March marks arrival of wildflowers to many desert locations
Not only does the month of March signal the beginning of spring, it also brings with it the spring wildflower bloom at many desert locations.
According to RV expert and RVBoondockingNews.com blogger Bob Difley, this year's bloom is expected to be above average due to the amount of soaking winter rains received.
Difley reports that some wildflowers are already in bloom at the warmest locations, like Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, and along some roadsides where the winter rain runoff has provided nourishment to dormant wildflower seeds.
DesertUSA.com says that pinpointing when the flowers will bloom can be difficult. To plan your visit to coincide with the peak of the bloom, take advantage of the various wildflower hotlines and information sources available through the state and national parks.
The DesertUSA website has a daily wildflower update section for Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Texas.
It also has an online wildflower field guide that is designed to help you identify desert wildflowers by color, scientific name, region and common name. The pictures are sized to work on the iPod, iPhone and similar devices. With your iPod or phone you will easily be able to identify wildflowers while in the desert.