Calochortus kennedyi
Calochortus flexuosus
Common names: MARIPOSA, DESERT-MARIPOSA Arizona and California deserts: (Calochortus kennedyi). Orange. March-May. Lily family. Size: Perennial, about 2 feet tall.
Under favorable weather conditions, this short-stemmed Mariposa presents a gorgeous display of spring color. Closely related to the white-flowered Twisted-stem Mariposa (C. flexuosus) and to the Sego-lily (state flower of Utah), the Desert-mariposa is found below 5,000 feet in Nevada, southern California, southern Arizona, and northern Sonora. When growing beneath taller shrubs, it forsakes its short-stemmed habit and forces its way up through the low branches, displaying its blossom above.
The Mariposas, of which there are several species, are among the most beautiful wildflowers of the Southwest.
ORANGE
Eschscholtzia mexicana
Common names: GOLDPOPPY, DESERTPOPPY, (COPRA-DE-ORO), MEXICAN POPPY Arizona desert: (Eschscholtzia mexicana). Orange. February-May. California desert: (Eschscholtzia glyptosperma). Bright yellow. March-May. Poppy family. Size: 3 inches to a foot high, with many flower stems.
Because of their abundance and dense growth, following winters of heavy precipitation, these annual poppies often cover portions of the desert with “a cloth of gold.” They are closely related to the well-known California Poppy, state flower of California, and a common border or bedding plant in home flower gardens. In the desert, Goldpoppies are sometimes mixed with Owlclover, Lupines, and other spring flowers forming a multi-colored carpet that attracts visitors from great distances. (See [cover].)