Sahara Mustard Pull Dates

Julie Taylor, Director of Development for the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park® Botany Society, has announced 3 dates for pulling the pesky Sahara mustard (Brassica tournefortii). Dates to help eradicate this invasive species are March 10, 11, and 12 and all begin at 8:30 AM.  The first session begins along Di Giorgio Road north of Palm Canyon Drive. Other locations will be announced and at the end of each session.

Bring gloves is you have  them; water, hat and sturdy shoes will do you well. No other special equipment is required. 

Canary Island Knapweed Removal Project

Three Knapweed (Volutaria canariensis) plants dwarf the bicycle.

There's a new bad guy in town, Volutaria tubuliflora, Mediterranean desert knapweed, which may be yet another potentially-highly-invasive species similar to Brassica tournefortii, Saharan mustard. The bicycle is leaning against three mature plants of it in Borrego Springs. See also the Invasion of the Volutaria pulp magazine cover created by James Dillane.*

You have an opportunity to help stop this aggressive plant in its tracks. A group weed-pull is organized for Friday, March 6, 2015 from 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM. Meet 1 mile north of Palm Canyon Drive on Borrego Valley Road. Americorps NCCC Team Silver 6 will be there to help. 

Bring water, sunscreen, and lunch/snacks. There will be  celebration and reflection at Christmas Circle. 

The event is co-sponsored by the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park® Botany Society.

* --Information about Volutaria from Tom Chester's web page. Used with permission.

Botany Certification Class Does Cactaceae and Asteraceae

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Spanish Needles (Palafoxia arida)
Photo by Arie Korporaal

Under gloomy and somewhat “leaky” skies on March 2, participants in the Botany Society Certification Course focused on cactus morphology, observing the various cactus forms in the Visitor Center Garden. Following that we had a lab session where we dissected three types of sunflower flower heads represented by a horticultural sunflower, Spanish Needle (Palafoxia arida), and a Desert Dandelion (Malacothrix glabrata) .

A PowerPoint presentation aided in understanding the complicated Sunflower family (Asteraceae) morphology.

Ingram to Speak on Desert Native Succulents

Stephen ingram, author and biological consultant

Stephen Ingram will be presenting a free-to-the-public talk on desert native succulents on March 9 in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park® Visitor Center. Ingram’s multimedia presentation will highlight the "Cacti, Agaves and Yuccas of California’s Deserts" in the park.

Who: Stephen Ingram, photographer and biological consultant
What: Botany Society Public Lecture Program
When: Monday, March 9, 2015; 10:00AM
Where: Discovery Lab, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park® Visitor Center
Cost: Free to the public

Wildflowers are everywhere!

Gentle rains over the past 5 months and recent warm temperatures are creating fields of flowers in Borrego Springs!

• Drive along DiGorgio to the road's end. Along the way in the fields on the west side of the road patches of sand verbena are sporting pink blossoms with stems spreading across the sand promising more blooms to come.

• This is the year of brown-eyed primrose. They have a tall stem--about 6 " with an umbel of creamy flowers with a brown center.  Henderson Canyon is the best place to see them. 

• The Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Visitor Center garden is blanketed with desert dandelion. Such a happy little lemon yellow flower it follows the direction of the sun.

• At the end of DiGorgio Road look for desert lilies shooting up their white blossoms.  Very aromatic!

• Take a drive east on Henderson Road, park along the roadside and walk north. Try not to step on the flowers! Tall yellow desert sunflowers have hairy leaves that are soft to touch. Look for dune evening primrose with its rosette leaves splayed out along the sand and its four- petaled white bloom. 

Go out in the morning when the air is fresh and the flowers are perky!

--Karyn Sauber. Used with permission