ANZA-BORREGO IN BLOOM - Mar 13

Went off to Anza-Borrego State Park to photograph the spring wildflower show and a hike into Borrego Palm Canyon. I was on the road by 0530 to pick up my hiking buddies, Myrna and Chris, in route. We traveled through Cuyamaca S. P. to Julian and then down Banner Grade into the desert. Cuyamaca was still in it’s winter colors, grey and brown, but the desert was blooming.

Our first stop was for flower photography. The desert is lovely and the flowers were in beautiful shape. We spent a good hour and a half wandering along the  North side of Henderson Canyon Road. The dune evening primrose, sand verbena, desert sunflower, and brown-eyed primrose were abundant. There was also the stately Arizona lupine along the side of the road.

SAND VERBENA & DUNE EVENING PRIMROSE

LOOKING INTO HENDERSON CANYON

DUNE EVENING PRIMROSE AND SAND VERBENA

HENDERSON CANYON VIEW I

HENDERSON CANYON COLOR

GLOWING DUNE EVENING PRIMROSE

 We then stopped for some farm fresh tangelos before heading for Christmas Circle to the restrooms before going into the park itself. The Farmer’s Market was open so we also got some vegetables and fruits there – small beets which I cooked up that night, nice avocadoes, fresh strawberries and raspberries which Chris shared with us.

The hike up Borrego Palm Canyon was delightful. There were flowers in bloom that needed to be identified: chuparosa, ocotillo, wild cantebury bells, desert dandelion, indigo bush, desert sunflower, windmills, hedgehog cactus, chollla, fremont’s pincushion, notch-leafed phacelia, brittlebush, blue palo verde, desert willow, desert lavender, bladderpod, gold poppy, ….Then there were lizards, and a coachwhip snake, and a California quail posing for us as well. We enjoyed our “lunch” while sitting in the shade at the palm grove. 

BEAVERTAIL CACTUS

NOTCH-LEAFED PHACELIA

THE HIKING DIVAS

PALM GROVE, BORREGO PALM CANYON

CALIFORNIA QUAIL

 After the hike we stopped at the very nice Visitor Center and heard about the abundance of flowers in Hellhole Canyon, and the Hawkwatch going on with the annual influx of Swainson’s hawks.

CHOLLA BLOSSOM

BARREL CACTUS BLOOM

OCOTILLO BLOOM

Finally it was time to return home. The drive was smooth with little traffic in our direction. I did stop in Julian for a coffee. It was wonderful day and enjoyed by all.