Bloom Reports from the Anza-Borrego Desert: 2014-2015

The low-elevation Borrego Desert (below 1000 feet) received significant monsoonal rain on 3 August 2014, and the desert transition area (1000 to 4000 feet) received significant monsoon rain in early July 2014. A number of monsoonal species in the desert transition area responded to the early July rains, and some monsoonal annuals germinated from the 3 August rains.

On 12 August 2014 we surveyed S2 from its beginning in the Lake Henshaw basin to Blair Valley, and SR78 from Scissors Crossing to Borrego Springs Road. We saw at least 203 plants of 17 species in bloom in the Borrego Desert portion of that survey below 3000 feet (roughly mile 8.5 on S2). A list of those species, sorted by number of plants in bloom, is given below.

The ocotillos were fully leafed out all the way along our survey route.

A number of additional species were observed in bloom along S2 from its junction with SR79 to its junction with S22, including Amaranthus fimbriatus; Amaranthus palmeri; both varieties of Lessingia glandulifera; and Chamaesyce serpyllifolia ssp. serpyllifolia.

We expect that the number of species in bloom will increase over the next month.

# plants in bloom     JM2 name

99	Croton setigerus
99	Chamaesyce polycarpa

30	Chamaesyce albomarginata

20	Chilopsis linearis ssp. arcuata
20	Kallstroemia parviflora

5	Asclepias erosa
5	Kallstroemia californica
5	Senna covesii

3	Ditaxis neomexicana

2	Argemone munita
2	Bahiopsis parishii
2	Bebbia juncea var. aspera
2	Bouteloua aristidoides var. aristidoides
2	Bouteloua barbata var. barbata
2	Hoffmannseggia glauca
2	Tiquilia plicata

1	Chamaesyce abramsiana
1	Pectis papposa var. papposa


Go to:


Copyright © 2008-2014 by Tom Chester, Keir Morse, Kate Harper, and Adrienne Ballwey.
Commercial rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce any or all of this page for individual or non-profit institutional internal use as long as credit is given to us at this source:
http://tchester.org/bd/blooms/2015.html
Comments and feedback: Tom Chester
Updated 15 August 2014