The spring of 1995 was described by wildflower enthusiasts as the best year in more than a decade. Nourished by just the right amount of winter rain and coaxed into bloom by the warmth of the sun, for a few brief weeks the Sonoran Desert was a breathtaking sight as the earth offered up a bouquet of vivid color.

Take an "Armchair Tour"

Channel 8 camera crews explored Arizona to capture this extraordinary visual event so viewers could enjoy an "armchair tour" of desert wildflowers at the peak of their bloom.

Seasonal Cycle of Change

Each year, unpredictable winter weather determines the abundance or scarcity of spring wildflowers. During this 30-minute program, naturalists, park rangers and staff from the Desert Botanical Garden and Boyce Thompson Southwest Arboretum explain the unique combination of elements that create this seasonal cycle of change and renewal.

Apache Trail to Picacho Peak

To create the stunning scenes in Desert Wildflowers, Channel 8 camera crews travelled by automobile, on horseback and on foot to film hillsides covered with yellow brittlebush, fields of golden poppies and lavender owl clover, and close-ups of purple lupine, vivid blue delphinium and delicate Mariposa lilies. From Carefree Highway to the Apache Trail and from Picacho Peak to Organ Pipe National Monument they gathered unforgettable images. Along the way, they discovered wildflowers that have acquired names that are as colorful as their blooms -- Indian paintbrush, rattlesnake weed, whispering bells, fairy duster, monkey flower, fiddleneck, scorpion weed and miner's lettuce.

Celebration of Spring

Some of the most dramatic views are of cactus flowers -- cup-shaped magenta blossoms on spiny hedgehogs, prickly pears bearing elegant blooms that range from yellow, peach and pink to bright red, and Arizona's state flower, the showy, waxy-white saguaro blossom. We photographed the desert from sunrise to sunset and even captured a full moon over Joshua Tree National Forest. In our travels we encountered horseback riders and hikers enjoying the beauty and solitude of quiet desert trails. Desert Wildflowers is a glorious celebration of spring that showcases the extraordinary diversity of Arizona's natural landscape.

Part of Arizona Collection

Desert Wildflowers is another addition to KAET's Arizona Collection, a series of programs that explores the land, history and people of Arizona. Other programs in this series include Arizona Memories, Over Arizona, Barry Goldwater: Photographs & Memories, Thieves of Time and Seasons of a Navajo.

To Purchase a Videocassette

For information on how to purchase a videocassette, visit the Arizona Collection Video Store.

Funding

Desert Wildflowers was made possible by the KAET Program Partners.

The KAET production is broadcast in stereo and closed captioned for the hearing impaired.

Desert Wildflowers Home Page
Where We Found Flowers