Wildflower Guide

Wildflower Guide

Wildflower Program at DC Ranch
The Wildflower Program at DC Ranch is one of the hallmarks of
DC Ranch’s unique desert character. Each spring, residents enjoy
displays of wildflowers that have been carefully planted and
cared for by the landscape team.
The Wildflower Program, planned and implemented under the
Developer Agreement with the City of Scottsdale more than 20
years ago, is a way to celebrate the unique desert setting. It has
also become one of the largest native wildflower displays in Arizona.
Wildflower Mix
%
Each year, a special mix of wildflowers is created. Look
for this symbol to see what percentage of the mix each
type of wildflower makes up.
Images may not be reproduced without permission.
1%
Desert Marigold | Baileya multiradiata
Showy desert marigold is a 12-18 in.,
mound-shaped biennial or short-lived perennial.
The flowers, which occur sporadically over
a long bloom period, turn papery with age.
The name Marigold, given to several species of
Asteraceae with sunny yellow or orange
flowers, comes from “Mary’s Gold,” in honor of
the Virgin.

8%
Plains Coreopsis | Coreopsis tinctoria
Numerous smooth, slightly angled branches
bearing showy, daisy-like flower heads with
yellow rays surrounding a reddish-purple
central disk. This prevailingly western annual
has escaped from cultivation in the East.
Because of its showiness, the flower is cultivated
extensively, hence its common name.
5%
Desert Senna | Cassia covesii
In the United States Senna covesii is found in
AZ, CA and NM. In Arizona it is found almost
state-wide with few or no records in the
northeast part of the state. Its flowers attract
Carpenter Bees and Bumblebees. Sulphur
Butterflies use the plant as a larval food
source.
8%
Cosmos | Cosmos bipinnatus
Warm weather annual that is easily grown in
average, well-drained soils in full sun. Cosmos
bipinnatus, commonly just called cosmos, is
native to Mexico. It is a popular, low-maintenance,
late-blooming, showy annual that typically grows
2-4’ tall on erect stems clad with pinnatisect,
medium green leaves that are deeply cut into
threadlike segments.
5%
Sulphur Cosmos | Cosmos sulphurascens
Klondike Cosmos have golden-yellow or
orange flowers and can grow up to 6 feet.
When the spring-planted cosmos appears to
have an abundance of dried seed, do not
remove the plants. Encourage re-bloom by
cutting the plants back to 12 to 18 inches high.

8%
California Poppy | Eschscholtzia californica
The California poppy is native to grassy and open
areas from sea level to 6,500 feet in the western
United States throughout California, extending to
Oregon, southern Washington, Nevada, Arizona,
New Mexico, and in Mexico in Sonora and northwest
Baja California. It can grow 5-60 centimeters
tall, with alternately branching waxy pale
blue-green foliage.
6%
Indian Blanketflower | Gaillardia pulchella
Firewheel or indian blanket is a popular annual
growing 1-2 ft. tall. The hairy stem is usually
much-branched and becomes woody at the
base late in the season. Frequent along roadsides
in the Southwest, these wildflowers
stand like hundreds of showy Fourth of July
pinwheels at the top of slender stalks.
8%
Wallflower | Erysimum capitatum
An extremely variable species, though usually a
clumped plant with densely crowded clusters of
orange, yellow, orange-brown or purplish-maroon
flowers atop each minimally-branched
stem. The narrow leaves and stems of this
biennial to short-lived perennial are hairy. The
seedpods stand upright.
6%
Mexican Gold Poppy | Eschscholtzia mexicana
A low, smooth, pale bluish-green plant with
fern-like leaves, mostly near base, and
orange-yellow, cup-shaped flowers borne
singly on stalks. Mexican gold poppy is a
small, somewhat sprawling perennial, 6-16 in.
tall and wide. The Spanish name, Amopalo del
Campo, means “poppy of the countryside.”

