We hiked into the open meadows and over rocky hills to the northeast, mostly between the Lions Head Hills and Neskonlith Meadows (above Chase) and found lots of desert parsley emerging. Fern-leaved desert parsley (lomatium dissectum) grows from a woody … Continue reading →
In the rocky south-facing hills above Neskonlith Lake, wildflowers bloom soon after the snows melt. the star of the show are yellow glacier lilies (erythronium grandiflorum). A couple of weeks later long-flowered bluebells (mertensia longiflora) graces the slopes. Growing in … Continue reading →
A series of short posts on wildflowers encountered while out hiking. This hike was a grey day in the hills above Neskonlith Lake. Raindrops were still beading on petals. Low, grey light made photography difficult, but what could a better … Continue reading →
While we were in the Phoenix area we visited the Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior, Arizona. It is a large area with almost 100 years of plantings. We wandered through the gardens for a few hours and took many … Continue reading →
We hiked from Catalina State Park into the mountains, climbing up the Romero Canyon Trail to Romero Pools and back. Along the way, purple owl clover was blooming. Castilleja exserta is an annual herb that blooms in spring. This hemiparasite … Continue reading →
A Wildflower Journal is not a definitive botanical resource website. In the end it is a blog, based on experiences of hiking, paddling, and exploring in our larger area. After collecting a number of photos from specific places, they are … Continue reading →
As we hiked higher into Sabino Canyon in the Santa Catalina Range near Tuscon, more varieties of wildflowers were around every canyon in mid-March. All photos taken by the author. Parry’s penstemon is the superstar of March in the desert … Continue reading →
Sabino Canyon State Park is in the Santa Catalina Range on the northeast side of Tuscon. The mountains rise about 2000m from the desert. Hiking trails typically follow canyons up into the hills. In Sabino Canyon a shuttle brings hikers … Continue reading →
The Tuscon Range are Sonoran Desert mountains to the west of Tuscon. They are unforested, open, rocky at mid-elevation, populated with saguaro cactus. We drove into Saguoro National Park, then hiked on the King’s Canyon Trail (2500 feet to 3600 … Continue reading →
Fouquieria columnaris (the boojum tree) is a unique tree-like member of the ocotillo family. It can grow to 20m. Trunks can be up to 24 cm thick. Branches stick out at right angles and they have small deciduous leaves. … Continue reading →
In the Tuscon area, there are many cactus, succulents, thorny shrubs, thorny trees, and a few plants that just don’t seem to fit anywhere, like ocotillo (fouquieria splendens). It grows to 20 feet high, with long straight canes and few … Continue reading →
We visited Gingko State Park in spring and hiked the trails, taking photos along the way. Some of those are shared here: The desert-lands of Central Washington are a rewarding area to hike in spring and we are planning a … Continue reading →
