Blooming Marigolds in Big Bend National Park

Spring often arrives earlier in Big Bend National Park than in other parts of Texas. After winter rains, the canyons and arroyos of the Chihuahuan Desert fill with color such as these desert marigolds, which grew last March at the foot of hoodoos in Tornillo Creek. Though this past winter didn’t see much rain, bluebonnets popping up along roadsides in late January suggest the possibility of a bountiful wildflower season. Springtime visitors to the park should keep an eye out for tall Big Bend bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush along with blooming yucca, ocotillo, and cacti.