PLANTS
Butterfly Garden
Erosion Control
Fruit, Berries, Nuts
Grasses
Ground Cover
Hummingbird Garden
Parasitic Plants
Peppers, Chilies
Shrubs
Tomatoes
Trees: Landscape
Vines
Wildflowers
ON THE WEB
Gardening Organizations
Links: Garden-Related
Nurseries
GARDENING HOW-TO'S
Dealing with Critters
Digging Holes for Plants
Fruit: Selection, Cultivation
Garden Bed: Sterilizing
Microclimates
Mulching
Oracle: Weather, Wildflowers
Plant Placement
Search This Site
Selecting Plants: SE Arizona
Seeds: Planting
Soil Preparation
USDA Hardiness Zones
Watering
|
- Seasonal Summary
-
- Winter
- 2005: abundant rain, no snow, warm temperatures
- 2006: drought with first rain and snow in March
- 2007: rain, snow and unusually cold
- Spring
- 2005: no rain
- 2006: rained once in April, no rain in May, early monsoon start in June
- 2007: started cold, periodic rain, windy; ended hot, rain once in June
- Summer
- 2005: heavy monsoon rains started mid-July and ended early September
- 2006: from early July to early September: heavy rain, frequent winds, hot
- 2007: warmer and drier than normal, humid, windy, little heavy rain
- Fall
- 2005: severe drought with one rainfall, heavy, in mid October
- 2006: very dry except rain and hail in October
- 2007: normal rain pattern but drier, then abundant rain in December
-
- January
-
Precipitation in January varies from none to abundant rain
and snow lasting up to three days. Temperatures are mainly in
the thirties to forties at night and forties to fifties during
the day. Freezing temperatures at night, in the teens or
twenties, are not uncommon. Frequent strong winds and overcast
skies can be expected. Wind gusts from Pacific storms can reach
70 mph.
In Oracle, winter temperature minimums are normally 15-19°F uphill
(south side)and 20-25°F downhill (north side). Once in
ten years the temperature will drop to 5°F on the south side
of Oracle, 10°F north side, and pipes without double insulation
can freeze and burst.
Plants in bloom: Manzanita, Rosemary,
Winter Iris (blue flowers on 6" stalk).
The best-looking native evergreen shrubs are Turpentine Brush (with rain)
and Desert Broom.
-
- February
-
Precipitation in February varies from none to rainfall several days one or more weeks.
Snow or sleet may occur one or more days.
Temperatures, in a warm winter, range from the forties at night to the fifties to sixties in the daytime.
Temperatures, in a cold winter, range from the thirties to forties in the early morning and forties
and fifties during the day. Winds are mild to moderate most years. A few years experience strong
wind warnings.
Plants in Bloom by Color
- Blue:
- Rosemary
- Magenta / Purple:
- Filaree
- Orange:
- Desert Globemallow
- White:
- Desert Anemone, Manzanita, Stemless Daisy
- Yellow:
- Bladderpod Mustard
-
- March
-
It usually rains several days throughout March. In some years, it may snow on more than one day.
Snow normally melts within 12 hours, but has lasted as long as two days. Snow can often be seen on Mount
Lemmon lasting several weeks.
Strong winds and overcast days are not uncommon. In warm winters,
night-time temperatures ranging from the forties to fifties and daytime temperatures in the sixties
to eighties.
In cold winters, night-time temperatures are in the twenties to thirties and daytime temperatures in the
forties to sixties. Over any 24 hour period in March, high and low temperatures can vary as much as 25°F
although 20°F is the norm.
Plants in Bloom by Color
- Blue:
- Blue Dicks, Blue Toadflax, Chia,
Desert Lupine,
Miniature Wool Star, Rosemary, Vinca Major, Wild Heliotrope
- Green:
- Rabbit Thorn
- Magenta / Purple:
- Dakota Verbena, Elegant/Bajada Lupine, Filaree, Henbit,
Texas Sage
- Orange:
- California Poppy,
Desert Globemallow
- Pink:
- Fairy Duster, Shrubby Coldenia (red, pink, white),
Stiffarm Rock Cress
- Red:
- Paintbrush (Castilleja integra), Scarlet Bugler (Penstemon subulatus)
- Varied:
- Iris, Tombstone Rose
- White:
- American Carrot, Bush Morning Glory, Desert Anemone, Desert Ceanothus,
Desert Chicory, Dryopetalon, Fleabane, Manzanita,
Narrow-Leaved Popcorn Flower, Tackstem
- Yellow:
- Bladderpod Mustard, Bottle/Desert Evening Primrose (blooms only one night),
California Poppy, Desert Marigold,
Emory Oak, Euphorbia Rigida, Fiddleneck, Fringed Gromwell, Wright's Deervetch, London Rocket,
Mormon Tea, Silver Puffs, Tackstem, Three-Leaf Sumac, Winter Jasmine,
Yellow Linanthus
Of all the native plants in bloom, Blue Dicks, California Poppy, Desert Lupine, Paintbrush and Scarlet Bugler
are the most colorful this month.
