The southern area of Anza Borrego or as I like to call it, “the forgotten side” of Anza Borrego is often overlooked when it comes to desert flower season. Desert flower seekers tend to frequent the well-known locales near Borrego Springs and other more accessible areas of the park.

While it is true those areas, can put on a spectacular display, unfortunately you usually get the crowds along with it.

Our desert wildflower hunting vehicle

Our preference is to search out the hidden washes and canyons of the south, climbing up boulder littered hillsides and hopping over stands of cholla in an attempt to get that one perfect flower picture.

The downside is that you tend to go home with numerous scratches and cactus spines embedded in your skin while the upside is that you have just spent half a day with nary a soul around .

On our latest trip we were fortunate to find a great selection of both flowers and cactus blooms in the Carrizo Gorge area which you can scroll through below.

Beautiful Brittlebush in Carrizo Gorge

Lone lupine in the sandy wash of Carrizo Gorge

Beavertail Cactus with intense pink blooms

Giving some scale to this desert lupine

Desert Poppies

Beavertail Bloom with more to come

The ominous looking Hedgehog displaying its’ softer side

Beavertail Cactus Blooms

Emory’s Rock-Daisy are usually hard to spot due to their small size.

Beavertail Bloom closeup

This Cholla was covered with buds and a few early bloomers. I believe this is called a Gander’s Cholla.

Beavertail Bloom

A few Ocotillo were displaying their fiery red tips.

These bees were happy it was flower season

Fishhook Cactus always seem to hide in the shade of another desert plant.

Amazing colors

The lone barrel cactus we saw on our hike in early stages of flowering

Monkey flower that managed to come up through a crack in a bolder

Brilliant yellow flowers of a Brittlebush

I believe this is called Silver Cholla or possibly Gander’s Cholla. Nonetheless it was flowering nicely.

I believe this is called Silver Cholla or possibly Gander’s Cholla. Nonetheless it was flowering nicely.

Desert Dandelion’s along the S2 near Canyon Sin Nombre