A Special Spring, Two Desert Wildflowers

On April 26, I wandered outside to take pictures of two wildflowers I had been watching closely. Prickly Gilia and Ratany...both fairly inconspicuous plants you would hardly notice during most years. This year, however, was different...we had seen a comparable bloom only one time before...in 1991! Conditions probably were alike...adequate rainfall following a few dry years. It is difficult, if not impossible, to to guess all the factors involved, but to us, it was a sight that reminded us of our early days here, in Borrego.

Prickly gilia ( Gilia pungens tenuiloba ) is in the Phlox family - a tiny flower, but, this year, the vacant lot east of us was covered with it, resulting in a hazy lavender veil floating above the soil. The entire scene looked etheral as the mass of bloom seeemed to float about a foot over the rough desert base and move in waves like a field of wheat in the breeze.

The other desert bloom that was extra spectacular this year was ratany. ( Krameriaceae family ) This is a shrubby but dense plant which is a partial root parasite of nearby plants, although, it seems to allow nearby plants to continue growth with no visible damage. This year, the shrub was completely covered with the small magenta flowers seen only during spring. The rest of the year, the plant just appears like a leafless cluster if spiny stems. This spring, perhaps due to the masses of flowers on each plant, I discovered something new about it! Each time I approached the vicinity of the plant, I experienced such an exotic, elusive fragrance, I could hardly believe it! As I would distance myself, the scent would grow faint. As I again approached, the lovely scent would waft through the air. I have never heard of ratany perfume, but if you could bottle it, you would make a fortune!

These two desert specimens are certainly something you should search for...just remember, they don't choose every year to put on their show!