Desert sand verbena in Anza-Borrego
Abronia villosa
Desert sand verbena usually blooms from mid-February to late March in Anza-Borrego, with the best color from late February into late March.
mid-February – late March Best: late February into late March Out of season
The show usually starts around mid-February. Check back closer to the season.
Not every season keeps to that rhythm. In 3 of the 9 seasons on record (2018-19, 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
The magenta half of Borrego's famous purple-and-yellow sand carpets. It hugs the sandy flats and washes, and it smells better than it has any right to.
- Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
- Henderson Canyon Road (public road, Borrego Springs)
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
- Dune evening primrose in Anza-Borrego — best early March 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.