Bloom report out of the Anza-Borrego Desert

Anza-Borrego Desert Wildflowers: Bloom report

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Data are collected following the hiked path shown below and includes the immediate area.
One fertile flower (male or female), is all it takes to count a species in bloom.

We try to visit a lot of different areas, but areas with a better bloom may be visited more often.
It makes a huge difference if the bloom count is from a very dry badlands area, or from a place with a good rainfall or along a creek.

The data in the graph are averaged out over a couple of days, to show the actual daily bloom count in the graph, click on the legend on the right until only one is active (black).
With only one selected bars will pop up representing the daily bloom count.

Tom Chester made a couple of great pages with more specific data: Tom Chester bloom reports

The 2026-2027 bloom report:
© borregowildflowers.org

2026/2027 Bloom

October 7: It's warm and very dry Plants that are blooming above average include: Datura wrightii, Jimson weed and Heterotheca grandiflora, Telegraph weed, which are both perennials.

October 10/11: More than an inch of rain fell across the Anza-Borrego Desert.

October 10/16: Ocotillo are green and many along the S3 and around town are in bloom.

October 20: The gnats are back, expect small or invisible stinging insects.

October 23: Best germinating plants: Brassica tournefortii , Sahara mustard;Asian mustard | Encelia farinosa , Brittlebush | Boerhavia, spiderling.

Click on the blue cloud above to head to our detailed rain data page.

More info on Tom Chester 2027 bloom report.
---------------------- October/27/2026 Diablo Dieguenos loop 2
Today, we wanted to check how long Cochemiea tetrancistra, common fishhook bloom, takes, and it turned out to be about four days, which is not longer than usual, especially since the temperature is lower than in summer.
On our loop, we found most of the C. tetrancistra that we had recorded years ago, as well as one of the largest C. tetrancistra that we have ever seen.

Highlights:
A Fouquieria splendens splendens, ocotillo baby plant that we rarely see.
We also found a Kallstroemia californica, California caltrop, with cotyledons for the first time.
There was also a nice blooming Asclepias subulata, Rush milkweed, with a couple of grazed plants.
We also saw many interesting baby plants.

Germination is good along the washes but absent outside of them.
The best germinating plant by far is the Brassica tournefortii, Sahara mustard;Asian mustard.

As a bonus, there are over a hundred Proboscidea althaeifolia, devil's claw;desert unicorn plant. Some are in bloom, and most will bloom in the following weeks.

Yes, there were no gnats on this hike.

Temperature: 75-85, Sunny, sometimes a light breeze.
Bloom: Still low.

Hike details, click on the photo's above

All our plants from this date on iNaturalist
Please wait, it can take a while for the page to load.
iNat observations may be posted later-on, as our time is limited.
October/24/2026 Palo Verde Smoke Tree Loop short
The loop goes down the rough Smoke Tree Canyon. It took us four and a half hours to complete the slightly easier loop.
The Fouquieria splendens splendens, ocotillo, are very green, and some are in bloom.
The best blooming plants are Allionia incarnata incarnata, small-flowered trailing windmills, and Horsfordia newberryi, Newberry's velvet mallow.
Most of the Horsfordia newberryi flowers are still closed and one was somewhat open at 11:30 a.m.

Half an hour in, we found our first blooming Cochemiea tetrancistra, common fishhook. It was too early for open flowers.
At 10:30 a.m., we found the first C. tetrancistra with open flowers.

During our hike, we saw an impressive five C. tetrancistra in bloom in an area where they are not abundant.
It's great that the C. tetrancistra are much easier to find with their attractive flowers.

Germination is low and may stay that way. The best germination is Boerhavia, spiderling, and Parkinsonia florida, blue palo verdes.

The gnats are still there but certainly not as bad as in the south.

Temperature: 68-81, Sunny, hardly any wind.
Bloom: Low.

Hike details, click on the photo's above

All our plants from this date on iNaturalist
Please wait, it can take a while for the page to load.
iNat observations may be posted later-on, as our time is limited.
October/23/2026 Sweeney Jojoba Wash Sin Nombre loop
We made a loop that took us by three Cochemiea tetrancista, common fishhook, with buds.
The first one was still in bud and had no flowers. Before the next one, however, we found a couple of C. tetrancistra in bloom.
The next one had flowers that were not fully open.

Our next stop was one or three plants together in the wash that had 11 flowers and 3 buds that opened after 9 a.m.

To our surprise, the next plant we visited produced two flowers.

Our next check will be on Tuesday to see how long the bloom lasts. At the current low temperatures, the bloom may last longer than expected.
Some plants still had developing buds, so they may bloom even after Tuesday.
What we know is that they do not open at 9 a.m. and close before 4 p.m.

Germination is low and may stay that way until the next rainfall.

