Anza-Borrego Desert Wildflowers: Bloom report



Did it rain? Where did it rain? We collect data from most of the professional local weather stations, click on the cloud below.
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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 2025-2026 bloom report:

©BorregoWildflowers.org

2025/2026 Bloom

September 21 2025

We got rain. On August 24 and 25, more than an inch fell in Canebrake, Agua Caliente, Fish Creek, and Ocotillo Wells. Rain can be very localized.

September 3, more than 3/4" fell around Borrego Springs.

September 17 Palm Canyon even got 1.73"

All the ingredients for a good flower season are present.

October 5 Best bloom around Borrego Springs.

October 7 The best bloom along the S2 is from Potrero up to Indian Gorge.
Rather dry past Indian Gorge up to Ocotillo.
But rain fell spottily, so there might be good spots anywhere.


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

More info on Tom Chester 2026 bloom report.

October/7/2025 Fossil Canyon

It's still dangerously warm, so we started the hike at 8 a.m.
Both gates were either gone or breached. There were lots of tire tracks and evidence of shooting in the canyon.

The goal was to find Echinocactus polycephalus polycephalus |cottontop cactus, in bloom, but our changes were zero.
Strangely enough, some of the plants seem to have bloomed recently, and rather well.

There is evidence of recent rainfall, such as blooming Fouquieria splendens splendens | ocotillo and Horsfordia newberryi | Newberry's velvet mallow with fresh fruit.
Best blooming plant, with a few flower on each plant: Bebbia juncea aspera | Sweetbush.
We found a single, strange-looking Euphorbia pediculifera | Carrizo Mountain spurge, in bloom.

We also saw a second fox on the S3, probably because we were there just after 6 a.m.

Temperature: 75-91, sunny, hardly any wind.

Bloom: Bloom very low, 5 different plants in bloom.


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/5/2025 The Potrero hill loop

We hit the right spot this time—one of the best flower areas in the Anza-Borrego Desert.
While the smell of Pectis papposa papposa (chinch weed) is pleasant, it becomes almost too much after four hours and during the rest of the time at home.

The bloom was less than it was after the 2022 monsoonal rain.
The bloom has already passed its peak for most monsoon plants; others, like Krameria, are still mostly in bud.

Best finds: Freshly blooming Matelea parvifolia (spearleaf) and a vast field of brown Stillingia linearifolia (narrowleaf stillingia).
This might be the densest field of narrow-leaf stillingia that we know.
There is one blooming Cylindropuntia ganderi (Gander's cholla) and one in bud.
And not to forget the many Proboscidea althaeifolia (Devil's Claw), some of which are still in bloom.

Temperature: 63-85, sunny, hardly any wind.

Bloom: As good as it gets this time of year


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/4/2025 Bisnaga east

Past Vallecito, along the road, there are fields of Pectis papposa papposa, or chinchweed, leading to our trailhead.
Roadside, there are many plants in bloom, including the big and happy Proboscidea althaeifolia (Devil's Claw) plants.

However, the flower fields and happy plants diminish considerably after a couple of hundred meters.
Only happy plants once in a while.
To put things in context, this is one of the driest areas we know, so today's bloom might be our best yet.

Our goal was to find the Bursera microphylla, or elephant tree, in bloom, knowing that we were late after the monsoonal rains.
We hoped the higher elevation would help, and we found some aborted blooms on one plant.

There had been reports of nasty bugs, but luckily, we encountered hardly anything.

The best find of the day was the Antirrhinum filipes, or twining snapdragon skeleton, with fruit.
The second best find was our first ever sighting of a fox.

Best blooming plants:
Bouteloua aristidoides aristidoides | Needle grama,
Boerhavia wrightii | Wright's spiderling and Allionia incarnata incarnata | Small flowered trailing windmills

Note: We found an unusually high number of small ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens splendens).

A side tour of Blair Valley and Little Blair Valley was surprising; both dry lakes were almost barren with the exceptions of some Hoffmannseggia glauca | Hog potato.
There are some nice Pectis papposa papposa fields towards the homestead and pictograms.

Temperature: 60-82, sunny, light breeze.

Bloom: Best along the Vallecito Creek


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.

Reports from previous seasons

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