Arizona Wild Flowers
Wildflower Pictures, Photos, Images
Descriptions, Information, Reviews.
George & Eve Delange
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George and his friend Al Weichold kept honey bees in the Phoenix, Arizona area from about 1966 to about 1992. During that time they learned a lot about how to produce honey in Arizona. One of the secrets of producing honey was to follow the "honeyflow" which is the opening of the flowers that produced the nectar that the bees turned into honey. Thus, George and Al had to know the flowering plants of Arizona and when the flowering plants would bloom. They also had to know which plants would not produce honey. George also taught High School Life Science and Environmental Science from 1983 until 2003 in the Phoenix Area. Part of his class that he taught was the "Merriam Life Zones Of Arizona" in which the living organisms in the areas are determined by the factors of temperature and available water which are also influenced by the various elevations found within the State Of Arizona. In 1889 C. Hart Merriam studied the distribution patterns of plants and animals in a broad swathe from the lower elevations of the Grand Canyon to the top of Humphreys Peak (elevation 12, 760 ft) in the San Francisco Mountains near Flagstaff, Arizona. Based on his observations in the field, Merriam developed the concept of a Life Zone, a belt of vegetation and animal life that is similarly expressed with increases in altitude and increases in latitude. These Life Zones (sometimes called "Vegetative Communities") are unique groupings of plants and animals based on elevation. These communities take into account the fact that for every 1000 feet gain in elevation the temperature drops 3 degrees F and the precipitation increases as well. The plants and animals you'll likely encounter in the life zone depends upon the varying elevations as you climb up a mountain or "sky island" in Arizona such as the Santa Catalina Mountains. Keep in mind that what you will see when you visit each vegetative community is dependent on the season of the year and the amount of precipitation for that year. Over the years Merriam's Life Zones have been changed and modified as new information has been researched and revealed. But, they are basically the same as when Merriam did his original work on the subject. George will present on the following pages what he has learned about flowering plants in Arizona as a Beekeeper and Life Science Instructor. No attempt is being made here to present a detailed scientific page on the subject. Every plant in Arizona will not be shown. George hopes that these pages might be simply of interest to anyone who wants to learn about the beautiful wildflowers and plants of Arizona. Over the past fifty years Phoenix has became less agricultural and more urban. Therefore some of the photos on this page will also show how native plants and some not so native plants are used in todays Xeriscape (low water use) landscaping in Arizona. It may be of interest to know that many of the non native plants that are growing in Arizona were introduced from Australia. George still spends the winters in the Glendale area, in an urban neighborhood about a quarter mile from where he kept his bees. George never thought that population changes would have effected the Glendale and Peoria area as much as it has done! Glendale and Peoria have certainly grown. People now are afraid of Honeybees. Laws have been passed outlawing beekeeping in urban areas. George often wonders; since bees are absolutely necessary for much of our food production, what will be our future without bees? Another practice that he wonders about is that over the 68 years he has lived in the Greater Phoenix Area, almost all of the very rich agricultural land has been covered with cement and buildings as the area has grown. Where will our food come from? And, do we have enough water to continue building lakes, swimming pools, golf courses, and landscaping on our urban areas the way that we are now doing? Even though the winter of 2004, the spring of 2005, and Jaunary of 2010 have been some of the wettest seasons we have ever had in our recorded history, we are still considered to be in a time of drought! George hopes it will all work out. Only time will tell!
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THE 2012 WILDFLOWER PREDICION:
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Arizona has two major wildflower seasons every year; with the Spring Wildflower Season usually during March to May, and the Summer Wildflower Season from July through September. Then there is a blooming season for a few flowers, during the fall. However, some wildflowers can usually be found at other times of the year . Depending upon local temperatures. Rainfall has a lot to do with our wildflower season. In the Phoenix area, the driest weather is during May & June when an average of about 3 mm (0.1 in) of rainfall (precipitation) occurrs. The abundance of wild flowers in the deserts of Arizona is largely determined by the amount of rainfall during the winter of the prior year and the early spring of the present year.
