Floral fireworks

THE PROCESS IS EASY: JUST ADD WATER and the deserts of Southern California burst into color. During the El Nino year of 1998, for instance, a series of rainstorms transformed a 40-mile stretch of Interstate 40 between Barstow and Needles into a carpet of gold, and while this year’s flowers can still be jeopardized by heavy rains or a sudden heat wave, 2005 promises to be a phenomenal year. Already wildflower enthusiasts are making plans to follow the bloom from the lower elevations -- Anza-Borrego, Joshua Tree and portions of Death Valley -- in March to the higher elevations -- the Mojave Preserve -- in April and May. Most of the flowers below, and many others, will be found in all four regions, and the trail recommendations cover just a sliver of territory. No guide can do justice to such extravagance, but the point is simple: Spring passes swiftly, and while desert plants bloom intensely, they also bloom fleetingly.

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Catching the desert bloom

For more information about desert parks, contact:

Death Valley National Park

(760) 786-3200 or www.nps.gov/deva/FrameSet-Wildflower.htm

Joshua Tree National Park

(760) 367-5500 or www.nps.gov/jotr/activities/blooms/blooms.html

Mojave National Preserve

(760) 733-4040 or www.nps.gov/moja/mojaanwf.htm

Anza-Borrego Desert

State Park

(760) 767-5311 or www.anzaborrego.statepark.org/wildflowers.html

The Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers and Native Plants in Sunland maintains a wildflower hotline from March through May at (818) 768-3533 or www.theodorepayne.org.