List of Little Picacho Wilderness flora facts for kids

The plants (also known as flora) of the Little Picacho Wilderness are found in the southeastern part of Imperial County, in Southern California. This area is part of the Colorado Desert, which is a sub-region of the larger Sonoran Desert.

The Little Picacho Wilderness is located in the southern part of the Lower Colorado River Valley. Its eastern side runs along the famous Colorado River, and it's about 10 miles (16 km) north of Yuma, Arizona, and Winterhaven, California. This special wilderness area helps protect a part of the southeastern Chocolate Mountains.

What Kinds of Plants Live Here?

The Little Picacho Wilderness is home to many different types of plants, all adapted to living in the desert! Plants are often grouped by how long they live.

Plants That Live Many Years (Perennials)

Perennial plants are like the long-term residents of the desert. They live for more than two years, often for many years, and can bloom and produce seeds multiple times.

Here are some cool perennial plants you might find:

• Creosote bush: This is one of the most common desert plants. It's a tough, green shrub that smells like rain! It can live for a very long time.
• Ocotillo: This plant looks like a bunch of long, thorny sticks, but after it rains, it sprouts small green leaves and bright red flowers at the tips. It's very unique!
• Cactus: You'll see different types of cacti, like the Beavertail Cactus (which has flat, paddle-shaped pads) and the Fishhook Barrel Cactus (a round cactus with hooked spines).
• Mesquite (Prosopis ssp.): These are small trees or large shrubs with feathery leaves and long pods. Their roots can go very deep to find water.
• Desert Ironwood (Olneya tesota): This is a beautiful tree with purple flowers. Its wood is so dense it sinks in water!
• Blue Palo Verde (Parkinsonia florida): This tree has a green trunk and branches, which help it make food even when it doesn't have leaves. It has bright yellow flowers in spring.
• Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa): This shrub has silvery-gray leaves and bright yellow, daisy-like flowers. It's called "brittlebush" because its stems can break easily.
• Desert Globemallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua): This plant has soft, fuzzy leaves and pretty orange flowers.

Plants That Live One Year (Annuals)

Annual plants are like the desert's quick visitors. They sprout from seeds, grow, flower, produce new seeds, and then die, all within one year. They often appear in huge numbers after good rainfall, creating beautiful carpets of wildflowers.

Some annuals you might spot include:

• Arizona Lupine (Lupinus arizonicus): This plant has tall stalks of purple or blue flowers.
• Desert Sunflower (Geraea canescens): These look like smaller versions of the sunflowers you know, with bright yellow petals.
• Common Fiddleneck (Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia): This plant gets its name from its coiled flower stalks that look like the head of a fiddle.
• Scorpionweed (Phacelia spp.): These plants often have purple or blue flowers and can sometimes cause skin irritation if you touch them.
• Desert trumpet (Eriogonum inflatum): This plant has a unique, swollen stem that looks like a trumpet.

See also

• List of southern LCRV flora by region