Flowers in Guadalupe Mountains National Park

(Above: The moon over El Capitan in Guadalupe Mountains National Park.)

Even before I arrived at Guadalupe Mountains National Park, I was told how very, very "green" the park was this year.  More rain than normal fell during "monsoon season".    Plants were growing. Flowers blooming. The desert was alive with blossoms.

The average annual rainfall in Guadalupe Mountains National Park is only 17.4 inches but no month receives more than in August.  Just over three inches of rain is expected in August, and apparently most of it fell right before I arrived.  Lucky me!  There were afternoon thunder storms my first week too.  They brought a little more rain.  It was only natural for me to be awed by all the colorful flowers.

Now, I'm no botanist.  I can't begin to tell you the names of any of these plants but I hope you enjoy the images as much as I enjoyed taking these pictures.  Most of these plants grow all over the park, on every trail I hiked.  These photos came from along the following trails:  Frijole, Foothills, Bear Canyon, Guadalupe Peak, Bowl, Smith Spring, Salt Basin Overlook, El Capitan, Devils Hall, and Tejas.  Yes!  I hiked them all ... some more than once!