'A wipeout': Southern Arizonaâs spring wildflower bloom absent this year
By Associated Press
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Southern Arizona’s treasured spring wildflower bloom is pretty much a no-show this year.
The relative lack of fall and winter showers needed to produce a bounty of colors means the traditional wildflower hot spots across the Sonoran Desert are brown landscapes.
It’s the worst bloom in years, the Arizona Daily Star reported.
"We’ve got nothing, unfortunately," said Steven Haas, manager of Catalina State Park outside Tucson. "It’s just been so dry."
Slopes at Picacho Peak State Park about 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of Tucson were blanketed in orange, yellow and purple blossoms a year ago but now have only a few isolated annuals along the roads.