Henderson Canyon Road and Borrego Valley Road, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, CA, 3/16/2017
During the wildflower super bloom of 2017, I traveled to southern California’s Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, where I found this meadow of blossoming desert gold or desert sunflower (Geraea canescens) in Borrego Valley. I was impressed by how the sea of gold contrasted with rugged Coyote Mountain in the background. We’re looking northeast at the southern flank of the mountain. Throughout the meadow, there were almost as many caterpillars munching on the flowering plants as there were flowers! These were the larva of the hummingbird moth, one of the largest flying insects in the desert.