Unfortunately, the gnats are still there, trying to get into our ears and eyes. We've grown somewhat accustomed to them, though.

Temperature: 69-78, Sunny, later a bit cloudy, hardly any wind.
Bloom: Low.

Hike details, click on the photo's above

All our plants from this date on iNaturalist
Please wait, it can take a while for the page to load.
iNat observations may be posted later-on, as our time is limited.
October/21/2026 Lava hills, Cochemiea tetrancista search
Today, we wanted to check as many Cochemiea tetrancista as possible.
First, we went to a hill close to the Lava Hills, where many plants had been reported on iNaturalist.
We found one plant in bud there.

Next, we checked a drainage at Sweeny Pass, where we didn't expect to find anything, but we found two plants in bud.

The plant in Vallecito Wash that we saw in bloom years ago—or at least a nearby plant—had 14+ buds.
The next plant, close to Canebrake, also had buds.

Finding five plants with buds is a good result.
We have to check the plants for flowers in a couple of days.

The good news is that bloom is better than in Cool Canyon, but the temperature was not as cool.
Germination is low and mostly absent.

Unfortunately, the gnats have arrived and are trying to get into our ears and eyes.

Temperature: 79-87, Sunny, hardly any wind.
Bloom: Low.

Hike details, click on the photo's above

All our plants from this date on iNaturalist
Please wait, it can take a while for the page to load.
iNat observations may be posted later-on, as our time is limited.
October/20/2026 Cool Canyon
This was our second time looking for Cochemiea tetrancista.
It's very dry out here, but the plants are leafing out.
We had several C. tetrancista GPS points on our loop, but we didn't find any plants.
However, we did find a couple of new ones.
The odds of finding blooming C. tetrancista here were close to zero, which turned out to be correct.

We found several new Carlowrightia arizonica, Arizona carlowrightia, plants, some of which were bearing fruit.
As everywhere else, the ferns looked just fine.

The green plants are Fouquieria splendens, ocotillo, and juniperus californica, California juniper.

The bad news is that the flies have arrived and are trying to get into our ears and eyes.
Even worse, they are stinging, and my eye was swollen and I had bumps on my ear.

Our next stop was the burned area just north of Scissors Crossing in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.
There are vast areas covered with Vitis girdiana, wild grape.
There are also very large blooming Datura wrightii, jimson weed.
Vast numbers of Bassia hyssopifolia, fivehook bassia, one of the worst invasive plants.

It's great to be able to hike in an area that would otherwise be inaccessible.

Temperature: 61-82, Sunny, hardly any wind.
Bloom: Extremely low.

Hike details, click on the photo's above

All our plants from this date on iNaturalist
Please wait, it can take a while for the page to load.
iNat observations may be posted later-on, as our time is limited.
October/19/2026 Granite Spring Loop
We decided it was too early to look for Cochemiea tetrancista, so we moved the date to October 20 and 21.
On our way from Noble Canyon, we noticed that the gate to the dirt road was open.
In previous years, the gate was frequently closed.

Driving to our trailhead was okay; the road is decent for a forest road with some rocks and erosion.

Starting our hike in the Cleveland National Forest, we soon entered the state park and hiked gradually through chaparral and forest.
Eventually, we entered old cattle grounds with vast fields of grass.

The best-blooming plant was Gutierrezia sarothrae, matchweed.
The most interesting blooming plant was the Arceuthobium campylopodum, Pine dwarf mistletoe.
This might be the first time we've noticed so many young Jeffrey pines. They are doing fine out here.

The weather was excellent for hiking.

Temperature: 60-71, Sunny, no wind.
Bloom: Low.

Hike details, click on the photo's above

All our plants from this date on iNaturalist
Please wait, it can take a while for the page to load.
iNat observations may be posted later-on, as our time is limited.
October/17/2026 Ironwood wash Loop -> June Wash
On our way to Canebrake, we saw visible signs of recent rain starting at Scissors Crossing.
Back in Borrego Springs, we caught a few raindrops.

The hunt for blooming Cochemiea tetrancistra, Common Fishhook, is on, and we tried to check a couple of plants on our loop, but found no recognizable plants.
We shortened our loop considerably to visit the C. tetrancistra locations.
After checking several other locations, we found only two C. tetrancistra with buds that had recently bloomed.
Starting Monday, we will check other locations, as well as the two plants with buds later on.

We were really happy to find a blooming Proboscidea althaeifolia, devil's claw;desert unicorn plant.
Germination is sometimes good, but there are a lot of bad plants, such as Brassica tournefortii, Sahara mustard;Asian mustard.

All the ocotillo along the S3 and around town are green, and many of them are in bloom.
The ocotillo down the Campbell grade are plentiful and very green.

Temperature: 73-80, defuse sun, hardly any wind, humid, making it feel warmer.
Bloom: Low.

