Love Wildflowers? The Best Places to Find Arizona’s Secret Blooms

As a photographer, I love flowers. Go to any photography site, and you'll find hundreds, if not thousands, of beautiful blooms. It's easy to understand why photogs love blossoms:

• Flowers are pretty,
• Flowers don't talk back
• Flowers are easy to pose
• Change your angle, and you have a whole new flower image

As a long-time fan of Arizona Highways, I always get the spring wildflower issue, which never disappoints.

With mountain and rocky terrain looming in the background, adding a carpet of Arizona poppies or desert lupines in the foreground dispels the myth that Arizona is just a barren wasteland of rock and cactus.

If you wait, this show will pass you in a blink! Right now, Spring is, well, springing, and so are the flowers. You've got to move fast because they won't be with us for long.

Grab your camera or cell phone, don a sturdy pair of shoes and a wide-brimmed hat, and follow me as we find the best places to see Arizona's wildflower show.

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Arizona's Top 5 Featured Wildflowers

Last year's wildflower superbloom was a one-of-a-kind event. Weather, temperatures, and the right amount of fall and winter rain caused a longer growing season and an explosion of flowers across the state.

READ: The Recipe for an Arizona Wildflower Superbloom

We probably won't see quite such an amazing show, but you'll still want to see this beautiful seasonal display.

What are you likely to see in your quest for carpets of wildflowers? Here are the top five species you're likely to spot across Arizona:

• Mexican gold poppy: Known for its showy gold blooms, look for it below elevations of 4,500 feet.
• Desert lupine: These violet-blue blooms are often seen growing amid the Mexican poppy. They are found below 3,000 feet.
• Brittlebush: This little shrub’s yellow blooms add to spring color and grow below 4,000 feet.
• Desert marigolds: Find these yellow flowers growing below 5,000 feet. Keep your eyes open, they often grow along roadsides and on slopes, too.
• Globe mallow: These orange-pink flowers are found in dry, rocky areas growing below 5,000 feet.

Hot on the Trail: Finding the Best Wildflowers in Arizona

Look carefully this spring, and you'll see the desert and mountains teeming with colorful wildflowers.

Be creative - look behind buildings and in nooks and crannies because you could find a hidden trove of wildflowers in the most unlikely places. I once found a secret garden of wildflowers growing up the hillside behind a fallen building in Bisbee. We took my daughter's senior high school photos there!

Here are some of the best places to catch the lush lupines. The bounty of brittle brush. The plethora of poppies:

• Picacho Peak State Park: Known for its annual Wildflower Festival featuring guided hikes, exhibits, and activities, this a great place to scope this season's beautiful desert blooms. The spectrum includes flowers like lupines, poppies, and owl clover. Print a copy of this handy wildflower guide for the best experience. Don't miss Hunter Trail, where you can see the entire panorama of blooming fields at the height of the season.
• Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park: Arizona’s oldest and largest botanical garden, the park showcases native and exotic plants from around the world. If you're eager to learn about the native flora, including the wide range of showy flowers, this is a great place to dive in.
• Saguaro National Park: This park is famous for its iconic saguaro cacti, and you'll find a carpet of spring wildflowers during spring. The park has two districts, east and west, and they each have their own scenic drives and trails. Check out the best places to see wildflowers: Cactus Forest Loop Drive, the Bajada Loop Drive, and the King Canyon Trail.

The Best Time to See Spring Wildflowers in Arizona

If you plan to scout wildflowers, don't put it off because this annual show doesn't last long. March and April are the best times to see wildflowers across Arizona. Don't forget to keep your eyes open - you never know where you'll find a hidden nook of blooms worthy of framing!