Exploring Borrego, Part 3 - Wildflowers

Anyone who has read my blog for a while will know that I love taking pictures of flowers. Our day in Borrego was no exception. And, besides, it is wildflower season in the desert!

There were a lot of "ooohs" and "aahhhs" on the drive out there. The Southern California landscape is painted in yellows, greens, oranges, reds and even purples right now. It's such a pretty time of year. The brown desert had colorful surprises of it's own. This pretty purple flower was growing on a ledge inside a slot canyon...


So pretty! Here's a close up of it...


Another kind of purple flower on the floor of the canyon...


These pods grew on the tops of the canyon walls, fell into the canyons, and gathered in little recesses. Some were only about six to eight inches tall. Other's were close to two feet. The stems at the top act like little parachutes which allow them to float gently down. It's fun to climb up and drop them to see them float...


This plant has some pod plants tangled in it...


Here's a closer look at the plant...


And, an even closer look at the flower. I like the little orange lines...


The Ocotillo trees lie dormant much of the time. However, with enough water or after a rain, they sprout leaves within hours to days. They've had plenty of water lately because they're all very green and the tops are blazing in red blooms. So, pretty!...


But, watch out for those thorns!...


I love the intense, gorgeous colors in the picture...


The cholla (pronounced choy uh) seem to have liked all the rain we got this year too. They look greener and healthier than usual. I've always been very careful around these because of stories I've heard about pieces of the plant "jumping" off. I'm not sure I believe that but I've never been one to take a chance. Those thorns looks pretty wicked. I'm usually very careful not to step on all the pieces that lie on the ground near the plants. But, I was so excited about taking pictures that I must have stopped paying attention. When I got back to the truck, I looked down at my shoes and the bottoms were covered in green goo and thorns. Luckily, hubby had some pliers and pulled the thorns out...all that he could, anyway. These shoes may never be the same! lol


Wow!...


Can you say "YELLOW"?! The color is so intense and so pretty!...


This has tiny white flowers and the plant itself doesn't really look like a desert plant. I'm thinking that it usually isn't but it was nestled near the oasis with plenty of water. When the water is gone, I bet the plant will be too. Such a treat to see while it's here though...


I spy red!...


These bushes were in Palm Canyon and they were taller than us!...


They were loaded with fuzzy little fringy things...


So cute!...


I really haven't done my homework on all the flowers I saw that day and don't know the names of most of them. I'm just enjoying them simply...for their color and beauty.


I'm not sure if I'd ever seen a green cactus flower before...


I love the color in this one...


Desert daisies...


The center looks like it's covered in teeny tiny yellow flowers. So cute!


Glowing blue...


These make me think of strawberry blossoms...


I love the red and yellow centers...


There were a bunch of these trees planted in town near the restaurant we stopped at for dinner...


They were covered in pretty yellow flowers...


The desert lavender bushes were covered in blooms but I was so busy enjoying their scent that I forgot to take a picture.

What a terrific day we had! It was filled with fun and adventure, new sights and learning, and...most of all...spending time together and making memories. :-)