Under the Borrego Sky

With all the buzz around a possible super bloom in the desert this year (fingers crossed), I found myself digging through some old photos from the last major wildflower event here in Borrego Springs.

In 2017, after a season of perfectly timed winter rains, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park was transformed into wildflower heaven. Waves of color swept across the landscape—golden desert sunflowers, purple sand verbena, evening primrose, and countless other blooms carpeted the desert floor.

Henderson Canyon: The Wildflower Bloom Hot Spot

Henderson Canyon looked like a living tapestry, drawing people from all over to witness the desert at its absolute peak. The scale of the bloom was breathtaking, and the energy in the valley was unlike anything I’d experienced before.

At the time, my husband and I had only been in Southern California for a few years, having moved to the San Diego area from Portland, Oregon.

We were completely blown away by the beauty of the desert wildflower bloom and made the drive to Borrego Springs nearly every weekend that spring. At the height of the 2017 bloom, when tourists filled the valley and Henderson Canyon became a true mecca, we’d wake up well before dawn just to beat the crowds.

That bloom remains especially memorable, not just because of its sheer scale, but because of the experience itself. It’s something I’ll never forget and I’d love nothing more than to witness it again, especially now that we’re locals and can simply hop on our bikes whenever we want to check it out.

Of course, super blooms are notoriously difficult to predict, which is part of their magic. Even if we don’t get one this year, though, the desert is already putting on a beautiful show. And that, in itself, is something to appreciate.

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Photographs on this page are a labor of love by Under the Borrego Sky. To respect the work behind the lens, please do not use these images without a quick hello and permission first.