A few days ago I went to Death Valley in search of wildflowers, there basically were none to be found. Luckily I live in an area with a variety of habitats and elevations! On March 19th I went for a drive on the North Shore Drive in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada. There was a nice variety of wildflowers on the drive between the Valley of Fire on the north end and Lake Mead Parkway on the south end of the drive.
My favorite flowers this time of the year are the Sunrays. These large sunflowers are close relatives to the Panamint Daisy found only in the Panamint Mountains of Death Valley. In rainy years, the flowers can get up to 6" across. This year they were a bit smaller.
SunrayOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
SunrayOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
SunrayOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
As you can see, various insects like the Sunrays.
Sunray and BeeOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Sunray and Painted LadyOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Sunray and LadybugOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
We also found a few of the very rare Bear-Paw Poppies. It is only found on harsh alkaline, gypsum soils in the Lake Mead/Las Vegas area.
Bear Paw PoppyOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Bear Paw PoppyOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
The magenta flowers of the Beavertail Cactus are so bright, they are tricky to photograph. They appear oversaturated no matter what you do.
Beavertail CactusOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Beavertail CactusOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Here are some Mojave Asters.
Mojave AsterOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Mojave AsterOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
And "cheerful" Phacelia.
PhaeceliaOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
PhaeceliaOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Sand Blazing Star.
Sand Blazing StarOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Brittlebush - a favorite of the desert bighorn sheep.
BrittlebushOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
So never give up on wildflowers! If you don't find them on your first try, keep exploring! All in an easy days drive from Las Vegas, NV.
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