Hike details, click on the photo's above

All our plants from this date on iNaturalist
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iNat observations may be posted later-on, as our time is limited.
October/16/2026 West Mesa - Azalea Spring loop
Today's goal was to find Carex sartwelliana, Yosemite sedge, and we found one barely recognisable plant.
Despite the high wind, we were out of the wind almost all the way on our loop.

The lower part of the loop had hardly any flowers, but it got better closer to Azalea Spring.

The Ericameria parishii parishii, Parish's goldenbush, were at the very end of blooming.
We found one interesting Verbascum thapsus, great mullein, and we wondered why there are so many fasciated plants here that we never see in Europe.

Germination is sometimes strong with non-native plants.

We had some problems when we tried to follow the West Side Trail, which moved to the east starting on the Paso Trail.

Temperature: 64-70, sunny, high wind, we were protected from the wind most of the time.
Bloom: Low.

Hike details, click on the photo's above

All our plants from this date on iNaturalist
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iNat observations may be posted later-on, as our time is limited.
October/14/2026 Middle Noble Canyon Loop
Today, we wanted to check on a couple of plants that we had not seen before.
We found both Bromus grandis, Tall Brome and Aphyllon parishii parishii, Parish Broomrape dried up, as expected.

The bloom is low, with the best blooming plant being Gutierrezia sarothrae, Matchweed.

Along the rocky part of the creek, there are many Opuntia chlorotica, Pancake prickly pears, and there is an area to explore in spring, when we get enough rain.

Our second stop was the Oasis spring along the Sunshine Road.
There used to be a road up to a pumping station.
The road is sometimes completely overgrown, but often still very visible.
It's an active spring in steep terrain. We did not find our target plant, the bigleaf maple, Acer macrophyllum.

Temperature: 51-70, sunny, hardly any wind. Bloom: Dry, still Low.

Hike details, click on the photo's above

All our plants from this date on iNaturalist
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iNat observations may be posted later-on, as our time is limited.
October/13/2026 Sentenac Plum Canyon Loop
It's been 12 years since we hiked this particular loop. It's certainly a hike worth repeating in a couple of months to see how things have changed after the rain.
A week ago, we noticed that Plum Canyon was one of the greenest areas.

On our way up S3, we were surprised by the many blooming Fouquieria splendens splendens, Ocotillo.

At the start of the hike, we found our first germinations: some tiny Erodium cicutarium, Red stem filaree.

This area had clearly received rain before Sunday, as evidenced by the abundance of green Justicia californica, Chuparosa, some of which were in bloom.
There was even a blooming Pectis papposa papposa, Chinchweed, and fresh Amaranthus fimbriatus, Fringed amaranth, all from previous rain.

Temperature: 57-68, sunny, no wind. Bloom: Still Low.

Hike details, click on the photo's above

All our plants from this date on iNaturalist
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iNat observations may be posted later-on, as our time is limited.
October/12/2026 Arroyo Salado Loop
This is a day after the 1+ inch of rain in Borrego Springs.
I'm not sure how much rain fell here, but it was probably less. A lot of the water came from the direction of the Santa Rosa Mountains.

The ground is sometimes slippery, and you might sink into the mud every once in a while.
However, with the wind and sunshine, it's drying up rapidly. We've already noticed significant dust in the off-road area and along Fish Creek Mountain.

As expected, bloom is still very low, but there are many good blooms of Tidestromia suffruticosa oblongifolia, Arizona honeysweet, and Stephanomeria pauciflora, wire lettuce.

We already see the effects of the rain, with Fouquieria splendens, ocotillo leafing out. That said, they always have the tips of their leaves sticking out a bit, ready to go.
On the mesa, there is a Fouquieria splendens splendens massacre, with many dead plants. They have a short lifespan out on the mesa, and not many plants can survive here.

Krameria , rhatany are already looking much greener, and this will soon happen with most perennials.

This is always an interesting hike, even without flowering plants.

Temperature: 66-74, sunny and windy on the mesa. Bloom: Very low.

Hike details, click on the photo's above

All our plants from this date on iNaturalist
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iNat observations may be posted later-on, as our time is limited.
October/10/2026 Big Laguna Trail South
We took a shortcut on a three-hour loop to reach our target plant, Eriogonum evanidum, Vanishing Wild Buckwheat. We hope we found the correct plant.
We started just past 8 a.m., before the predicted rain. During our hike, we heard thunder to the south, but it stayed dry, and the sun tried to break through.
On our way back, there was light rain, enough to keep our windshield wipers going most of the way to Borrego Springs.

The plants during the loop looked terrifyingly dry; this is the driest place we've been this season.

Temperature: 64-74 Cloudy, and sometimes the sun tried to break through the thin cloud cover. There was no wind.
Bloom: Very low, very dry.

