Wildflowers blooming at higher Desert elevations

FROM STAFF REPORTS
Victor Valley Daily Press






There’s one way to tell when spring arrives in the desert: Look for the wildflowers.

Experts say wildflowers are currently blooming at higher elevations throughout the Mojave Desert and wider areas of California, while lower elevations may have already past their seasonal peak.

Visitors to the Mojave National Preserve will see desert dandelions blooming the most, near Kelbakker and Cima roads, says Linda Slater, chief of resource interpretation at the preserve.

Slater said she has not seen any budding Joshua trees yet.

Officials from the Bureau of Land Management say the wildflower season generally begins with an early spring in desert regions throughout Southern California, working its way northward. Weather plays a big part in determining when the season begins, and can also dictate the abundance of the flowers.

By the time May arrives, the brilliant yellow, orange, pink, red, white, and blue carpets of wildflowers in the lower desert will begin to fade due to the increasing heat of the advancing Mojave summer, according to officials from the Barstow BLM office.

Many other species of wildflowers may also be visible in portions of the preserve, said Lesley Thornburg, operations manager for Cadiz Inc., a land and water resource development company based in Los Angeles. Observers can expect to see lupine, cecilia, desert chicories, cacti, daisies, pincushions, Mojave asters, wild rhubarb, purple mat and fiddleneck, among others.

While 2009 wasn’t the best season for wildflowers locally, enthusiasts might consider the following locations:

• Summit Valley Road, south of Hesperia

• South Apple Valley, along Bowen Ranch Road and Roundup Way.

• Kramer Junction, Highway 395 near Highway 58