Wildflowers: Spring in Anza-Borrego

Photo of the green branches and yellow flowers of Rush Milkweed, Asclepias subulata
Rush Milkweed, Asclepias subulata

June 10, 2008. The Smoke Trees are in bloom. The best places to look for Smoke Trees in abundance are the sandy washes that are subject to flash flooding. Smoke Tree Wash, Coachwhip Canyon, and Ella Wash are good examples.

June 1. Desert-willow trees are in bloom in the washes. The Thurber's Sandpaper plant is starting to come alive. Milkweed species like Desert Milkweed (Asclepias erosa) and Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata) are like buzz-in restaurants for bees and their predators.

Elsewhere, the Buckwheat blooms nicely beside County Road S-2 in the southern desert. Desert Agave shows is starting to blossom in Mason Valley and Blair Valley.

Meanwhile, a reader in the San Felipe Valley tells us: "The Froebell's Four o'Clocks are having a banner year along Hwy. 78 through the San Felipe Valley. And the Buckwheats, Eriogonum fasciculatum var. foliolosum and its desert cousin var. polifolium grow cheek by jowl here at the ranch, sometimes literally right next to each other."

See also:
Blossoms in the San Ysidro Mountains west of Borrego Springs

Closeup of the pink and white flowers of Desert-Willow
Desert-Willow, Chilopsis linearis ssp. arcuata, Coyote Creek