Phacelia seedlings in the Tortolita Mountains north of Tucson

Wildflower Garden in bloom

SPRING 2012 IS PREDICTED TO BE A GOOD TO GREAT DESERT WILDFLOWER YEAR! 

December 15, 2011: 

Weekly rains through November and mid-December have given desert wildflowers the signal to begin growing.  Patches of green are showing in low desert areas in southeast Arizona around Tucson and perhaps elsewhere in the state.  This is a good start for a wildflower display in spring!  We will have wildflowers this spring!  Ongoing rains will determine how large and extensive the wildflower display will be. 

Wildflowers will bloom first at lower elevations.  Starting in mid to late February wildflowers may be sought in low warm desert areas such as the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.  As the season progresses wildflowers will come into bloom around Phoenix in South Mountain Park, Estrella Mountain Park, and Lost Dutchman State Park.  A little later, wildflowers will be at their best at Picacho Peak State Park, Saguaro National Park, and Catalina State Park.  By late March and April, wildflowers will be at their peak in Sabino Canyon, the Catalina Mountains, and the Tucson Mountains.  These are estimates which will be influenced by how cold or warm the winter is, and by rainfall patterns.  More rain equals better wildflower displays.  Different wildflowers bloom sequentially through the spring, so if you miss the big bloom of desert poppies for instance, you may still find other wildflowers coming into bloom which had not been flowering earlier.  As wildflowers fade in mid to late April, they are followed by cactus and shrubs coming into bloom. 

This website offers a measure of the previous month’s accumulated rainfall: 

http://www.hprcc.unl.edu/maps/current/index.php?action=update_region&state=SW&region=WRCC