The arrival this week of El Niño-driven storms will spike the high hopes of nature lovers who are counting on abundant winter rains to produce a spectacular spring wildflower display.

The El Niño hype created high expectations, and at last the rain has arrived. San Diego’s mountains were drenched this week, and significant amounts of rain also made it over the mountains into arid sands of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

If rains continue as expected, mountain wildflowers will begin to pop in March and continue to bloom through May.

Tiny purple blossoms of wild mountain lilac will paint the chaparral forests with spring color, while California poppies will color rural roadsides. On Palomar Mountain and around Julian, daffodil and jonquil bulbs will burst into seasonal glory in carpets of spring-green grass. Monkey flowers will point toward the sun on roadside slopes and the little white lantern blossoms of the manzanita will attract swallowtail butterflies.


Lupines, showy-white prickly poppies, baby blue eyes and carpets of goldfields will paint mountain meadows in a palette of color.

The welcome rain will also be good for wildlife. Deer, quail and wild turkey will benefit from new growth and more available water. Rabbits and rodents will be more abundant and that will benefit predators such coyotes, hawks and owls. Continued rainfall could mean higher survival rates for all species.

Traditionally the highest hopes come from those anticipating a banner spring wildflower display in the desert.

It’s been six years since there was a good show in Anza-Borrego, and storms this week are perfectly timed to kick off a beautiful display in February, March and April.


Fingers are still crossed. One good storm will not create a spectacular spring display in the desert. After this, a series of storms will be needed to continue the growth and bloom of delicate desert flowers.

Should that happen, the first color to arrive will be the delicate red blooms of ocotillo. Soon the hillsides will brighten to turn yellow as brittlebush bloom with their silver dollar-sized flowers.

If a banner wildflower year does arrive, expect carpets of purple sand verbena to spread across the desert and the sandy hills to be dotted with the large white flowers of the dune primrose.

As spring advances toward summer, the cactus begins to bloom with the tiny little fishhook cactus sporting a crown of white blowers. Nearby, the larger barrel cactus will be crowned with yellow-green blossoms, and beavertails will be topped with iridescent magenta blooms.


Desert wildflower season is a time to explore and discover the hidden beauties such as tiny monkey flowers in sandy washes, delicate red wild fuchsias in the rare damp places in shadowed canyons or the magical pink to purple globes of the desert five spot.

When it all comes together, spring in San Diego’s mountains and deserts is a spectacular time.

Keep the rains coming.

Desert activities

Visitors to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park on Jan. 16 can enjoy a variety of activities and programs from hikes to a campfire program. The programs are free and will begin in front of the park visitor center on west Palm Canyon Drive.


The first event of the day will be a 11/2-hour bird walk at 7:30 a.m. Volunteer naturalist Ann Keenan will talk abut the birds common to the desert and often found around the area of the visitor center.

At 11 a.m. there will be a 45-minute garden walk through the visitor center garden.

The Pollen Path will be a one-hour program at 1:30 p.m. featuring the seasonal movements of Native Americans. Visitors will learn how early residents migrated to take advantage of different food supplies.

A Junior Ranger program for youngsters 7 to 12 is scheduled for 2 p.m. and the final event of the day will be a campfire program about owls at 7:30 p.m.


Bird walk

Birdwatchers are invited to join the Palomar Audubon Society for its Jan. 23 field trip to Dos Picos County Park and the Ramona Grasslands Reserve.

Participants will gather at 8:30 a.m. at Dos Picos Park on Mussey Grade Road, south of state Route 67 in Ramona. The trip is rated as moderate with some hills and uneven dirt trails.

The area offers a variety of native bird species.

On Rangeland Road in the Ramona Grasslands, birders may possibly see eagles, hawks, mountain bluebirds, meadowlarks, starlings and other interesting species.


For additional information, contact trip leader Hal Benham at (858) 679-7904 or davinci@san.rr.com.

If you have a story of interest,

email ernie@packtrain.com.