THE OLD FARMER'S ALMANAC PREDICTIONS, for the time period of November 2011 to October 2012 are: "Winter will be cooler and drier than normal, with below-normal snowfall. The coldest periods will occur in late December, mid-January, and late February. The snowiest periods will occur in mid- and late February. April and May will be much cooler than normal, especially in the west, with near-normal rainfall. Summer will be slightly cooler than normal, on average, with near-normal rainfall. The hottest periods will be in late June, mid-July, and early and mid-August. September and October will be cooler and drier than normal." George says, "as of today, January 21, 2012; these predictions seem to be holding out." "If those predictions occur, we should have a Below Average spring wildflower season in 2012."
The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released their winter outlook for the months of December, January and February of 2012.
They Say: "Although La Nina faded away this past summer, it is making a comeback and will play a role in the weather patterns across the country again this winter." However, this isn't the only climate factor expected to play a role in the weather this winter. NOAA cites the lesser known and less predictable Arctic Oscillation as a 'wild card' influence that could result in large short-term swings in temperatures this winter. According to Mike Halpert of NOAA, "The erratic Arctic Oscillation can generate strong shifts in the climate patterns that could overwhelm or amplify La Nina’s typical impacts.” "Unfortunately, below-average precipitation is expected across parched portions of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona. This is typical of La Nina winters throughout history, including last year." "Above-average temperatures are expected from portions of the lower-Mississippi Valley westward to the Southern Plains and the Southwest." George says, "as of today, January 21, 2012; these predictions seem to be holding out." "If those predictions occur, we should have a Below Average spring wildflower season in 2011."
Here is a short weather summary of the Phoenix, Arizona area of 2012 from the National Weather Service Phoenix AZ.
"Discussion for the Seasonal Drought Outlook: Tools used in the U.S. Drought Outlook (USDO) included the official CPC temperature and precipitation outlooks for February 2012 and the long lead forecast for February 2012 - April 2012, various medium- and short-range forecasts and models such as the 6-10 day and 8-14 day forecasts, the soil moisture tools based on the GFS model and the Constructed Analogue on Soil (CAS) moisture, the Climate Forecast System (CFS, versions 1 and 2) and the National Multi-Model Ensemble (NMME) seasonal precipitation forecasts, the four-month Palmer drought termination and amelioration probabilities, climatology, and initial conditions, and composite standardized precipitation and temperature seasonal (FMA) anomalies for all La Niña episodes and for a smaller set of back to back La Niña years. From mid-November into December, shortwave troughs digging into the desert Southwest have resulted in widespread moderate to heavy snow across the higher elevations of Arizona and New Mexico, and above-normal precipitation at lower elevation locations. As of January 16, water year to date (since Oct. 1) basin average snow water content and precipitation are running above average across the mountains of Arizona and New Mexico, although they have gradually declined since the last drought outlook (January 5) as little or no precipitation has fallen since late December. Despite the early winter snowfall across Arizona and New Mexico, precipitation tools on all time scales favor below median precipitation which is typical for a La Niña winter. In addition, the odds for above-normal FMA temperatures are favorable, especially in eastern sections of the Southwest. Therefore, drought persistence is forecast across the Southwest, with development in areas to the north (southeastern California, western Arizona, and southern sections of Nevada, Utah, and Colorado). Forecast confidence for the Southwest is moderate."
GEORGE'S WILDFLOWER BLOOM PREDICTION:
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Based upon the other weather predictions, we will have a Below Average Blooming Season! But, we will still be able to see examples of most of Arizona's Wildflowers! George has looked at some of the areas on the low desert and mid elevations and while a few wildflowers are beginning to bloom, they are not as prolific as usual.
Hopefully we will have a wet monsoon season which may improve the wildflower bloom in 2013. Remember, several plants found in the early blooming, lower elevation, Sonoran Desert or Mohave Desert can be found blooming at later times in the other elevations of the Merrium Life Zones of Arizona. So, if you miss the blooming time of any of these plants, just wait 15-45 days and look for them at higher elevations. You probably will be able to see them!
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