You are here

Home » Spring Wildflower Bloom Lingering at Death Valley National Park

Spring Wildflower Bloom Lingering at Death Valley National Park

Share
By Kurt Repanshek - May 4th, 2010

The Mariposa Lily is just coming into bloom in the higher elevations of Death Valley National Park. NPS photo.

While spring weather has been fleeting in the West, with wintry incursions, the cooler, wet weather has prolonged the spring wildflower bloom at Death Valley National Park.

While the bloom is nearing an end in the lower elevations of the park, there still is lots of Desert Gold in bloom. Park officials suggest you head to canyons and mountain passes ranging in elevation from 2,500 feet to 4,000 feet for the best displays of this gorgeous flower.

At the lower part of this blooming zone you can find Golden Evening Primrose (Camissonia brevipes), Pebble Pincushion (Chaenactis carphoclinia), Beavertail Cactus (Opuntia basilaris), Broad-flowered Gilia (Gilia latiflora), Desert Dandelion (Malacothrix glabrata) and Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa).

Head higher into the park you might catch blooms of Mojave Aster (Xylorhiza tortifolia), Globemallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua), Indigo Bush (Psorothamnus fremontii), Desert Mariposa Lily (Calochortus kennedyi) Desert Paintbrush (Castilleja applegatei martinii), and Parish Larkspur (Delphinium parishii). Rare or unusual plants in bloom include Panamint Daisy (Enciliopsis colvillei) in lower Wildrose Canyon and Bear Poppy (Arctomecon merriamii) in Grapevine Canyon near Scotty’s Castle.

Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.