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Monsoon Storms Bring Desert Blooms

Monsoon Storms Bring Desert Blooms

Posted by Keith Peters on Aug 31st 2018

1277 Summer Monsoon Flowers

When we think of desert blooms, we think of wild flowers that sprout in the spring after the winter rains. However there is another opportunity to see the desert in bloom. If we get enough rain during the monsoon season such as this year, we get an explosion of color.

This photograph was taken northwest of Phoenix. The sun was setting and another monsoon storm was forming south east of our location. I love the way the plants are picking up the setting sunlight against the contrast of the storm clouds.


In the recent weeks the valley has seen a summer storm on almost a daily basis. It may not have rained in your neighborhood, but it rained somewhere in the valley.

One of the areas that has had the most storms is northwest of Phoenix in the Wickenburg-Morristown area. We recently took a drive to see if the desert was greening up with the recent rain. We were not disappointed! Not only were there large areas of thick tall green grass, we were surprised to see flowers along Highway 60. There was quite a variety and in some areas there were masses of them!
1273 Cane Cholla or Walkingstick Cactus
The diversity of the plant life in the Sonoran Desert always amazes me. When you think of the Sonoran Desert, you might think of the mighty Saguaro or the misleadingly named Teddy Bear cactus. However there are a number of other varieties of cactus that flourish among them. One is the Cane Cholla or Walkingstick cactus. In this photograph the cactus is picking up the late day sun, surrounded by yellow flowers. I like the colors of the desert contrasted against the approaching storm.