Wild honeybees swarm in the spring, and a migrating swarm may temporarily "rest" for a day
on your property. Leave them alone and they will move on.
-
- April
-
There may be no rain to rainfall nearly once a week in April. It seldom snows,
but snowfall can occur for most of one day and then be melted the next day.
Low temperatures are in the thirties and forties at the start of the month
and in the forties and fifties by the end. Freezing temperatures in recent
years have been recorded as late as April 22.
High temperatures, in the first two weeks, vary from the sixties in cold years
to the seventies in warm years.
High temperatures at the end of the month are in the seventies to eighties.
April shows a clear transition between winter cold and summer heat,
with rising temperatures interrupted by the occasional cold front.
Low and high temperatures can vary as much as 30°F in one day.
Strong winds are common.
On a few days sustained wind speeds of 25-30 mph will last an entire day
with wind gusts up to 50 mph.
Plants in Bloom by Color
- Blue:
- Blue Dicks, Blue Toadflax, Desert Lupine, Miniature Wool Star,
Paleface Delphinium, Rosemary, Scurf Pea,
Wild Heliotrope
- Green:
- Antelope Horns (green and maroon), Desert Pipevine (green and brown),
Hollyleaf Redberry (green or green-yellow), Rabbit Thorn
- Magenta / Purple:
- Bajada Lupine, Dakota Verbena, Desert Four-O'clock, Filaree,
New Mexico Thistle, Perezia, Rainbow Cactus, Range Ratany, Ribbon Four O'clock,
Sand Verbena, Silver Leaf Nightshade, Strawberry Hedgehog Cactus,
Tansyaster, Trailing Indigo Bush
- Orange:
- Aloe saponaria, California Poppy,
Desert Globemallow, Desert Mariposa, Engelmann's Prickly Pear,
Littleleaf Globemallow, Sida
- Pink:
- Palmer's Penstemon, Fairy Duster,
Perezia, Pincushion Cactus
- Red:
- Paintbrush (Castilleja integra), Red Yucca, Salvia greggii, Scarlet Bugler (Penstemon subulatus)
- Varied:
- Iris, Tombstone Rose
- White:
- Banana Yucca, Bush Morning Glory, Cream Cups, Desert Ceanothus,
Desert Chicory, Desert Onion, Elderberry,
Fleabane, Hall's Honeysuckle,
Horehound, Manzanita,
Narrow-Leaved Popcorn Flower, Sego Lily, Stemless Primrose,
Tackstem (white or pale yellow), Tufted Globe Amaranth,
White Aster, White Margin Spurge, White Nightshade, White Prickly Poppy
- Yellow:
- Bahia, Broom Snakeweed, Bottle/Desert Evening Primrose (blooms only one night),
California Poppy, Desert Marigold,
Desert Mariposa, Elderberry,
Emory Oak, Engelmann's Prickly Pear, Fiddleneck, Goldfields, Golden Columbine,
Mormon Tea, Needleleaf Dogweed, Paperflower, Reddome Blanketflower, Silver Puffs,
Thick-leaved Ground Cherry (Ivyleaf Groundcherry), Three-leaf Sumac,
Western Wallflower, Winter Jasmine, Wright's Deervetch, Yellow Linanthus
The most commonly visible native wildflowers are Bahia, Broom Snakeweed,
Dakota Verbena,
Desert Globemallow, Desert Marigold,
Fairy Duster, Fleabane,
Miniature Wool Star, New Mexico Thistle and Wild Heliotrope.
Green fruit of Manzanita and Three-Leaf Sumac start turning red during the month.
Wild honeybees swarm in the spring, and a migrating swarm may temporarily "rest" for a day
on your property. Leave them alone and they will move on.
-
- May
-
On average, May is the lowest rainfall month of the year. Rain may vary from none to nearly
once a week.
