Wildflower show of 2010 gets no curtain call in '11

We're not likely to get a repeat this spring.

"Overall, it's probably going to be a crummy year for wildflowers," said Russ Buhrow, curator of plants at Tohono Chul Park.

The reason: too little rain in the fall and early winter.

"The best germination (of wildflowers) comes if we get good rains in October and November and maybe December and beyond," Buhrow said. "If that happens, we can get the real spectacular blooms."

That didn't happen.

National Weather Service records show that Tucson got only 0.46 of an inch of rain in October, just a trace in November and 0.46 of an inch in December. Rainfall so far this year: zilch.

Mark Dimmitt, director of natural history at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, shared in the not-very-flowery forecast.

"The chance for annual wildflowers is about zero this spring," Dimmitt said. Annuals include the showy species, such as poppies, that carpeted parts of the desert around Tucson last spring.

Dimmitt and Buhrow held out hope for some show of color by perennials and so-called "belly flowers."

"Some areas have received decent late rainfall, so the perennial shrubs and cacti should flower at least modestly," Dimmitt said.

Said Buhrow: "I expect there will be some belly flowers - ones so little that you have to lie on your belly to see them."

Perennials such as mariposa lilies and anemones "should at least come up and have a few flowers," Buhrow said.

He added that intrepid wildflower hunters might see a few good displays if they find a spot that happened to get isolated showers at just the right times.

"If some sneaky storm hit a limited area and you know where that spot is, you could see something nice," Buhrow said.

And, if you simply must see some wildflowers in bloom, there's a sure bet. Tohono Chul Park, 7366 N. Paseo del Norte, and other sites around Tucson have cultivated displays that peak in March and April.

Contact reporter Doug Kreutz at dkreutz@azstarnet.com or at 573-4192.