Flower diary for Thursday, Mar. 18
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Scattered flowers (poppies/bladderpods) along I-10 E of Tucson, with
some pretty good displays near the Yucca exit, W of Benson.

The first outstanding  poppy-bladderpod field I saw is on the S side of
I-10, at  the W exit to US 191 N -- easily accessible by driving the
ranch road (HCV req'd). Very colorful and a fine lunch break yesterday.

Color continues pretty much continuously along both sides of 191 all the
way to Safford. Here are some highlights:  Nice flower-fields near MP
101, and near MP 104 -- W side of hiway, in foothills S of AZ-266. MP
106.5: big, colorful fields on the slope W of 191 -- looks like a
there's a road to the best, but didn't have time to check it.

Flowers pick up again E of Safford on US-191 towards Clifton. Best
poppy-fields start near MP 144.5 on 191:  there's a nice, rocky
ampitheatre with a fine hillside poppy display N of hiway, with a ranch
road (4WD) almost to the flower fields. But wait:  MP 147 to MP 157
(US-191 and AZ -78) has stunning roadside displays: square miles of
poppies, +/- lupines, blue gilia, a white daisy I didn't recognize,
filaree, bluedicks etc etc. Many of these fields have ranch-roads
through them, but I didn't have time to drive them (sigh). This would be
the place for photographers, and flower-lovers -- the best poppy-fields
I've seen this spring. Note that these flower-fields aren't as dense or
continuous as those in the bonanza years, but they are spectacular all
the same, especially for a year that no one was expecting too much from.
Lots of photo and flower-viewing opportunities here.

From MP-157 (AZ-78) (big powerlines, ranchette subdivision), I could see
more poppy-fields all the way N to Morenci. So: eastern Graham and
Greenlee counties may be THE poppy-places in Arizona this spring.

Cheers -- Pete Tillman, the Poppy Prospector