Hike details, click on the photo's above

All our plants from this date on iNaturalist
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iNat observations may be posted later-on, as our time is limited.
October/9/2026 Cyamaca Boulder creek
We wanted to see if we could find any interesting plants, but it was far too dry.
Rose bushes are the main obstacle on our cross-country hike.

Our next stop was a small pond south of the Golden Queen mine. As expected, it was very dry.

Bloom: Very low. Temperature: 70-80 Sunny.

Hike details, click on the photo's above

All our plants from this date on iNaturalist
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iNat observations may be posted later-on, as our time is limited.
October/7/2026 Palomar Mountain: Fry Creek loop
Our goal was to find the Pinus attenuata, or knobcone pine, but we had a hard time finding it. Finally, we found one tree.

At first, we feared the bloom would be zero, but we were picking up some flowering plants.
In a burned area, we found many Keckiella ternata ternata, Whorled leaf penstemon, some of which were in good bloom.

The detour turned out to be the best part of the hike, flower-wise. There were a large number of blooming Eriogonum molestum , Pineland buckwheat.

On the other side of where we parked, there is a much larger campground with many interesting plants.

Bloom: 20+. Temperature: 74-82 Sunny.

Hike details, click on the photo's above

All our plants from this date on iNaturalist
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iNat observations may be posted later-on, as our time is limited.
October/6/2026 Santa Ysabel West
The goal was to find Datura stramonium, Common jimson weed, which is a common plant in the Netherlands.
Even though the creek was no longer flowing, one Datura stramonium was in bloom.

One of the best blooming plants: Croton setiger (Dove weed) and Ambrosia psilostachya, Western ragweed.
Trichostema lanceolatum, vinegar weed, while the bloom is below-average, there are still many in good bloom.
Many Persicaria punctata, dotted smartweed, are in good bloom.
Buckwheat is in good bloom.

A field of Symphyotrichum defoliatum, San Bernardino aster, was seen, and it was surprising that it was only a few centimeters high, probably having been grazed and now growing back very small.

While hiking, we used more water than on previous days. When we arrived at the car, the reason was obvious: It was 95 degrees at 11 a.m.

Temperature: 75-95 Mostly sunny.
Bloom: Very low, very dry.

Hike details, click on the photo's above

All our plants from this date on iNaturalist
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iNat observations may be posted later-on, as our time is limited.
October/4/2026 Lake Henshaw
There is always something new to be found here. Most of the new plants we find are non-native.
Today's new plant is the Amaranthus blitum, Purple Amaranth.

There are hundreds of Nama stenocarpa, Mud Nama, many of which are in bloom.
Another target plant is Cyperus michelianus, which forms a ring around the lake and resembles grass.
Sporobolus schoenoides, Swamp pricklegrass, is also present in large numbers.
We were very puzzled by not finding Malvella leprosa, Alkali Mallow, in bloom, despite it being one of the most common plants out here.

Many of these plants are salt/alkali plants, so we wondered how good the lake water is that is ultimately used for drinking.

Temperature: 68-86 Sunny.
Bloom: Looking very dry away from the lake, around the lake green.

Hike details, click on the photo's above

All our plants from this date on iNaturalist
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iNat observations may be posted later-on, as our time is limited.
October/3/2026 Johnson Canyon
We wanted to follow up on a monkey flower that we found a couple of years ago, but it was too dry.
The Lessingia glandulifera glandulifera (Sticky lessingia) and Senecio flaccidus monoensis (Mono groundsel) are doing fine.

We followed horse trails to create an almost complete loop and shortened the hike by taking a shortcut.
There was a lot of hiking up and down, and it was warm and sunny.

Temperature: -84 sometimes a breeze, Sunny.
Bloom: Looking very dry.

Hike details, click on the photo's above

All our plants from this date on iNaturalist
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iNat observations may be posted later-on, as our time is limited.
October/2/2026 Cuyamaca Lake Trail
Today, our goal was to find Jacobaea vulgaris vulgaris, common ragwort a non-native plant, which is a very common plant in the Netherlands.
Jacobaea vulgaris vulgaris typically blooms for an extended period, and even after months, we still found a few plants that were in full bloom.
Another unexpected find for us was a non-native plant: Helenium amarum, or bitterweed.

We don't remember it being this dry out here; even the creeks at the start of the hike were completely dry.
Nevertheless, we found a good number of different plants in bloom, though most were in low numbers.

Temperature: 70-80 with a breeze, Sunny.
Bloom: 30+, with only Euthamia occidentalis , Western goldenrod in good bloom.

Reports from previous seasons

Season: 2025-2026 Season: 2024-2025 Season: 2023-2024 Season: 2022-2023 Season: 2021-2022 Season: 2020-2021 Season: 2019-2020 Season: 2018-2019 Season: 2017-2018 Season: 2016-2017