Anza Borrego

Anza-Borrego is where I first loved the desert. It's a huge state park- bigger than many entire counties here in Illinois- east of San Diego and south of Palm Springs in the rain shadow of the Coast Range. It's one of the vast and empty places of the American West that I have come to love in the last two decades of my life. Leon and I visited on the Friday of our recent California trip.

It's been a while since I've visited. Two years ago, on our last trip, Leon and I had become sick. Our feelings of malaise increased during the drive down, and we opted to go back to the resort rather than go for a hike. Fortunately we fared much better today.

The trail into Plum Canyon begins as a Jeep road

We chose to hike in Plum Canyon, so named because of the many desert apricots (Prunus fremontii) that grow in the wash. It was a perfect day for a hike, sunny and warm but not hot. There are few flowers in bloom at this time of the year, but the vegetation is still fascinating. Anza-Borrego has some of the most beautiful, garden-like cactus patched that I've ever seen.

Teddy Bear Cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii)

Barrel Cactus

For the first time on this vacation, we were seeing a bit more insect life on this hike.

Grasshopper nymph on a desert apricot branch


Leda Hairstreak (Ministrymon leda) - winter form


Great Purple Hairstreak (Atlides halesus)

The Great Purple Hairstreak was, unfortunately, uncooperative for photography. It didn't fly away, but it was very active climbing over the flowers it was nectaring on. It kept moving out of focus, or out of view. It's a species that I see fairly frequently in these mountains. The larval food plant, mistletoe, is abundant as a parasite of the various desert shrubs and trees that grow here.

Mistletoe (Phoradendron sp.)


Why it's fun to hike in the desert

Plum canyon winds up the mountains, narrowing as it goes. As we hike, I'm reminded of the profound silence of this desert. We hear no human sounds and few birds. You can hear the wing beats of the numerous crows flying overhead, the breeze in your ears, and little else. It's a moment of sublime peace.

Looking back down Plum Canyon Wash
The blue spiky plants are agaves (Agave deserti)

The hike ends at the ridge line with a beautiful view of Earthquake Valley and the village of Shelter Valley. We lingered to enjoy the view and the breeze before the descent and evening.

The view into Earthquake Valley


Anza-Borrego Memories