Wildflower show begins, should peak in March

The wildflowers are coming. From yellow to purple, some species are in bloom now, but March will be the peak, said Jim Cornett, author of “Coachella Valley Wildflowers.”

Nicole C. Brambila
The Desert Sun

Grab a camera, take a hike and soak in the color.

The wildflowers are coming.

From yellow to purple, some species are in bloom now, but March will be the peak, said Jim Cornett, author of “Coachella Valley Wildflowers.”

It won't be a spectacular season, but it'll still be good enough to impress relatives, he said.

“This is a mother-in-law year,” Cornett said. “You can take people out and show off.”

If not for the cooler weather this year, the valley might have had the blossoms earlier, he said. Still, this year's crop got a boost from the 4.98 inches of rain the valley has received so far. That's about an inch more than what's typical annually.

The valley usually has a spectacular wildflower season once a decade, Cornett said. If the desert had gotten more showers in the fall, 2010 could have been such a year.

“The very best year? 1998. Spectacular,” Cornett said.

Desert blooms include:

Brittlebush and desert sunflower.

Canterbury bells — a bluish purple flower that droops like a bell.

Desert dandelions, gold poppies and white pincushions.

Sand verbena — a purplish, pink bud.

Before Sahara mustard gradually invaded the valley from North Africa after coming over on grain ships in the late '70s, sand verbena was the most common wildflower in the desert.

“It was so dense, in our valley prior to 1998, that (the valley) would appear pink from outer space,” Cornett said. “It never again appeared pink.”

Sahara mustard is an edible weed.

“If everybody ate that instead of iceberg lettuce, we'd all be healthier and there'd be more sand verbena,” he said.

Wildflower hot spots are just a quick drive away:

Edom Hill, near the transfer station at Date Palm Drive and Varner Road.

Indian Canyons, at the end of southbound Palm Canyon Drive.

Indian Avenue from Palm Springs to north Desert Hot Springs

Flower enthusiasts also can take a bus tour with the Bureau of Land Management on March 2 or attend the Wildflower Festival at the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center on March 6.

“Only during wildflower season do we have these splashes of color,” said Tracy Albrecht, a specialist with the Bureau of Land Management in Palm Springs.

“We're known for having more bloomers. There's a lot of biodiversity.”