Where have all the flowers gone?

A winter like this one, when the rains were scanty and late to arrive, provides a lesson about the adaptations of plants for survival in regions of uncertain rainfall.

While annuals are mostly sitting this season out in the desert, safe in their seed stage, perennial plants are blooming in the foothills, mountains, and deserts. The rains that eventually arrived in February and March, were enough to provide the additional moisture needed for these plants to produce flowers.

So this year is an opportunity to focus on the bulbs, shrubs, and trees of the region, while keeping an eye out for the occasional annual wildflowers that have found a hospitable place to flourish.

North Park Canyons — March 17, 2000
Mountain Springs Grade — March 25-26, 2000
Lake Cuyamaca — April 16, 2000
Interstate 8 — April 27-May 4