Wildflower Forecast 2019 ? Arizona, SoCal ?

[DavidGraves]

Greetings

Has anyone found good current forecasts for the desert wildflower blooms this year ?

I keep tabs on Desert USA reports but have had limited success learning the outlook for Organ Pipe and some of the SoCal sites to visit.

Many thanks

David Graves

 

[Missing Link]

Hi David - I am neither a botanist nor a meteorologist but will offer the following regarding large portions of central and southern California. Much of this area gets virtually no rain from May until October and the amount of precipitation during the remaining months can vary dramatically from year-to-year (as evidenced by the drought conditions of recent years). Here we are, at the end of January and it has not been a particularly wet "rainy season" so far. However, it is possible that the area could still see a lot of rain before the season comes to an end in the spring. There is a direct correlation between the amount of rainfall received and the magnitude of the floral bloom. Two years ago (the last "super bloom" in places like Death Valley, the Carrizo Plains, etc.) the area received a great deal of rain right up until early March. As we still have a month or two of potential rain fall, it may not yet be possible for the "bloom forecasters" to make accurate predictions at this time. We are all keeping our fingers crossed.

 

[BillTheHiker]

I have been in Anza Borrego since XMAS and it has been much wetter than last year. Three plants are blooming now, pink, yellow and white. Also a thorny bush with tiny purple flowers. Not enough to notice from a distance. Also seen some prickly pear cactus in bloom.Ocotillo has been in bloom since I got here.

 

[DavidGraves]

Thanks...yes we have never seen a superbloom year but we enjoy them all.

We live on the north Oregon coast and try to head south for a little sun but early enough to avoid the heat.

David Graves

 

[RicoV]

Fall and winter precip here has been better than recent-year averages, with 6"+ to date for the 2018-19 water year. Most of that came in Oct and the last week of Dec, so I expect at least a decent show of wildflowers in Baja AZ.
Rico

 

[SunMan]

The holy grail for all things desert wildflower related...

https://www.desertusa.com/wildflo/wildupdates.html