There is currently an early spring bloom taking place in many locations in Anza-Borrego. Close to town the best place to go is Coyote Creek. The flowers there are dominated by bright yellow desert dandelions but there are many other species in the mix, white chicory, orange desert sunflowers, and purple sand verbena. There are flowers at the beginning of the dirt road but the best areas are about 1 1/2 mile in. The road is in excellent shape right now and suitable for any vehicle (with care) to first crossing. Beyond first crossing high clearance is essential and 4WD is recommended, but it is not necessary to go that far.If you are looking for desert lilies there is a nice bloom taking place at the Arroyo Salado Campground. Look for flowers along the road that leaves the campground to the east. Desert lilies are also reported along the route to the Calcite Mine. Here is a iphone shot from Arroyo Salado from earlier today.Desert Lilly Mike McElhatton Arroyo Salado 2/19/20

he bloom mentioned below is still continuing in the same locations. This year's bloom is lightly scattered across many areas and is different from the concentrated carpets of flowers last year. But there are many locations worth visiting. The easiest place continues to be at the end of DiGiorgio Road and going into Coyote Canyon. In addition to the areas mentioned in our report on February 19, we have also had reports of flowers in Fish Creek Wash, mostly in the shady sides of the canyon. Printed copies of our map are available in the ABDNHA Desert Nature Center, 652 Palm Canyon Drive.

The information reported below for March 6 is still valid. New information from Fred Melgert and Carla Hoegen report an excellet bloom of Desert Five Spots along a hiking route they describe as Rockhouse Canyon in the southern part of the park. Map and hiking directions are on Fred's Borrego hiking website: https://borregohiking.com/hiking/2019_rockhouse_canyon_loop.html

Due to health regulations announced in March by the State of California, San Diego County, and the closing of the state park in that same period, we suspended our wildflower updates at that time. The park is now open again but there are some restrictions still in place, see the park website. We will resume our flower updates when the next desert season begins in October. For those visiting in summer, there are always some flowers to be found in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Those locations now will be the higher elevations as well as the cool and shaded areas of washes and canyons. Even without flowers, these areas are wonderful to explore. The best time to hike is very early in the morning. Be certain to carry ample water as normal summer temperatures by mid-day will often exceed 110 degrees. The ABDNHA Desert Garden also has some flowers in bloom at this time.As always, we look forward to seeing you in Borrego Springs! - Your friends at ABDNHA