Low temperatures are in the forties and fifties at the start of the month and in the fifties to low
sixties by the end.
High temperatures are in the sixties to eighties at the start of the month, and eighties to low nineties
at the end. Low and high temperatures in a typical day vary by 30°F.
Most days are windy with occasional strong gusts. On a few days sustained wind speeds of 25-30 mph will
last an entire day with wind gusts up to 45 mph.
Plants in Bloom by Color
- Blue:
- Arizona Blue Eyes, Desert Lupine, Miniature Wool Star, Scurf Pea,
Small Wirelettuce, Wild Heliotrope
- Green:
- Antelope Horns (green and maroon), Desert Pipevine (green and brown),
Hollyleaf Redberry (green or green-yellow)
- Magenta / Purple:
- Cane Cholla, Dakota Verbena, Desert Four-O'clock, Filaree,
New Mexico Thistle, Perezia, Rainbow Cactus, Range Ratany, Ribbon Four O'clock, Silverleaf Nightshade,
Strawberry Hedgehog Cactus, Tansyaster, Trailing Four O'clock,
Trailing Indigo Bush
- Orange:
- California Poppy, Copper Purslane,
Desert Globemallow, Engelmann's Prickly Pear, Littleleaf Globemallow,
Sida, Wooly Butterfly Bush
- Pink:
- Palmer's Penstemon, Desert Willow,
Fairy Duster, Mexican Evening Primrose, Perezia
- Red:
- Ocotillo, Paintbrush, Red Yucca
- Varied:
- Climbing Milkweed (green, yellow, white, maroon), Lantana, Oleander
- White:
- American Carrot, Banana Yucca, Bear Grass, Cat-Claw Mimosa,
Desert-Chicory, Desert Tobacco, Elderberry,
Fleabane, Odora,
Sego Lily, Tufted Globe Amaranth,
Western Soapberry, White Margin Spurge, White Nightshade,
White Prickly Poppy
- Yellow:
- Bahia, Broom Snakeweed, California Poppy,
Cat-Claw Acacia, Desert Dandelion,
Desert Marigold, Elderberry,
Engelmann's Prickly Pear, Fiddleneck,
Gray Felt Thorn, Wright's Deervetch, Mormon Tea, Paperflower, Reddome Blanketflower,
San Felipe Dyssodia, Sundrops, Thick-leaved Ground Cherry (Ivyleaf Groundcherry),
Twin Leaf Senna, Velvet Mesquite,
Western Wallflower, Whitethorn Acacia,
Yellow Bird of Paradise, Yellow Columbine, Yellow Linanthus,
Yerba de Pasmo
Red berries of Three-Leaf Sumac are ready for harvest. Desert Ceanothus drops its dried
fruit by the end of the month. The most commonly seen wildflowers are Broom Snakeweed,
Dakota Verbena, Desert Marigold, Elderberry, Fleabane, Globemallow, Sida,
Thistle and White Prickly Poppy.
At the end of the month, White Prickly Poppy is the most commonly visible wildflower.
Wild honeybees swarm in the spring, and a migrating swarm may temporarily "rest" for a day
on your property. Leave them alone and they will move on.
-
- June
-
In an average year, it will rain only one day in June, although no rain at all is common.
The Monsoon Season, however, has been officially defined as starting in the middle of June.
On years with wet summers,
precursor rains appear in the first three weeks of the month followed by monsoon rains in the fourth week.
Low temperatures are usually in the sixties and seventies with high temperatures in the high nineties.
Heat waves may occur on some days with lows in the seventies and highs in the one hundreds.
An occasional Pacific cold front will blow through, providing strong gusting winds with low temperatures
in the low fifties and highs in the low eighties.
Most days the wind will vary from none or mild to moderate speeds. On a few days sustained wind speeds
of 25-30 mph will last an entire day with wind gusts up to 45 mph.
Occasional strong gusts, lasting for a few minutes to hours, appear as often as half of the days of the month.
