File:Gooding's Verbena (8950888906).jpg

In a year that has had good rainfall at the appropriate time, a springtime drive out to Cottonwood Valley can be worthwhile if it's wildflowers you're searching for. This is what spurred us to visit this area south of State Route 160 just west of the Late Night parking area. In previous years, the ground cover of colorful flowers has been beautiful and expansive. This year was a little disappointing but not totally a wash. A hike along the Dead Horse Loop trail had us crouching next to the trail and in nearby washes to get photos. Of course there are Desert Paintbrush to see, but we were also interested those that were harder to spot. This included rarer sights such as Groundsel, Prince's Plume, Gooding’s Verbena, Showy Goldeneye, Yellow Cryptantha and Desert Sandwort. It has been a great year for Ephedra, as most plants are blooming heavily. As we got higher up on the trail we stopped seeing blooms. On the way back down after temperatures had risen a bit, we came across many Northern White-Skipper and Sagebrush Checkerspot butterflies pollinating the Mojave Goldenbush. There was also an impressive show by a colorful Side-Blotched Lizard doing push-ups alongside the trail.