This post contains affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, Red Shoes. Red Wine. will earn a small commission for the referral at no cost to you. Read more about affiliates & disclaimers here. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Continued from: Visiting Big Bend National Park (Part 2: Fauna)
In this part of my Big Bend National Park trip report, I’m sharing the stunning Chihuahuan Desert flowers that we found at the beginning of Big Bend’s blooming season. We couldn’t get from point A to point B without stopping at least 10 times to get pictures of all the beautiful wildflowers and blooming cacti. I think my husband seriously regrets getting me a new camera for my birthday. I used a few field guides as reference: Plants of the Chihuahuan Desert: A Guide to Common Native Species
Opuntia spinosibacca
Opuntia spinosibacca
Opuntia spinosibacca
Opuntia chisosensis
Opuntia azurea var. diplopurpurea
Opuntia rufida
Echinocereus stramineus
Echinocereus dasyacanthus
Opuntia imbricata
Opuntia aggeria
Echinocereus chloranthus var. chloranthus
Echinocereus chloranthus var. chloranthus
Echinomastus warnockii
Echinocactus texensis
Echinocereus coccineus
Agave lechuguilla
Dasylirion leiophyllum
Yucca torreyi
Yucca faxoniana
Fouquieria splendens
For the images below, click for higher resolution. (You’ll want to, they’re really pretty!)
In this cluster of images above from left to right, top to bottom:
Common Horehound (Marrubium vulgare), Black-foot daisy (Melampodium leucanthum), Prairie fleabane (Erigeron modestus), Antelope horn milkweed (Asclepias asperula), Indian wheat (Plantago helleri), Saltcedar (Tamarix chinensis), Saltcedar (Tamarix chinensis), Annual white buckwheat (Eriogonum annuum)
Prosopis mesquite
In this cluster of images above from left to right, top to bottom:
Retama (Parkinsonia aculeate), Indian Mallow (Abutilon theophrasti), Huisache (Acacia farnesiana), Tree tobacco (Nicotiana glauca), Creosote (Larrea tridentate), Mormon tea (Ephedra spp.)
In this cluster of images above from left to right, top to bottom:
Dogweed (Thymophylla spp.), Skeleton-leaf goldeneye (Viguiera stenoloba), Desert merigold (Baileya multiradiata), Damianita (Crysactinia mexicana)
Lupinus texensis
In this cluster of images above from left to right, top to bottom:
Crinklemat (Tequilia greggii), Aster (Machaeranthera tenacetifolia), Guayacan (Porlieria angustifolia), Sandbells (Nama hispidum), Hillside vervain (Verbena neomexicana),
Velvet field mustard (Nerisyrenia camporum), Evergreen sumac (Rhus virens), Mistletoe
Next: Visiting Big Bend National Park (Part 4: Outside the Park)