The December rains should help, but experts say it's too soon to predict next year's desert wildflower bloom.
Henry Brean Winter has only just begun, but wildflower forecasters are already looking forward to spring.“Every botanist out there is pondering the same question,” said Jim Malusa, research scientist with the University of Arizona School of Natural Resources and the Environment. “Nothing motivates the seeds of spring annuals better than an early winter rain, but how much rain is enough rain?”
People are also reading… Desert ecologist Ben Wilder said the rain so far has been a nice surprise considering we’re supposed to be headed into our second straight La Niña winter, which typically means dry conditions in the Sonoran Desert. “I would say chances are good for some decent flowers around the Picacho Peak area if additional freezes hold off,” Wilder said. “And they could be good or really good in that area — and more regionally — with additional rains in the coming weeks.”
Unfortunately, the desert may have already missed its chance for anything better than a decent show of color. If you can’t wait until spring to see some flowers, Dimmitt said he’s getting early reports — and a few photos — of “sand verbena, desert sunflower and a few desert lilies” that are already in bloom at Anza-Borrego State Park in California’s Mojave Desert.
But Malusa is more of a field-is-half-full kind of guy when it comes to wildflowers. Even during a down year, the desert can still surprise you, he said.
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