Plants in Bloom by Color
- Blue:
- Arizona Blue Eyes, Fountain Butterfly Bush, Miniature Wool Star,
Small Wirelettuce, Thurber's Stephanomeria
- Magenta / Purple:
- Cane Cholla, Filaree, Hoary Tansyaster, New Mexico Thistle, Range Ratany,
Silverleaf Nightshade, Tansyaster, Trailing Four O'clock
- Orange:
- Copper Purslane, Engelmann's Prickly Pear, Globemallow,
Wooly Butterfly Bush
- Pink:
- Desert Willow, Fairy Duster,
Field Bindweed, Mexican Evening Primrose
- Red:
- Ocotillo, Penstemon Barbatus, Red Yucca
- Varied:
- Climbing Milkweed (green, yellow, white or maroon), Lantana, Oleander
- White:
- Bear Grass, Cat-Claw Mimosa, Desert Spoon, Elderberry,
Fleabane,
Odora, Photinia, Sacred Datura, Saguaro Cactus, Soapweed Yucca,
Western Soapberry, White Prickly Poppy
- Yellow:
- Broom Snakeweed, Cat-Claw Acacia,
Chilean (hybrid) Mesquite,
Desert Marigold, Engelmann's Prickly Pear,
Goldenflower Century Plant (Agave chrysantha), Palo Verde,
San Felipe Dyssodia, Sunflower, Thick-leaved Ground Cherry (Ivyleaf Groundcherry),
Thimblehead, Twin Leaf Senna,
Velvet Mesquite, Western Wallflower, Whitethorn Acacia,
Yellow Bird of Paradise, Yellow Columbine
Fruit of Manzanita (red), Rabbit Thorn (dark purple) and Three Leaf Sumac (red-brown) are ready
for harvest. Acorns of Emory Oak are starting to form.
Elderberry fruit ripen by the end of the month on those trees with sufficient water resources.
Tree of Heaven seed pod clusters are forming, turning colors of yellow, pink, and red, sometimes mistaken
for flowers. Canyon Grape vines are climbing over everything within reach.
Chigger and mosquito season starts with monsoon rains.
-
- July
-
The month of July is usually humid and often quite variable, swinging from cool and rainy one day
to hot and sunny the next. The skies are often cloudy, reducing temperatures by as much as ten degrees.
Some years, heavy rains are frequent, nearly every day in some weeks. Other years see very little rain
until the fourth week of July in spite of clouds and humidity. A typical year, however, will see monsoon
rains start the first week.
The first three weeks of July are often very windy with occasional strong gusts but the wind
often tapers off toward the end of the month.
Low temperatures reach the high sixties to low seventies while daytime highs can be in the high eighties
to 105°F.
Plants in Bloom by Color
- Blue:
- Arizona Blue Eyes, Small Wirelettuce,
Snapdragon Vine
- Green:
- Desert Pipevine (green and brown)
- Magenta / Purple:
- Dakota Verbena, Desert Four O'clock, Dicliptera, Filaree,
Hoary Tansyaster,
Range Ratany, Silverleaf Nightshade, Snapdragon Vine,
Tansyaster,
Texas Sage
- Orange:
- Arizona Poppy, Copper Purslane,
Globemallow, Orange Flameflower,
Sida, Trumpet Creeper Vine,
Woolly Butterfly Bush
- Pink:
- Desert Willow, Mexican Evening Primrose
- Red:
- Firewheel,
Red Bird of Paradise, Red Yucca,
Penstemon Barbatus,
Winged Purslane
- Varied:
- Oleander
- White:
- Black Foot Daisy, Desert Spoon, Desert Zinnia,
Fern Acacia,
Fleabane, Redwhisker Clammyweed,
Sacred Datura, Shrubby Buckwheat,
Silver Morning Glory, Soapweed Yucca, Threaded Spurge, White Margin Spurge, White Prairie Clover,
White Prickly Poppy
- Yellow:
- Buffalo-bur, Camphorweed, Deervetch, Desert Marigold,
Finger-leaved Gourd, Goldenflower Century Plant (Agave chrysantha),
Slimpod Senna,
Sunflower, Thick-leaved Ground Cherry (Ivyleaf Groundcherry),
Thimblehead,
Twin Leaf Senna, Western Wallflower, Wright's Deervetch,
Yellow Bells, Yellow Bird of Paradise
Elderberry fruit is ripe at the start of the month. Ebony Oak acorns ripen and fall this month.
Berries of Hollyleaf Redberry are turning red.
Many of the flowers listed above will bloom in July only with abundant monsoon rains.
-
- August
-
Rainfall in August varies considerably, ranging from nearly every day in some years to once a week
in others. Monsoon rains usually drop off toward the end of the month. Skies are often cloudy.
Humidity varies with rainfall.
Some years will see 1/2 inch hailstones for a few minutes on one or two days.
Low temperatures are normally in the high sixties to low seventies. If a rainy cold front sweeps through,
lows may be in the low to mid sixties. Daytime highs are in the nineties
but may vary from the low eighties with abundant rain to low one-hundreds when dry.
