Spring Wildflowers

Rick Gibson

University of Arizona Cooperative Extension

Pinal County

Winter rains this year created a good display of wildflowers.  I hope you were able to get out and enjoy them while they lasted.

A spectacular year for wildflowers means that the desert is awash in color. The flanks of desert mountains, such as Picacho Peak, are colored gold, blue and yellow.  The desert floors, not just the sides of highways, are colonized by flows of color.  In poor years, there are few if any blossoms to enjoy.  While we did not get to see the truly spectacular in 2013 it was still a pretty good year.

Pinal County is a great place to see desert wildflowers. The best displays are usually found on the slopes of rocky hillsides and along paved roads.  Rocks, pebbles and gravel help mulch the desert soils and slow evaporation.  Paved roads shed water to the sides and irrigate young seedlings. The extra moisture works to the advantage of the wildflowers which need regular moisture to carry them through to maturity.  Highway 79 from Florence Junction to Oracle Junction is often a great place to see wildflowers.  You sometimes can also find a decent display along US 60 from Apache Junction to Superior, and along other paved roads in the county.  Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior and Picacho Peak State Park between Eloy and Redrock are great places to see the flowers up close and personal.

How do you know if it is going to be a good wildflower year?  Ample and timely winter rains that begin in November and come at two week intervals during the winters months almost always bring about a lavish display of desert wildflowers in the spring.  Here are a few tips to prepare for finding and enjoying wildflowers.

First, make the experience more enjoyable by learning the names and a little basic information about the flowers you see.  Unless you are really into botany, it will be hard to know them all, but start with the more common flowers and work from there.  Take some kind of a reference book with you to help you identify and learn about that particular flower.  A good field guide, preferably with color pictures, will prove to be an invaluable friend.   Botanical gardens and arboretums often have educational displays that describe these plants.  They might even have sections on display where nameplates identify wildflower plants.  Another choice would be to join in on a tag-along tour guided by a native plant expert.  I like to learn as much about the plant as I can.

Second, don’t just look at color alone.  Be aware also of the various arrays of textures, the interaction of the flowers with the natural environment and how the various colors intermingle with one another to present a full, broad picture.  Look also at the structure of the flower; how the petals are arranged and if they have more than one color in the bloom.  Artists have long known that to truly replicate the scene on canvas, they have to pay attention to the way light filters through the plant parts, particularly the petals.  Wildflower blooms are often intricate mixtures of colors and textures that often go unnoticed when we focus on only one piece of the puzzle.

For added enjoyment, I recommend that you also pay attention to how the flower fits into its native environment.  Why did it attract your attention?.  What is it that made you look at it, and how did you feel when you did?  For example, a desert marigold along the side of a road attracts the eye, gives a sense of color and fits into a larger plant community.  A single desert marigold growing next to a large granite boulder may give a totally different feel or view.  Your first thought may be one of isolation, or solitude and quiet.  A pocket notebook is a handy place to jot down your observations so that you can go back during the heat of the summer and remember a great Arizona experience.

Finally, learn a new flower each time you go out.  Over one hundred different species of wildflowers have been identified in our area alone and the search is always on for new and different varieties.  Many flower enthusiasts keep a record of the species that they see each year.  They consider this as part of the fun of searching for and identifying these beautiful plants.  They compare their lists from year to year to see what has changed and then share what they have found with friends and acquaintances.  This interchange of ideas from season to season not only makes for good conversation, it also helps to truly begin to understand the fragile, intricate web of life in the desert.

Of the many species that can be found locally, some become old friends because they are seen just about every year.  Others may be new acquaintances.  The more common varieties include the gold-colored California poppy, the deep blue lupine, the yellow desert marigold, the purple filaree and the orange globemallow.  We expect to see these flowers whenever there is even a hint of effective moisture.  However, it is fun to also look for the less common species like the rock purslane, evening primrose and scarlet pimpernel. 

Many people capture the beauty of the desert in their own yards by planting wildflowers in desert landscapes and then giving them extra water during dry winters to ensure that the flowers will germinate, grow and produce seed for the next year.  There are many yards that have spectacular displays even during the driest of years.

Most wildflowers can be planted from seed and are fairly easy to grow.  They do not need fertilizer or special care other than regular and frequent irrigations.  Seed of some of the more common varieties, such as the California poppy, can be purchased from nurseries, but it is too late this year to plant them.  Wildflower mixes are usually planted in November for a spring bloom. 

Some seed companies specialize in native plants.  Seed for individual species as well blends can be ordered through their catalogues.  Again, extra irrigation, beginning in the late fall and continuing through the flower season, will produce a bumper crop even in low rainfall years.

Wildflowers are fleeting, at best.  Soon the rains stop, the summer heat returns, the desert enters its summer dormant state and the displays are finished until the next time the winter rains come early and frequent.  No one can predict when that will be so be ready to enjoy them when you can. 

If you have questions, you can reach a Master Gardener at the Cooperative Extension office, 820 E. Cottonwood Lane, Building C, in Casa Grande.  The telephone is (520) 836-5221, extension 204.  The author’s email address is gibsonrd@ag.arizona.edu.

The University of Arizona is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution.  The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation in its programs and activities.

Rick Gibson
Extension Agent, Agriculture
University of Arizona Cooperative Extension
820 E. Cottonwood Lane, Building C
Casa Grande, Arizona 85222
Voice:    (520) 836-5221
Fax:    (520) 836-1750
email:    gibsonrd@ag.arizona.edu