Archive All Issues March 2026

SPRING TO LIFE

From brittlebush blooms in the Phoenix area to sand verbenas along the Colorado River, Arizona's desert areas are bursting with color in springtime. As usual for our March issue, we offer a look at wildflowers from around the state.

Featured in the March 2026 Issue of Arizona Highways

BY: Lisa Altomare and Jeff Kida (Portfolio Editors)

A healthy brittlebush plant anchors a sunset view of a natural arch at Southern Arizona’s Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Located along the U.S.–Mexico border, the monument covers more than 500 square miles and is home to more than 650 plant species.
Jonathan Buford
FUJIFILM GFX 50R, 1/10 SEC, F/22, ISO 320, 23 MM LENS

Brittlebush flowers reach skyward from a sea of their brethren at San Tan Mountain Regional Park, southeast of Phoenix. In addition to spring blooms, this 10,000-acre Maricopa County park offers numerous hiking trails and glimpses of ancient petroglyphs.
Colleen Miniuk
OLYMPUS E-M1 MARK II, 1/2500 SEC, F/5, ISO 200, 300 MM LENS

The Superstition Mountains, east of the Phoenix area, form the backdrop for a field of brittlebushes, saguaro cactuses and other desert flora. Lost Dutchman State Park, just off State Route 88, provides easy access to these mountains and their wildflower-filled foothills.
Paul Gill
CANON EOS 5D MARK II, 0.3 SEC, F/11, ISO 100, 16 MM LENS

Steep hillsides near Theodore Roosevelt Lake cradle countless blooming brittlebush, owl’s clover and globemallow plants. “This was a spectacular bloom that went on for miles and miles,” the photographer recalls.
Claire Curran
FUJIFILM GFX100S, 1/50 SEC, F/16, ISO 250, 93.8 MM LENS

A vibrant globemallow contrasts with a charred tree trunk in the Sycamore Canyon area, near Williams. The tree was one of many that burned in the 2021 Rafael Fire, which started near Perkinsville and ultimately scorched more than 78,000 acres.
Laura Zirino
CANON EOS R5, 1/13 SEC, F/18, ISO 800, 200 MM LENS

In afternoon light, a large stand of saguaro cactuses surrounds a field of scorpionweeds and other wildflowers at Sonoran Desert National Monument. Located between Gila Bend and Casa Grande, this monument covers nearly half a million acres and includes three wilderness areas.
Jack Dykinga
FUJIFILM GFX100S, 1/5 SEC, F/22, ISO 400, 30 MM LENS

Mexican goldpoppies and lupines decorate a meadow dotted with teddy bear chollas in the Black Mountains of Western Arizona. This location is near the old mining town of Oatman, now a tourist destination known for its free-roaming burros.
Claire Curran
FUJIFILM GFX100S, 1/60 SEC, F/22, ISO 250, 24 MM LENS