Red Rock Canyon - Mojave Aster

Red Rock Canyon - Bigelow's Desert Four O'Clocks

Red Rock Canyon - Sego Lily

Red Rock Canyon - Palmer's Penstemon

Red Rock Canyon - Hedgehog Cactus

Red Rock Canyon - Grizzly Bear Prickly Pear Cactus

Red Rock Canyon - Giant Four O'Clocks

Red Rock Canyon - Desert Thistle

Red Rock Canyon - Desert Larkspur

Red Rock Canyon - Blue Sage

Red Rock Canyon - Birdcage Evening Primrose

Red Rock Canyon - Beavertail Cactus

Red Rock Canyon - Banana Yucca

Red Rock Canyon - Apache Plume

Red Rock Canyon - unidentified yellow flowers

Lee Canyon - Wild Burro

Lee Canyon - Pinyon Forget-Me-Not

Lee Canyon - Palmer's Penstemon

Lee Canyon - Hedgehog Cactus

Lee Canyon - Desert Paintbrush

Lee Canyon - Blue Flax

Lee Canyon - unidentified purple flowers

Kyle Canyon - Utah Penstemon

Kyle Canyon - Fringe Flowered Foxtail Cactus

Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire State Park

I went to Valley of Fire State Park and Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area (both in Nevada) on Monday, 4/28/08 and Tuesday, 4/29/08. The weather was great on Monday. It was warm, but not too hot, with a bit of a breeze. There weren't many wildflowers in Valley of Fire, but the red rock formations and petroglyphs were worth the trip.

Red Rock Canyon, however, was a different story. The wildflowers were everywhere. Lots of Desert Globemallow and Sego Lilies were growing in the areas scorched by wildfires. Various cacti could be clearly seen from the roads. Blue Desert Larkspur and Desert Sage were found along the roadsides and in the washes.

The one bad thing that happened was the wind. At the highest point in the park, the winds were so strong they nearly knocked me off my feet. At the lower elevations, it wasn't quite as bad, but by late afternoon, the winds were gusting all over Las Vegas and in the canyons. Still, the day was nice and I took lots of pictures (of course).

You can see some photos below. Enjoy!

Links to Check Out:

Valley of Fire State Park
Red Rock Canyon

Red Rock Canyon - Calico Hills

Red Rock Canyon

Red Rock Canyon - Windmills

Red Rock Canyon - Sego Lily

Red Rock Canyon - Scarlet Gaura

Red Rock Canyon - Palmer's Penstemon

Red Rock Canyon - Hedgehog Cactus

Red Rock Canyon - Fremont Phacelia

Red Rock Canyon - Desert Sage

Red Rock Canyon - Desert Marigold

Red Rock Canyon - Desert Larkspur

Red Rock Canyon - Desert Globemallow

Valley of Fire State Park - Palmer's Penstemon

Valley of Fire State Park - Indigo Bush

Valley of Fire State Park - Petroglyphs at The Cabins

Valley of Fire State Park - The Cabins

Valley of Fire State Park - Elephant Rock

Valley of Fire State Park - The Beehives

Valley of Fire State Park - Arch Rock

Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave National Preserve - 4/19/08

I went up to Joshua Tree National Park on Saturday. I went in the Joshua Tree entrance. The flowers were still abundant in that area. There was a nice field of Golden Gilia and Desert Dandelions in one place. The roadsides were colored with yellow Desert Dandelions, orange Desert Globemallow, purple Phacelia, and White Tidy Tips and Desert Pincushion. From time to time, I spotted red Claret Cup Cacti and pink Hedgehog Cacti as well. At the Twentynine Palms side, there were numerous Silver Cholla Cacti as well as Hedgehog Cacti. The flowers were abundant here as well. I was glad I came back!

At the Mojave National Preserve, things were different. The vast amounts of Dune Evening Primrose along the roadsides were gone. Only some patches of Canterbury Bells and Desert Globemallow were left along Kelbaker Road. I did find some Sand Verbena and Dune Evening Primrose up at Kelso Dunes. And a very few Desert Lilies and Sand Verbena at Iron Age Road (off of Amboy Road between Joshua Tree and Amboy). I HAD some pretty nice pictures of Iron Age Road all blooming with Sand Verbena, Primrose and Desert Lilies, but somehow, when I was transfering files to my new computer, the whole file folder of those pictures was lost. I was really bummed! But I managed to get some new pictures, even if they weren't as great.

This upcoming weekend, I will probably stay home. I am off to Vegas on Monday :) Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire are on my list. And maybe next weekend, Sequoia and King's Canyon. Or Big Sur again. Who knows. All I know is that with gas prices the way they are, it is getting more and more expensive to go anywhere. Argh. I hope the gas prices go down soon!!!

I posted pictures below. Click on any for a larger view. You can also view the whole photo album by clicking HERE . Enjoy!