Wind varies from almost none in some years to frequent strong winds in others. August is often
the least windy month of summer.
Plants in Bloom by Color
- Blue:
- Arizona Blue Eyes, Rosemary,
Scurf Pea, Small Wirelettuce,
Western Spiderwort, Woolly Morning Glory vine
- Green:
- Desert Pipevine, Spreading Sida
- Magenta / Purple:
- Dakota Verbena, Desert Four O'clock, Filaree, Hoary Tansyaster, Purple Nightshade,
Range Ratany, Ribbon Four O'clock, Silverleaf Nightshade, Tansyaster, Texas Sage
- Orange:
- Arizona Poppy,
Copper Purslane, Desert Honeysuckle,
Globemallow,
Orange Flameflower, Sida
- Pink:
- Desert Willow, Fairy Duster,
Hoary Bindweed
- Red:
- Winged Purslane, Compass Barrel Cactus, Desert Paintbrush,
Firewheel, Penstemon Barbatus,
Red Spiderling, Scarlet Creeper Vine.
- Varied:
- Lantana, Oleander
- White:
- Catclaw Mimosa, Desert Tobacco, Devil's Claw, Fern Acacia,
Fleabane, Fringed Amaranth, Odora, Redwhisker Clammyweed,
Sacred Datura,
Shrubby Buckwheat, Silver Morning Glory,
White Margin Spurge, White Nightshade, White Prairie Clover, White Prickly Poppy,
Wild Cotton
- Yellow:
- Abert's Dome, Broom Snakeweed, Camphorweed, Desert Marigold,
Finger-leaved Gourd, Five-needle Fetid Marigold, Golden Crownbeard, Burro Weed,
Mesquite, Paperflower, Puncture Vine,
Slimpod Senna, Sunflower, Tacoma Stans, Thick-Leaved Ground Cherry,
Thimblehead, Tree Tobacco,
Twin Leaf Senna, Western Wallflower,
Whitethorn Acacia, Wright's Deervetch,
Yellow Bird of Paradise, Yellow Spiny Daisy.
Berries of Hollyleaf Redberry are turning red on late-blooming plants. Western Soapberry trees are
dropping their pale green-yellow fruit. Dark red fruit of Engelmann's Prickly Pear are ready for harvest.
In low rainfall years most elderberry trees have lost their leaves; in wet years, most will still be
blooming.
-
- September
-
The monsoon season officially ends the last day of September. Rain usually drops off considerably from August,
normally occurring perhaps four days of the month. Heavy rains seldom occur past the first week,
except that every few years rains will occur almost daily for the first two weeks, often at night.
Some years will see no rain this month.
Low temperatures vary from the high fifties to low seventies, mostly in the mid-sixties. Daytime highs are
in the eighties to nineties. Winds are variably mild to strong and gusty.
Plants in Bloom by Color
- Blue:
- Arizona Blue Eyes, Many-Flowered Gilia, Small Wirelettuce,
Western Spiderwort, Woolly Morning Glory vine
- Magenta / Purple:
- Dakota Verbena, Desert Four O'clock,
Hoary Tansyaster, Range Ratany, Silver-Leaf Nightshade, Tansyaster
- Orange:
- Arizona Poppy, Copper Purslane,
Desert Globemallow, Sida
- Pink:
- Fairy Duster, Hoary Bindweed
- Red:
- Compass Barrel Cactus, Paintbrush, Red Spiderling,
Scarlet Creeper vine.
- White:
- Desert Tobacco, Devil's Claw, Elderberry
(when situated in a low, water-collecting area),
Fern Acacia, Fleabane,
Fringed Amaranth, Redwhisker Clammyweed, Sacred Datura,
Shrubby Buckwheat, Sweet Four O'clock, Virgin's Bower vine,
White Margin Spurge, White Nightshade, White Prickly Poppy.
- Yellow:
- Broom Snakeweed, Camphorweed, Cat-claw Acacia, Cudweed,
Desert Marigold, Golden Crownbeard,
Burro Weed, Goldeneye,
Paper Flower, Puncture Vine, Sunflower,
Thick-Leaved Ground Cherry,
Thimblehead, Twin Leaf Senna, Wright's Deervetch,
Yellow Bird of Paradise,
Yellow Spiny Daisy
Camphorweed, Dakota Verbena (during heavy rainfall years),
Thimblehead and Sacred Datura
are the most widespread and persistent.
