South to Mexico

Most of the annual wildflowers are gone and instead, trees and shrubs are the ones displaying some color: creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) and brittle bush (Encelia farinosa) along with mallows (Sphaeralcea ambigua). Ocotillos (Fouquieria splendens) can be seen with its red inflorescence standing out against the sandy soil throughout the area. But is the blue palo verde (Parkinsonia florida) the one stealing the show with its canopies turned into a solid blob of yellow. A number of trees can be seen along the road to Peñasco especially closer to the town of Sonoyta. Within the preserve we can see a large number in hillsides and along the numerous washes coming down from the sierras. The little leaf palo verde (Parkinsonia microphylla), can also be seen along the hillsides and can be separated from the blue palo verde by the lighter color of its flowers.

Among the lava fields in the interior of the preserver we can also see the Sonoran nightshade or Mariola (Solanum hindsianum), a large shrub with gray leaves and dark blue flowers, with prolific and long lasting bloom. The elephant tree (Bursera microphylla) and limber bush (Jatropha), are also very showy with their new green foliage. The flowers are too small and inconspicuous to be noticed unless you get very close. Another shrub that is starting to bloom around “El Tecolote” campground is the odoriferous pygmy cedar (Peucyphyllum schotti) which can be seen in large masses growing in the lava cinders and brocken ah-ah lava fields.

In the flats most of the cacti are blooming: the diamond choya (Cylindropuntia ramosissima) is now in full bloom with its yellow green flowers, and the hedgehog cactus (Echinocereus engelmannii) is also easily spotted with its magenta flowers.

In the sand dunes most of the annuals are gone but occasionally you can see evening primrose (Oenothera deltoides), desert chicory (Rafinesquia neomexicana), and a few Ajo Lily (Hesperocallis undulata) now in fruit and seeding, come with inflorescences up to 5 feet tall. A new find in the dunes is to see clumps of blue sand lily (Triteleiopsis palmeri) with its dark blue inflorescences. Other shrubs blooming are the button brittlebush (Encelia frutescens), large shrubs of mormon tea (Ephedra aspera), and the gray leaved Emory’s smokebush (Psorothamnus emoryi).

To get to the Reserva El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar from Phoenix, take I-10 west to Buckeye and then head south on 85 all the way to the border town of Lukeville. Sonoyta is on the Mexican side and from here it is 50 kms. (31 miles) to El Pinacate, taking the road to Rocky Point.

Crossing the border requires official identification and preferably a passport to reenter to the US.
Links: www.sonoraturismo.gob.mx/el-pinacate.htm