More desert ramblings

Wildflowers in the desert in spring... people go nuts over them to the point it almost becomes a cliché. But there's a reason for it, especially for those who are familiar with the desert at other times of the year; desert wildflowers somehow transcend their natural beauty to become a minor miracle of survival against all odds. They give us a rich palette of colors against the drabness of desert mufti; they give us a promise of hope, of life triumphant and renewed.

To put it another way: Mother Nature really knows how to throw a party!

Here are some more of these minor miracles, captured in Anza-Borrego desert:

Delicate, easily damaged by wind and rain, and always a refreshing sight for sore eyes: Dune Evening Primrose.

Lupines are fairly widespread throughout the desert Southwest; with the background here, this one almost looks like an Impressionist painting.

Tiny, shy, and with a beautiful name: Brown-Eyed Evening Primrose.

One of the commonest flowers in Anza-Borrego, but one of my favorites: Phacelia.

Many people reported being disappointed by this year's wildflower season, but this is premature to say the least. Although we had ample rain over the winter, temperatures stayed cool well into February and so the flowers started blooming much later than normal. Just a week ago the flowers were great (if you knew where to look). More worrying, especially in years to come, is the spread of Saharan Mustard, a non-native weed which germinates sooner than most wildflowers and sucks up a lot of the moisture, then grows and blocks a lot of the sun from the native wildflowers. This intruder could really devastate our wildflower seasons if nothing is done.