Sonoran desert field botany

I accompanied my pal and fellow botanist Liz Makings and her Sonoran desert field botany class from Arizona State University to the Sunrise Trail in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve today. I didn't count, but there were 35 or 40 students! Did my heart good to see that much interest. I managed to squeeze off some not-great photos along the way. Many were immature plants not yet in flower, but some early poppies and my first lupine of the season were among them. The upper segment of Sunrise east of Lost Dog is generally a great place to see wildflowers. Poppies, lupines, distant phacelia (found in profusion throughout the preserve), Arizona fiesta flower, New Mexico plumeseed, delphinium, flax, gilia, several mustards, bluedicks and a number of others can be expected there. Add shrubs like chuparosa, ocotillo and brittlebush, and it's one of the best wildflower locations in the preserve.

Posted on 18 de fevereiro de 2017, 01:14 AM by stevejones