The wildflower display on the desert this spring is more bust than bloom because of too little rain. But if you long for a look at native species in colorful spring splendor, here's your fallback plan:
Visit one or more of the parks, gardens and museums around Tucson that cultivate wildflowers for display.
Granted, viewing nurtured blooms isn't the same as finding vast carpets of poppies and lupines in the wild, but it's a way to get at least a taste of our desert's botanical beauty. Here are some sites with wildflowers in bloom:
● The grounds of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum west of Tucson are dotted with the color of dark-pink penstemons, gold poppies and the buttery yellow flowers of blue palo verde trees. Hours of the museum, 2021 N. Kinney Road, are 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Admission is $12, with reduced rates for youths. 883-2702.
People are also reading…
● Tohono Chul Park, 7366 N. Paseo del Norte, sports displays of yellow Western wallflowers, gold poppies and purple-blue lupines. Hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Admission is $5, with reduced rates for seniors and students. 742-6455.
● Pink penstemons, gold poppies and yellow desert marigolds brighten the landscape at the Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 N. Alvernon Way. Hours are 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily. Admission is $5, with reduced rates for youths. 326-9686. – Doug Kreutz
