Canyon Sunrise, Anza Borrego Desert State Park
View this blog entry in Google EarthLatitude: 33° 11' 15.19" N, Longitude: 116° 23' 16.13" W, Coord: 33.187553°, -116.38781°
Filed under: California, Desert, Wildflowers on 3/16/2005
Anza Borrego Desert State Park is currently experiencing an epic, once-in-a-lifetime bloom of desert wildflowers, bushes and cacti. The sand verbena and desert primrose flowers that had covered the valley floor so spectacularly in places in February seem to be receding or largely gone, replaced with poppies and lupine. However, the principal attraction now is a profusion of brittlebush filling the canyons and coloring the hillsides on the east side of the valley with yellow. The slopes along the Montezuma Grade leading down to Borrego Springs from the west are bright with brittlebush, so that they appear entirely yellow and green from afar. The density of brittlebush continues down toward the valley and into the canyons, washes and alluvial fans. Barrel and cholla cactus and ocotillo are just now beginning to bloom, so desert color in Anza Borrego should continue to improve for at least a few more weeks. There are many small assorted flowers still, along with caterpillers (munching the flowers) and butterflies. The following is a blended exposure shot at sunrise, composed of three images blended to account for the extreme range of light that neither film nor digital sensor can adequately capture in a single exposure:
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| Brittlebush, ocotillo and various cacti and wildflowers color the sides of Glorietta Canyon. Heavy winter rains led to a historic springtime bloom in 2005, carpeting the entire desert in vegetation and color for months. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Anza Borrego, California, USA. Image: 10895 Species: Encelia farinosa, Fouquieria splendens Location: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Anza Borrego, California, USA  View this Image in Google Earth! |
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Keywords: Anza Borrego Desert State Park, photo, photographs, wildflower.
Photos of Wildflowers at Anza Borrego Desert State Park
View this blog entry in Google EarthLatitude: 33° 20' 18.13" N, Longitude: 116° 21' 48.48" W, Coord: 33.338372°, -116.36347°
Filed under: California, Desert, Wildflowers on 2/10/2005
The spring wildflower bloom is happening right now at Anza Borrego Desert State Park, as well as many other places in California. The bloom appears to be early and thick this year due to the heavy rains we had over the past few months. Here are some examples, shot Sunday February 6, 2005. For the best current reports visit Carol Leigh’s California wildflower hotsheet.
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| Dune primrose blooms in spring following winter rains. Dune primrose is a common ephemeral wildflower on the Colorado Desert, growing on dunes. Its blooms open in the evening and last through midmorning. Anza Borrego Desert State Park. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Anza Borrego, California, USA. Image: 10458 Species: Oenothera deltoides Location: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Anza Borrego, California, USA View this Image in Google Earth! |
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| Brittlebush (yellow) and wild heliotrope (blue) bloom in spring, Palm Canyon. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Anza Borrego, California, USA. Image: 10457 Species: Encelia farinosa Location: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Anza Borrego, California, USA View this Image in Google Earth! |
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| Arizona lupine is a common early spring ephemeral wildflower of the Colorado Desert. The purple-pink flowers show a yellow spot on the upper petal, which changes in color to red once the flower has been pollinated to discourage insects from visiting it after pollination. This photo shows both red and yellow petals. Anza Borrego Desert State Park. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Anza Borrego, California, USA. Image: 10526 Species: Lupinus arizonicus |
Dune primrose (white) and sand verbena (purple) bloom in spring in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, mixing in a rich display of desert color. Anza Borrego Desert State Park. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Anza Borrego, California, USA. Image: 10477 Species: Oenothera deltoides, Abronia villosa |
Keywords: desert wildflower photos, Anza Borrego Desert State Park, wildflowers, spring, bl
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