One of the least visited of California's State Parks, Anzo Borrego is also one of the most removed, and therefore, a great place to see wildlife and desert wildflowers in a setting that remains fairly undisturbed by human influence. However, as the world learned from the Tsunami at the end of 2004, Nature's influence can be just as brutal, and Anzo Borrego is no exception to this rule.

A flash flood on Sept 10 created a wash so strong that it took out a significant number of the palm trees at the oasis. Months later, the area is still covered with debris, which mainly consists of large rocks and entire trunks of the palm trees. The wash still runs strong, and a "river" now runs through this desert area with enough force that you can even see the speed of the current in a few of the pictures. For anyone who is familiar with the area as it was, the change to the landscape will be quite noticable.

All the rain in December has also led to the desert floor being the greenest I have ever seen it, and an explosion of wildflowers--many MANY more desert blooms than I expected to see for this time of year. Not so much the cacti, but loads of wildflowers. We were also lucky to come across a herd of big horn sheep this time, as last time, we saw two moms and two babies up by the oasis near the waterfall, but didn't have a long enough lens to shoot the distance needed. Not so this time, and we were able to get incredibly close. We've included some wildlife photos along with the flowers, which we've labeled to this best of our abilities. If we're wrong, feel free to correct!

And if anyone knows what kind of Anzo Borrego wildflower this is, please send mail.