A California desert in bloom
The Anza-Borrego Desert is a “master of disguise,” said Hugo Martin in the Los Angeles Times. For most of the year, California’s largest park seems to be a “lifeless wasteland, devoid of color and sound.” But come spring, the “600,000 acres of sand, rock, and cactus” just east of San Diego transform into a “riot of swaying flowers, buzzing bees, flapping birds, howling coyotes, and hopping hares.” Among the barren lands of southernmost California, some of the world’s rarest species of wildflowers blossom. Usually hidden from the desert’s howling winds and devilish heat, these shy blooms peek out in April and May, revealing a rainbow’s worth of color. Sand verbenas, “a pink-magenta annual,” appear like splashes of paint against the beige of the desert. Pale pink evening primroses complement the “turquoise sky.” The desert lily, “a white starburst flower,” stands tall amid the flat, barren land, its face tilting toward the sun.
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