A most spectacular spring expected in Arizona desert

Special to the Journal

PHOENIX, ARIZ. On the wildflower Richter scale, some people are talking about The Big One hitting the Arizona lowlands this spring.

"We expect this to be one of Arizona's best three or four seasons for wildflowers in the past 30 years," says Mary Irish, director of public horticulture at the renowned Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. "It should be beautiful."

Persistent rainfall has set the stage for an explosion of spring color in the desert.

"Arizona has received an above-average amount of rain since last October, and that's a good sign for wildflowers," Irish notes. "The overall amount of rainfall, though, is less important for wildflowers than the spacing of the rains, and this winter a major rain fell every three to four weeks. When seeds don't get stressed for moisture, then avoid freezing temperatures and we haven't had a freeze here in four years the plants get a tremendous boost in their germination."

Irish points to 1978 as Arizona's most postcard-perfect spring in memory.

"It was a benchmark year," she says. "We had a collision of conditions that produced flowers that were just stunning, as if each flower bloomed at its maximum for the longest time.

"Moisture and heat are the two key factors in wildflower activity, and we've had both this season. We had a very warm February, so some flowers have come out early. It will be interesting to see how this year compares to 1978."

If you plan to visit Arizona in March or April, keep this phone number handy: (602) 481-8134. It's the Arizona Wildflower Network hotline. It was activated March 3 and will feature weekly reports (updated every Friday) on wildflower conditions throughout the state.

Where are the best viewing spots this spring? Here's an early-season preview:

Organ Pipe National Monument: Site of some of the most spectacular poppy displays in the state, Organ Pipe, on the Arizona-Mexico border about two hours south of Phoenix, got an early start to the 1995 wildflower season due to high

February temperatures. Accordingly, flowers there may peak earlier than normal. Check with the hotline or call the monument's visitor center at (602) 387-6849 for a status report.

Phoenix: A good first stop for any wildflower excursion is the Desert Botanical Garden, at 1201 N. Galvin Parkway. It features 36 wildflower beds and provides a quick way to familiarize yourself with plants that can be observed in abundance in the wild.

Irish also recommends visits to South Mountain Park, a huge green zone on the city's southern fringe ("It can have large, carpet- like displays of poppies," she says), plus two parks to the east: McDowell Mountain Park (follow state route 87 about 12 miles out of town) and Lost Dutchman State Park (near Apache Junction).

"You can see an outstanding mix of flowers in these places," Irish points out. "You have brittlebush, desert marigolds and globemallows that are absolutely beautiful. These are outstanding areas to see." Tucson: Tucson lies at a higher elevation (2,400 feet) than Phoenix (1,100 feet), and the wildflowers in its region linger into April a touch longer than those of its neighbor to the northwest. Prime viewing spots in 1995 include both units of Saguaro National Park (early blooms also have been reported here this year), Tohono Chul Park (northwest of downtown, near the intersection of Ina and Oracle Roads a charming, garden-like setting) and Catalina State Park (20 miles north on Highway 77). Saguaro blossoms do not open until May or June. Great Drives: Irish recommends US Route 60 heading east of Phoenix, climbing into the low-lying foothills of the Superstition Mountains and ending at Globe about a 75-mile trip one-way. Along the route lies the Boyce Thompson Southwest Arboretum, another worthwhile stop and a good choice in April.

A more intrepid, and visually rewarding, journey to Globe involves a trip along the part-pavement, part-dirt Apache Trail. Family cars can make it, though drivers should be prepared for some steep descents and tight squeezes along 28 miles of unpaved roadway. From Apache Junction, about 30 miles east of Phoenix, take Highway 88 northeast toward Tortilla Flat. The first 18 miles is paved; then the road turns to dirt until it reaches Roosevelt Lake and Tonto National Monument.

Along the way, Irish says, visitors will be greeted by displays of penstemons, lavender desert verbena, mariposa lilies, yellow bladderpods and a wealth of orange globemallows. Most drivers prefer traveling east-to-west along the Trail, enabling them to drive close to the bluff during a sharp drop from Fish Creek Hill into Fish Creek Canyon. Highway 88 returns to pavement at Roosevelt Lake and travels 30 miles southeast to Globe.

Irish also has praise for the two-lane Pinal Pioneer Parkway Highway 79 between Florence and the northwest edge of Tucson.

"Don't take the interstate between Phoenix and Tucson," she says. "Flowers are usually everywhere along the parkway."

Those with an interest in flowering joshua trees and other unusual desert flora might want to take in Highway 74. Starting north of Phoenix, it leads west from Interstate 17 and meanders toward Wickenburg through the Hieroglyphic Mountains. It's less traveled and very attractive, says Irish.

"Owl's clover and lupine sometimes spread out in every direction," she says.

The area around Safford, on Arizona's far eastern flank, also produces some lovely poppy- and-lupine displays, plus deep purple blossoms of the buckhorn cholla cactus. April is usually a choice month for viewing here; check the hotline.

Picacho Peak State Park, on Interstate 10 midway between Phoenix and Tucson, can erupt with dazzling wildflower displays.

"It can be unreliable, though," Irish warns.

Areas to Bypass

Irish also advises visitors to bypass areas south of Tucson and the region around Chiricahua National Monument.

"Those areas are on a different time schedule," she says. "Chiricahua gets lots of late summer rain, and the flowers there really blossom in August."

Copyright 1995
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