Springtime in the Sonoran Desert

Springtime is perhaps the most beautiful time of year in the majestic Sonoran Desert we call home. With winter’s temperature drops tapering off, the unique mix of cacti and other plants of the desert get ready to burst into a parade of color and blooms. Often giving us a glorious display of wildflowers, the amazing ecology of the desert is on full display in these rich months of Spring.

What develops over summer into delicious and succulent prickly pear fruit begins now. Low-lying hedgehog cacti are often the first blooms of the Spring, bursting forth with wild displays in purple, magenta, red, pink, orange and even creamy yellow hues. Hedgehog cacti blooms are vivid and easy to spot – even from a moving car, and their vibrant loveliness deserves a close appreciation (just mind the thorns!).

The various beavertail cactus that populate the Sonoran Desert are also getting ready to put on a display. Delicious mature prickly pear fruit gets its start as a riot of spring color on this distinctive cactus, attracting pollinators from across the landscape.

The signature of the Sonoran Desert, the saguaro cactus, also delivers distinctive blooms throughout the Spring. Over the course of approximately six weeks, saguaro flowers develop, a few at a time on the cactus’ heavy branches. Buds unfurl for only a mere 24 hours into a pale flower ready for pollination before closing forever.

Cacti aren’t the only desert plant contributing to a rainbow of spring color – many desert shrubs also take advantage of the warming weather to burst into bloom. Many of the shrubs of the Sonoran Desert also have intoxicating scents and stunning structures.

The delicate tendrils of the flowering fairy duster bush look like miniature firecrackers or sea anemones. The brush-like flowers emerge in delightful bursts of red and pink around desert washes.

Equally striking is the voluptuous blossoms of the sacred datura plant. Highly toxic, this desert native can kill humans or livestock if ingested. Yet, if left alone, the plant’s large bell shaped white flowers can withstand the harshest desert temperatures.

A gentler plant, the desert chuparosa shoots up flowering columns in the spring for pollinators like hummingbirds to feast upon. Chuparosa’s distinct red flowers are shaped like slender tubes.

At first glance what may look like a translucent poppy flower is actually desert mallow that blooms in the springtime with a milky orange color. Also called apricot mallow or desert globemallow, this dry lands native species puts out simultaneous displays of orange during its spring flowering.

The intense, sharp smell of the creosote bush is most distinct before and after a rainfall when the oils in the plant respond to moisture. In the springtime, creosote bushes in bloom turn yellow with small yellow flowers. Hardy and deep-rooted, creosote is one of the Sonoran desert’s most adaptable plants and its has a long history as a traditional medicinal plant.

Depending largely on winter rains, spring blooming in the desert is unique every year and often holds some unusual surprises. One plant that grows quickly after winter has passed is the parasitic plant, bigseed dodder. Dodder’s structure is hair-like, and it’s color is a luminous, nearly fluorescent yellow-orange. Dodder roots into existing plants and saps their veins for nutrients and moisture. Meanwhile it’s extravagant appearance resembles a tangled Halloween wig cast onto shrubs and trees that grow alongside roadsides and washes.

Desert trees also bring new foliage forth in the springtime. Sturdy ironwood trees erupt in small and gorgeous purple-pink blossoms and shady new leaves. The distinctive palo verde of the region grow clusters of yellow flowers that compliment their lovely green bark and are key to the rich flavor of coveted local honey. Mesquite trees also break into long fluffy flowers that then develop the mesquite’s tasty clusters of seedpods.

Spring is an exceptional time in the desert, and the perfect time to get ahead on creating a comfortable, energy efficient home year-round. At CC Sunscreens we know the Arizona sun and our sturdy, stylish and completely customizable sun blocking systems can keep your home naturally cool, controlling temperature so you can get the most from your home.