1%
Pink Evening Primrose | Oenothera speciosa
Originally native only to central grasslands
from Missouri and Nebraska south through
Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas to northeastern
Mexico, Pink Ladies or Pink Evening Primrose
is an upright to sprawling, 1 1/2 ft. perennial,
which spreads to form extensive colonies. Its
large, four-petaled flowers range in color from
dark pink to white.
7%
Bladderpod | Lesquerella gordonii
Gordon’s bladderpod is a hairy annual with a
silvery gray appearance. Stems, up to 16 in.
long, may be trailing or erect and are
much-branched. Flowers are yellow and are
followed by spherical, inflated fruit pods on
curving stalks.
3%
Desert Lupine | Lupinus sparsiflorus
Pale blue, 1/2-inch long blue to lilac flowers
bloom on slender, erect stems January through
May. The upper petal (banner) has a yellow spot
which changes to reddish after pollination. The
two bottom petals (keel) are short, and wide;
they are hairy on the bottom edge and curve
upward to a slender tip.
2%
Fivespot | Nemophila insignis
Fivespot is a species of flowering plant in the
Borage family. It is endemic to California. In
the wild it is found primarily in the Sierra
foothills, but it is also planted extensively in
gardens. The flowers are bowl-shaped consisting
of five petals, white with dark veins and
dots. The lobe tips are purple-spotted, leading
to the common name.

8%
Scarlet Flax | Linum grandiflorum v. rubrum
Scarlet Flax is a hardy annual and provides a
bright splash of colour in the summer months.
It has tall, thin stems with narrow leaves, all in a
glaucous greyish-green, with spectacular
rounded flowers about an inch and a half
across in bright crimson with a deeper centre
leading to a solid black eye, with a matching
deeper rim to each petal.
1%
Tansy Aster | Machaeranthera tanacetifolia
Branched stems with fern-like leaves ending in
flower heads with many bright purple, very
narrow rays surrounding a yellow central disk.
Tahoka Daisy is a low, spreading, 6-12 in.
annual with delicate but showy, aster-like
flowers. Numerous lavender rays surround a
yellow center.
2%
Baby-Blue-Eyes | Nemophila menziesii
A small, trailing annual, 6 in. tall and 1 ft. wide,
Menzies baby-blue-eyes is well-known for its
bright-blue, five-petaled, bowl-shaped flowers
with white centers. These occur in clusters at
branch tips.
2%
Red Corn Poppy | Papavear rhoeas
Corn Poppy is an annual herbaceous species of
flowering plant in the poppy family native to
Europe and Asia. Red blooms last only a day
but are numerous in spring and again in fall.

5%
Wild Pink Snapdragon | Penstemon palmeri
A member of the Plantaginaceae (Plantain)
family, notable for its showy, rounded flowers.
This plant grows erect and may reach two
meters in maximum height but more often less.
The leaves are generally oppositely arranged
and have toothed margins. The flower cluster is
a panicle or raceme with small leaves.
3%
Prairie Conerflower | Ratibida columnaris
A plant branched and leafy in lower part with
long leafless stalks bearing flower heads of
3-7 yellow or yellow and red-brown, drooping
rays surrounding a long, red-brown central
disk. Its sombrero-shaped flower heads, is
usually 1 1/2 ft. tall but can reach 3 ft. Flower
petals range from dark red and yellow, to all
red or all yellow.
2%
Parry’s Penstemon | Penstemon parryi
Long spikes of pink, tubular flowers line the
upper portion of this perennial’s 2-3 ft. stems.
The flowers occur in clusters at the ends of
short, paired stalks. Several erect, sparsely
leaved stems with pinkish-lavender, bilaterally
symmetrical flowers in a long, open,
interrupted cluster.
8%
Desert Bluebells | Phacelia campanularia
An 8-16 in. annual with 1 in. wide, bell-shaped,
deep-blue flowers. The flowers, with protruding
golden anthers, are arranged in rolled, 1-sided
racemes; the raceme unrolling as the flowers
open. A stiff, erect, leafy, glandular-hairy plant
with dark blue, bell-like flowers in loose coils at
end of a branched open cluster. Leaves are
round to oval.

Tips to Stay Safe
Watch the weather
Check the weather before you head out. There is a
heat warning in effect April to October. Hike in the
early morning or evening when it's cooler.
Dress appropriately
Wear hiking or athletic shoes, a hat and sunscreen.
Loose fitting clothing may get stuck or caught on
desert vegetation.
Bring water
Hydrate before you leave. Bring plenty of water
with you. Turn around and head back before your
water is halfway gone.
Keep in contact
Carry a cell phone and tell someone where you are
going and when you expect to return.
Be a courteous and cautious pet owner
Dogs must be kept on a leash. Please clean up after
them. Be mindful of the heat.
Don’t trailblaze
Stay on the designated paths and trails. Respect
the desert plant life. Do not pick wildflowers.
Respect the wildlife
Never approach or feed wildlife. Observe quietly
from a distance.