Chronologically this is the first of my wildflower photo galleries. I wish it to be understood that errors in identification may well occur and/or be noticed by the viewer, and that such errors are entirely on me. This was one of my first visits to Anza-Borrego and to Borrego Palm Canyon in particular. Borrego Palm Canyon is a wide depression which lies just west of Borrego Springs that descends from the San Ysidro Mountains west to east. The canyon is the home of one of the largest palm oases in California. The protection of this canyon was one of the first objectives of the eventual creation of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The trail loop is 3.25 miles long and ascends from the start approximately 450 feet on its way to the palm oasis and several waterfalls. Through most of the year there is water flowing down through the canyon. Spring and fall are the best times to visit because it gets quite hot during the summer. Regarding the vegetation to be found there, Tom Chester says "There are two main rain windows for annual germination in the Borrego Desert: monsoonal/summer rainfall received from thunderstorms in July, August and September, and fall/winter rainfall received from October through January." Because of the water, there is a great abundance of wildflowers.

UPDATE: On January 18, 2020, an arsonist set fire to the main grove of California palms and approximately 60 mature palms were burned. Ecologists say that the grove will regrow, as it did after it burned in May of 1970.

California fan palm
Washingtonia filifera
Arecaceae
[Named for George Washington, 1732-1799]

Picture borrowed from San Diego Union-Tribune 1/26/20

Checker fiddleneck
Amsinckia tessellata var. tessellata
Boraginaceae
[Named for Wilhelm Amsinck, 1752-1831]

Woolly plantain
Plantago ovata
Plantaginaceae

Rock daisy
Perityle emoryi
Asteraceae
[Named for William Hemsley Emory, 1811-1887]