The vistas here in this land of desert and rock feature deep canyons and striated rock formations. But the most impressive sight is yet to come. At some point next month, the gray floor of the desert will be set ablaze by carpets of wildflowers, in riotous shades of purple, yellow and red.
Aficionados maintain that witnessing desert wildflowers is one of the most rewarding experiences in nature. Fall’s dramatic leaf color change is guaranteed to happen every year. Desert wildflowers are far less predictable. If good spring rains are lacking, which was largely the case in 2006 and 2007, the flowers don’t appear. When nature does cooperate, for two weeks or a month the desert looks as if it has been streaked by a giant paintbrush.
This year is shaping up as one of those lucky years, due to a series of storms that swept California and the Southwest in January, followed by more rain in February. “I’m hoping it’s going to be terrific,” says Patrick Leary, a professor of plant biology at the College of Southern Nevada, who teaches a course in desert plants. “You suffer and wait and pray for a good year and when that year comes, you have to be out there every available moment. And then it’s gone.”