Grasshoppers have reached their peak this the month. Chigger infestations in tall grass fade away
at the end of September with the persistence of cooler weather.
The year's second brood of Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars is seen every week in September.
Spittlebug foam nests are reported on Rosemary and other plants.
-
- October
-
It often rains only one day in the month. October often shows a clear change from summer to fall.
Low temperatures may start in the sixties but drop to the thirties to fifties when a Pacific cold front
is pushing through.
Daytime highs are mostly in the seventies and eighties but can range from the sixties in cold years
to low nineties in warm ones. Daily highs in the seventies are rare for most of the year, with a
tendency to be above or below that range. Many days of the month are very windy.
Plants in Bloom by Color
- Blue:
- Small Wirelettuce (Stephanomeria exigua),
Woolly Morning Glory
- Magenta / Purple:
- Dakota Verbena, Filaree, Hoary Tansyaster,
Tansyaster
- Orange:
- Desert Globemallow, Sida
- Pink / Red:
- Fairy Duster, Sorrel Buckwheat
- Varied:
- Lantana, Oleander
- White:
- Brickellia, Desert Broom, Elderberry (when situated in a low, water-collecting area),
Fleabane,
Sacred Datura (on western slopes), Shrubby Buckwheat
- Yellow:
- Camphorweed, Cudweed, Desert Marigold,
Burro Weed, Goldeneye, Missouri Goldenrod,
Sunflower, Tecoma Stans, Thimblehead,
Turpentine Brush,
Yellow Spiny Daisy
The orange-red berries of Pyracantha make a colorful showing.
In high rainfall years elderberry trees have regained their leaves and are
in their second bloom of the year.
In low rainfall years, the most reliable fall wildflowers are camphorweed,
cudweed, sacred datura, sunflower and thimblehead.
Tall grass is green at the start of October although all seeds have dropped.
By the end of the month grass will have turned brown. In high rainfall years
grasshoppers are numerous at the start, but most disappear by the end of the month.
The small white flowers of Desert Broom are heavily visited by bees and
some small butterflies in the last half of the month.
-
- November
-
Freezing temperatures of fall may first appear in November. Temperatures for the month start out moderate,
and then often drop abruptly into winter toward the end. Lows are in the high forties and
fifties at the beginning and by the end are in the teens to fifties. Highs start in the seventies,
and then drop to the twenties in really cold years to the sixties in warm years. November is on average
the driest month of the year outside of May. Significant rain is rare, but December rains will occasionally
appear early in the last week of November during a wet year.
Winds often become calmer and less frequent toward the end of the month.
Plants in Bloom by Color
- Blue:
- Small Wirelettuce
- Magenta / Purple:
- Dakota Verbena, Filaree, Tansyaster
- Pink:
- Fairy Duster
- White:
- Desert Broom, Fleabane, Sacred Datura
- Yellow:
- Camphorweed, Desert Marigold, Goldeneye, Sunflower,
Turpentine Brush
Desert Broom plants begin dispersing white fluffy seeds.
-
- December
-
Low temperatures range from the twenties to forties. High temperatures range between the forties and
sixties. The month may be very dry, with one light rain sprinkle, or wet, with heavy rains on
several days. Snow, if it occurs, can first appear for the fall and winter season in December.
The first week of December may bring fog and heavy rain or continue a fall drought. Hard freezes
are common. Strong winds up to 55 mph can bring plunging temperatures.
The north face of Mount Lemmon will sometimes be covered with snow.
Plants in Bloom by Color
- Blue:
- Small Wirelettuce and Toadflax in years with wet summers
- Magenta / Purple:
- Filaree in years with wet summers
- White:
- Fleabane in years with wet summers
- Yellow:
- Annual Goldeneye (may appear after rain), Camphorweed
In December, the leaves of Western Cottonwood and Tree of Heaven turn yellow and drop.
Elderberry trees, with a prolonged fall drought, will lose their leaves for the second time in the year.
The leaves on Catclaw Mimosa (Wait-A-Minute Bush) turn brown and drop by the end of December.
The leaves of Catclaw Acacia and Velvet Mesquite do not turn brown, but thin out,
dropping when they are still pale green until none are left.
Desert Broom plants display their white fluffy seeds through the end of the month.
The best looking plant this time of year is Pyracantha which has glossy green leaves and heavy clusters
of orange berries.
|
Arctostaphylos pungens:
Pointleaf Manzanita
|