail heading to Tom Thunb at the McDowell Mountain Preserve in Scottsdale. We took the Gateway trail to connect. On the Gateway, there were flowers, but the pickings were sparse. The real action started the higher we got. Everywhere you looked, there was beauty!!

April 6, 2013 Cattail Cove State Park reports: Poppies can be seen on the mountainside along with many other wildflowers. (Lake Havasu Area)

April 6, 2013 Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park Reports: The season’s first Mariposa Lilies are blooming in the South American collections behind the ‘Quincho’ pole-barn shade structure just above Ayer Lake. Mariposas are just one of dozens of wildflower varieties you’ll see on either 11am guided wildflower walk this weekend.

April 6, 2013 Marilyn reports: We took a drive up to Bartlet Lake on Thursday, April 4th. This photo was along Barlet Dam Road just before reaching the marina at the South Cove area. All of the wildflowers were outstanding. We saw mostly brittlebush and globe mallow but lots of hedgehog cactus were opening everywhere in the desert along with desert marigolds, poppies, lupine, ocotillo and yucca. A sight to behold!!!

April 3, 2013 Mary reports: Took these Easter Sunday along Bush Hwy in Mesa, a few miles south of the Beeline Hwy. Carpets of poppies, with some blue lupine and globemallow mixed in, as well as the occasional penstemon and a few other small varieties. The brittlebush is in crazy bloom everywhere. Gorgeous!

April 3, 2013 Grand Canyon NP reports: The spring wildflower bloom has begun in the depths of GC. Time to grab your hiking boots and get below the rim! Cactus in bloom.

April 2, 2013 Mary reports: Bartlett Lake, March 30, 2013: North Lake Road. Large patches of poppies; brittlebush abundant on hillsides. McDowell Mountain Park, March 31, 2013: Large stands of poppies and lupine; some owl's clover; along Granite Trail and Pemberton Wash.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 3/29/13: Desert marigolds; Chilean Palo Verde.

March 31, 2013: Large stands of poppies and lupine; some owl's clover; along Granite Trail and Pemberton Wash.

April 1, 2013 Kerry reports: Usury Park, Maricopa - Pass Mountain Hiking Trail.

April 1, 2013 Eydie reports: I thought the flowers at Bartlett Lake had peaked the weekend of 3/24, but I was wrong. They were even better this past weekend.

April 1, 2013 Ann reports: Sunrise Trail @ 145th St trailhead is blooming from top to bottom. Poppies, Blue Dicks, Phasalia, Cut leaf daisy, Ocotillo in early stages, penstemon, lupine, bittlebrush. Even the drive up Via Linda is in full bloom. These pictures were taken, March 29, 2013.

March 28, 2013 Charley reports: I took this a couple days ago at McDowell Mtn Park.

March 28, 2013 Tim reports: Went up to Bartlett Lake via Horseshoe Dam Rd and there were some nice patches along this road. Bartlett Lake has some small patches of poppies and Lupine but the combination with the Brittlebush and other annuals that are blooming, along with a nice blue sky, is amazing. Pictures were taken 3-26-13

March 26, 2013 Eydie reports: Bartlett Dam Road on March 24, 2013.

More Photos and reports on page 2

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Wildflower Field Guide

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 and wildflowers photos.

 

For other state reports click on link below

Wildflower Field Guide

Mojave Desert Wildflowers book 200 color photos

Other DesertUSA Resources
Desert Plants
Wildflower Information & Hotlines
When Will The Wildflowers Bloom?