Borrego Sun - Since 1949

A sea of gold, green, and white with patches of purple that POP! A breeze at dusk ripples the blooms like an impressionist painting of waves. At press time March 11, 2024, the peak flower show is underway at the Henderson Canyon Road Flower Fields.

To see what the flowers below look like before you head out, search on this site: BorregoWildflowers.org. If you want an app in the flower fields, I recommend the Anza-Borrego Wildflowers app – available for both Android and iOS (iPhone). The app has hundreds of flower photos and you can even search by flower color.

Plants flowering in the Henderson Canyon Road Flower Fields (North side, 2.1 miles east of Di Giorgio Road x Henderson Canyon Road intersection, 1.1 mile east of Borrego Valley Road x Henderson Canyon Road intersection):

SHOWY FLOWERS that jump out at you:

Arizona Lupine (Lupinus arizonicus) A spike of multiple purple-pink "pea" flowers. Leaves with finger-like segments.

Brown Eyed Primrose (Chylismia claviformis subsp. peirsonii) Slightly nodding red-brown centers with white petals.

Desert Lily (Hesperocallis undulata) Obvious white lilies on a stalk. Be sure to smell!

Desert Sand Verbena (Abronia villosa var. villosa) Purplish-pink, low-growing clusters.

Desert Sunflower (Geraea canescens) Tall golden-rayed sunflowers with gold centers.

Dune Evening Primrose (Oenothera deltoides subsp. deltoides) Big, white, low-growing beauties.

Gray Desert Sunflower (Helianthus petiolaris subsp. canescens) Tall golden-rayed sunflowers with dark centers.

Noticeable, if looking closer, FLOWERS:

California Suncup (Eulobus californicus) Delicate, single gold flowers coming horizontally off hefty stems.

Desert Pincushion (Chaenactis stevioides) Medium-sized white flower head of clustered florets.

Yellow Blazing Star species (Mentzelia sp.) Medium-small, yellow, flowers.

Laxflower (Baileya pauciradiata) Medium-sized yellow "sunflower" with long, soft-hairy leaves.

Spanish Needles (Palafoxia arida var. arida) Cone-shaped clusters of small, dark pink flowers.

Spectacle Pod (Dithyrea californica) Short, white, 4-lobed clusters with paired fruits that look like spectacles.

SMALL to TINY flowers/less showy/or more limited current blooms:

Borrego Milkvetch (Astragalus lentiginosus var. borreganus) Dark pink "pea" flower spikes.

Desert Plantain (Plantago ovata var. fastigiate) Spike-like clusters of dense teeny, white flowers.

Dye Bush (Psorothamnus emoryi) Low-growing delicate subshrub, with clusters of small purple "pea" flowers.

Frost Mat (Achyronychia cooperi) Teeny tiny white flowers on a small prostrate plant.

Hairy Podded Pepper Grass (Lepidium lasiocarpum subsp. lasiocarpum) Tiny flat disked-shaped green fruits.

Narrow Leaf Cryptantha (Johnstonella angustifolia) Mounds of green with clusters of small white flowers.

Ribbed Cryptantha (Johnstonella costata) Tiny white flowers in clusters.

Two Seeded Milkvetch (Astragalus didymocarpus var. dispermus) Tiny leaves with tiny purple flowers.

White Mallow (Eremalche exilis) Charismatic-shaped low-growing leaves leaves with small white flowers.