One of the many delights of being outdoors is the blooming of wildflowers, which carpet the landscape with an artist’s palette of colors.

Some wildflowers are annuals, which simply means that they complete the life cycle (germinate, grow, bloom and set seed) in one year. Others are perennials, which live for two or more years. This term is sometimes restricted to plants that are not woody, such as trees and shrubs. Many annuals are quite sensitive to precipitation, blooming in large numbers in wet years but nearly absent in dry years. 

One desert wildflower that can bloom at any time of year if rainfall is sufficient is the Desert Marigold (Baileya multiradiata). The beautiful yellow blossoms are actually a composite of two flower types – disc flowers in the center and ray flowers along the outer edge. To the casual observer, the disc flowers may look like the reproductive parts of a typical flower, with the ray flowers like petals on other flowers. 

The flower structure of these plants led them to be known as composites, a name still applied by many to this group of plants. Desert Marigold belongs to the Asteraceae, which also includes such familiar plants as sunflowers, daisies, chrysanthemums, zinnias, and many others. Asteraceae is one of the largest plant families, with about 25,000 species worldwide. 

Desert Marigold is an annual or short-lived perennial that can be common in areas with disturbed soils, such as roadsides and bajadas. These plants can reach a foot or more in height and 2 feet wide. The flowers are 1.5 inches in diameter and are well above the leaves. 

Desert Marigold is one of the more common wildflowers in the Sonoran Desert. Its range extends from southern Nevada, Utah, and Arizona, east to Texas, south into Mexico. An interesting fact about Desert Marigold is that it is toxic to some ungulates, like sheep and goats, but not others (like cattle and horses). 

Historic Canoa Ranch is a great place to see these beautiful flowers! 

Last Month’s Trivia Question: Apart from the Greater Roadrunner, what other cuckoo species has been recorded at Historic Canoa Ranch? 

Answer: The Greater Roadrunner is the default member of the cuckoo family in most of southern Arizona. However, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, a bird found mostly in riparian areas in the Southwest, has also been recorded at Historic Canoa Ranch. 

This Month’s Trivia Question: What is the most common flower color of composites?

Mescal, or mezcal, is a type of alcohol made from agave. Like other distilled alcohols, mescal is made using an apparatus known as a still, which boils liquid and collects the vapor. During the Great Depression, young George Proctor and his family would sell mescal to local people, made from their copper mescal still at Sopori Ranch.

Today, this copper still and related materials are on display at Historic Canoa Ranch, serving as another fascinating artifact from the past. It's also a good reminder that not all of the ranch's items are necessarily from Canoa; some of them have been collected from other ranches, reflecting the long and diverse history of ranching in southern Arizona. 

Not long after celebrating its first anniversary, Pima County’s newest department is getting ready for another watershed moment: the creation of its own advisory board.

The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 Aug. 5, 2025, to approve the establishment of an official advisory board for Pima County Conservation Lands & Resources, which manages Historic Canoa Ranch as well as hundreds of thousands of acres of other beautiful properties in the County. The department’s goal is to appoint members during September and hold the first meeting in October. 

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Due to recent monsoon activity, higher humidity, and improved fire conditions, Pima County officially lifted Stage II fire restrictions in unincorporated areas of the County earlier this month. However, wildfires can still be a threat. Be prepared for any future emergencies in your area by signing up for MyAlerts, the County's emergency notification system! 

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