Nine Flowers to Find in the Sonoran Desert this Spring
Planning to get out into the desert to see the flowers this spring? Here are nine flowers to spot!
Brittlebush
Encelia Farinosa
Brittlebush is medium-sized, rounded shrub growing to 2-3 feet tall with bright yellow flowers and silvery green leaves. It emerges most abundantly in the wake of heavy rains and favors rocky slopes and hillsides.
Pink Fairy Duster
Calliandra eriophylla
Pink Fairy Duster is a densely branched shrub growing up to 3 feet tall with pink flowers resembling pin cushions among thin grey stems and ferny, medium green leaves. The blooming season is variable, but occurs between spring and early summer.
Parry’s Penstemon
Penstemon parryi
About 3-5 feet tall, Parry's Penstemon's pink-red flowers bloom between March and May on the ends of the stems above the blue-green leaves that huddle around the base.
Chuparosa
Justicia californica
Such a favorite of hummingbirds that its name translates to hummingbird in Spanish, chuparosa. The plant's tubular red flowers of the brambly bush often bloom together in late winter and early spring, favoring wash areas.
California Poppy
Eschscholzia californica
The famous orange to deep yellow flowers are native to the Sonoran Desert as well! In years of above-average precipitation (like 2026 has been so far!), large blooming events can be observed in the desert.
Coulters Lupine
Lupinus sparsiflorus
About a foot tall with narrow leaflets, this flower blooms between March and May below 4,500 feet in a bluish-purple color that can also be pink or white in rare cases.
Owl’s Clover
Castilleja exserta
Appearing in spring following wet winters, owl’s clover blooms can cover large areas with the petals themselves being dense with smaller pink-purple or lavender-colored petals.
Desert Chia
Salvia columbariae
Perhaps a bit more gothic than the rest, desert chia blooms in a thorny dark purple from March to May at elevations below 3,500 feet.
Desert Chicory
Rafinesquia neomexicana
Less than two feet tall, this white flower can be found between elevations of 200 and 3,000 feet in the Sonoran Desert.
Want to learn more about native flowers? Check out the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Arizona State Parks and Trails, California Native Plant Society, the Desert Botanical Garden, and the U of A Campus Arboretum.