Wildflower potential

[Randy O]

Seems like the desert is getting quite a bit of wet weather and as I recall this pattern at this time of year can sometimes mean a good wildflower bloom. We were down here in the desert for the winter during the super bloom and it started early. We started seeing lots of flowers in January that year so I guess we will have to see what happens after the first of the year.

[Candace_66]

No updates yet on the Park's web site. But if you scroll down a ways, they explain the conditions needed for a good bloom.

https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/nature/wildflowers.htm

[Randy O]

Thanks for the link to that information Candace, I don't think there was much precip down there in September and October but November saw quite a lot and we were camping down in the south end of the park over the weekend and things are wet and starting to green up some. There was water flowing over the West Side road at the Amargosa River crossing and some deep mud holes on the road going north from the Warm Springs Canyon turnoff. We even had a heavy dew in the morning on Friday, something I don't see much camping in Death Valley.

[JesPortland]

Randy these recent fall rains will help with flowers. Now need it to continue into spring, but not during our late annual March trip!
This past late March we arrived in the early evening just after all the big rains and road wash outs. We've never seen such sharp, clear and colorful sky/scenes as we enter from Hells Gate..

[Grzldvt]

I believe things are looking very positive. Storms just keep rolling in and here in Silicon Valley the hills are greening up ahead of schedule. Checking the local spots I visit, they are all getting rain.

[blackturtle.us]

Today I did a short hike in Searles Valley (west of Death Valley by a few miles) between 1600 and 2400 feet in elevation and saw the following:
1) Lots of Desert Gold Poppy seedlings: http://www.dvplants.com/PLANTS/POPPY2/index.html
2) Popcorn Flower starting to bloom: http://www.dvplants.com/PLANTS/POPCORN/index.html
3) A few Fremont Phacelias blooming: http://www.dvplants.com/PLANTS/PHACELIA/index.html
3) Fiesta Flower starting to produce flowers: http://www.dvplants.com/PLANTS/FIESTA/index.html
4) A couple Devil's Lettuce plants beginning to bloom: http://www.dvplants.com/PLANTS/DEVIL/index.html
5) An Astragalus plant with a flower stalk. Probably Lane Milkvetch: http://www.dvplants.com/PLANTS/LAYNEAE/index.html
Although the area I hiked through often has a huge amount of coreopsis, I didn't notice any as of yet. Basically, it looks like it will be somewhere between a weak to average year from what I can tell. No rain in the weather.com forecast for the next ten days and so I'll be surprised if there is an impressive bloom at lower elevations this year. Could be better at high elevations, however.

[Candace_66]

The winter started with great promise! We had some rain early in the season, but then it pretty much fizzled out.

I'm hoping we get a little out of this current system. But I'm in Vegas and we haven't had any yet, at least in my part of town.

Edit: 15 minutes after I typed that, it started raining here, LOL.

[Randy O]

We recently spent a week over in Panamint Valley, drove up Goler Wash and down through Butte Valley to Death Valley. We looked for flowers all along the way but they were few and far between. I was really expecting to see some Desert Gold along the West Side road but didn't see anything even down there. I guess the moisture didn't come at the right time this winter.

[Death Valley Dazed]

I guess the moisture didn't come at the right time this winter.

I was in DEVA February 5-10 and this is the only image I was able to snap of any blooming plants. Taken at about 500 feet elevation on the alluvial fan between Salt Creek and Trellis Canyon on Saturday, Feb 8th.

[Death Valley Dazed]

I drove from Baker, CA to Badwater on Friday, February 28, 2020, and saw only a few yellow flowers around the Harry Wade cutoff from Badwater Road. I only snapped one image, right at the shoulder of Harry Wade Road with Telescope in the background. I did not notice any more flowers north of here.

[TonyG]

I and my wife are spending 3 days in DV this week, but we found just a few yellow flowers and groups of tiny violet ones, on our drive from Badwater all the way to Dante's View. Maybe we'll find a few more north of Furnace Creek tomorrow, but the dearth of flowers is a bit disappointing. At least the renovated Inn--and the pool-- are very nice!

[Update]

Today, on March 6, we drove north of Furnace Creek and quickly discovered quite a few yellow, violet-blue and white flowers by the road (CA 190), on both sides of the road. We also found one beautiful violet blue small tulip-like flower whose name I have not looked up. Quite a few blue flowers on the side of the Beatty shortcut as well. However, no legendary wildflower fields anywhere, just some on the roadside--but they were good enough for my wife!

Some pictures here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/RMBNzzEwPe6ZSb9a8