Dune evening primrose in Anza-Borrego
Oenothera deltoides
Dune evening primrose usually blooms from early February to late March in Anza-Borrego, with the best color from early March into late March.
early February – late March Best: early March into late March Out of season
The show usually starts around early February. Check back closer to the season.
Not every season keeps to that rhythm. In 2 of the 6 seasons on record (2022-23 and 2025-26) the first flowers opened around early November. In the desert that is what a soaking September or October rain does: the seeds sprout on it and the first flowers open months ahead of the usual season.
Where to see them
Big white paper flowers that open toward evening and slump by mid-morning — go early. They grow right in the sand with the verbena.
- Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
We name public reserves, parks, and roads only — never exact pins, never private land.
Who is out there this season
The pattern above is many springs at once. In the season itself, the people walking Anza-Borrego every week are ahead of any pattern, and these ones write down what they saw. We send you to them rather than repeat them.
- Bloom Reports from the Anza-Borrego Desert — Tom Chester; dated field reports through the season, a new page each season.
- Anza-Borrego Desert Wildflowers bloom report — Fred and Carla Melgert of Borrego Wildflowers; updated through the season, with photos of what is open.
Nearby on the calendar
- Desert gold in Anza-Borrego — best early March into late March
- Desert sand verbena in Anza-Borrego — best late February into late March
- Desert lilies in Anza-Borrego — best late February into mid-March
Updated September 8, 2026. Bloom timing varies with the year's weather — the curve shows the usual rhythm, and in-season updates sharpen it.