((Thanks to Tom Chester of the CNPS for sharing!))Peak bloom began on the desert floor ~23 February 2010, at elevations of ~1000 feet and below. About half of the desert annuals have begun blooming, with the rest to follow in the next month. This is the exciting phase of peak bloom, where every trip reveals additional species blooming, and finds fields of bloom from species that only had a few individuals blooming just a week earlier.
Peak bloom at elevations of ~1000 feet on the desert floor should continue for at least several weeks, through ~7 March. Its end will come whenever the temperatures hit 80° or above for a week or two. Peak bloom in the canyons to the west of Borrego Springs should begin in a few weeks, sometime in early March.
Peak bloom is defined here as the time period when you can see the maximum number of species in bloom on a given one or two day trip, as well as the maximum number of individual plants in bloom. The bloom is best from the city of Borrego Springs westward; it has not been observed to be very good at all east of there. The best places to go now are along Coyote Canyon Road, and the main canyons west of Borrego Springs: Hellhole, Borrego Palm Canyon, and Henderson Canyon.The desert sunflowers on Henderson Canyon have not yet begun to bloom; they are coming.
Check out the latest reports and photos at Desert USA http://www.desertusa.com/wildflo/ca_abdsp.html
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