The official arrival of spring reminds me of this time last year, when I took a trip down to the Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona to see the superbloom.1
The Sonoran Desert always looks greener to me than the Chihuahuan Desert, but last year the difference was quite dramatic.2 Not to mention that there were virtual carpets of wildflowers in some areas, such as at Picacho Peak State Park (above).3
I found a yellow flower I’d never seen before and later learned that it was sand blazing star.
The cactus above is called strawberry cactus in much of New Mexico, but in Arizona it’s called hedgehog cactus. Its fuchsia blossoms were striking against a background of blue lupines.
The purple flowers above are called blue dicks4 and the yellow background is brittlebush.
And the little purple flowers clustered against the base of a barrel cactus are called scorpionweed (or sometimes simply Phacelia, their genus name).5
Here’s hoping for a colorful and abundant wildflower season in 2024. Happy spring!
I’m only just now getting around to culling through and editing the photos I took then (better late than never).
Albuquerque is at the very northern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert.
The blue is mostly lupine, while the yellow is brittlebush.
I swear I did not make up that name.
We often see scorpionweed around Albuquerque early in the spring but it’s never as pretty as the Phacelia in the Sonoran Desert (in my humble opinion). Ditto strawberry/hedgehog cactus blossoms.
Pretty pics! Nice to see the color!
What a great treat to visit the
Sonoran desert virtually since we haven’t made it down there😊
Thanks Lisa!