Desert wildflowers

I finally managed to remember to take my camera with me the other morning as I was driving Miss Ellie to kindergarten.   I missed one whole day because I was down & out with a 24 hour virus and I was so dizzy I couldn't drive...so Papa had to drive her to school and pick her up at 1 p.m. (early release) AND babysit her for the entire afternoon!    That apparently was QUITE an adventure, but that's another story...

So, with bright sunlight, rainbows, and clouds still on the mountains, off I drove, camera in the car.   After safely depositing the kindergartener at school, I went off in search of a quiet spot to view some of our desert wildflowers.

I'm NOT KIDDING...I actually don't remember a year with so much COLOR!   I'm going out again this morning with my camera to take photos of the hills of verbena in the Coachella Valley Preserve.   However, these photos were taken near the Annenberg Estate in Rancho Mirage, where I could safely pull off the road, stop, and take photos.

The light purple flowers are verbena and our desert is COVERED with them.   There are even some desert lupines off Interstate 10, at the Date Palm exit.   I can't wait to see what's blooming out by the Coachella Valley Preserve this morning.