Spring Wildflowers are Blooming in Abundance at Arizona’s National Wildlife Refuges

Spring Wildflowers are Blooming in Abundance at Arizona’s National Wildlife Refuges

Spectacular displays of wildflower blooms are painting the landscapes of National Wildlife Refuges and surrounding lands across Arizona. Plentiful winter rains, coupled with recent above average rainfall, have given the desert bursts of color not seen in years, even decades. Now is the time to plan a visit and take in the beautiful sights at Arizonas National Wildlife Refuges.

"It is Chamber of Commerce beautiful," said Susanna G. Henry, Assistant Refuge Manager of Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, whose refuge landscape is dominated by the Kofa and Castle Dome mountain ranges located in Yuma. "People who have lived here and worked here for 20 years or more, or even their whole lives say they have never seen things so green," said Henry.

The American Southwest has not experienced an average rainfall in many years. Not only has it suffered through this fate, it has also suffered through one of the greatest droughts in half a millennium. Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge Outdoor Recreational Planner, David Eslinger, said this "refuge has not experienced an average rain year for a decade, and it experienced a severe drought during the years from 2001 - 2002." Cabeza Prieta is located in Ajo and shares a 56-mile international border with Sonora, Mexico. The average rainfall that many of Arizonas refuges receive in a year is typically 3 to 5 inches. However, this years winter seasonal rains have brought approximately 8 to 10 inches.

Spring wildflower shows started in the lower deserts of central and southern Arizona early February and will likely flourish well into early April if the rains continue in their steady pattern. Some shows, however, started as early as December at Imperial National Wildlife Refuge, located 40 miles north of Yuma along the Colorado River in southern Arizona. No matter what time is chosen to view wildflowers this spring season, it will be a good time. " Brown Canyon, located at a 3500-4500 elevation within Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge will be flowering at its best in April with scarlet sage, a definite eye-catcher," said Bonnie Swarbrick, Outdoor Recreational Planner. Brown Canyon may only be accessed on foot with a guided escort on the second and fourth Saturday of the month, and reservations are required. However, other parts of the refuge are accessible during normal refuge hours.

Winter desert annuals, wildflowers which bloom in spring, typically sprout to life during the months of February through April and peak in early March. And this spring, not only will the wildflowers be blooming; they will be blooming brilliantly and endlessly. Why are this years flowering plants so spectacular --abundance and variety of species. The plants have responded to both rain and temperature conditions so favorably, some flowering species have doubled and even tripled in size, looking more like a bush than a small plant. Even more astonishing, flower species which have lain dormant for years have been resurrected to dot the landscapes in a palette of color to areas that have long forgotten their presence.

The following list is a small sampling of flowers that can be viewed now and over the next month at various refuges across the state: lupine, brittlebush, ghost flower, fiddleneck, primrose, bladderpod, wild heliotrope, globemallow, scorpionweed, poppies, chuparosa, and desert sunflower. "You can not go wrong. The hillsides are awash in color; the highways in any direction are lined with flowers," said Henry.

The best ways to view wildflowers at Arizonas National Wildlife Refuges are by hiking and walking trails and car drives. Of course, capturing this natural phenomenon through the camera lens or artists canvas is a must, too.

If you wish to visit the refuges mentioned above, you may contact them directly via the following information:

Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, 356 West First Street, Yuma, Arizona, 928/783-7861. Directions to the refuge: From Yuma, take Highway 95 north towards Quartzsite, Arizona to refuge entrance signs.

Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, North Second Street, Ajo, Arizona, 520/387-6483. Directions to the refuge: From Phoenix, take I-10 west to exit 112, follow Highway 85 south to Gila Bend, continue south on 85 approximately 40 miles to Ajo.

Imperial National Wildlife Refuge, Yuma, Arizona, 928/345-9904. Directions to the refuge: From Yuma, travel north on Highway 95 for 25 miles, turn west onto Martinez Lake Road. Travel 10 miles and turn right on Red Cloud Mine Road (dirt road). Follow the signs to the refuges main entrance.

Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, Sansabe, Arizona, 520/823-4251. Directions to the refuge: From Tucson, go west to Ajo Way (Highway 86) to Three points. Travel 38 miles south of Three Points on Highway 286 to milepost 7.5.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.

-http://southwest.fws.gov-