Wildflower Wanderings (Early Season Flora) new date                   

February 5 report on the wildflowers of Joshua Tree National Park, by the instructor, Darrell Shade:  ” I checked out the flora at the south entrance of the park and saw that there is a wealth of annuals coming up.  They are only 1 to 2 inches tall but if we continue to have warm, sunny weather, they may be blooming by the weekend of my Wildflower Wanderings class on March 10.  I’m going to call our walk “great expectations,” as I imagine us finding a multitude of flowers.  There will be chia, dandelions, several species of evening primrose, phacelia and more.  Chuparosa and Bladder-pod are blooming.”

Saturate your senses with the beauty of a wildflower bloom in Joshua Tree National Park. Desert Naturalist, Darrell Shade will lead this all-day field class on a tour through the colorful flowers of a desert spring. Darrell will entertain participants with descriptions of the flora, their botanical characteristics, and show how to identify the unique blossoms of the park. The audience will be delighted by Darrell’s personal accounts of the wonders of nature in this ordinarily dry and dusty environment. Darrell will identify the flowers of Joshua Tree National Park by scientific and common names, allowing the participants to get to know these amazing plants up close and personal.