If Alamogordo was Munchkin land, Dorothy and her band of misfits would travel the White Sands and cross the Organ Mountains to get to the Las Cruces Land of Oz. However, instead of encountering bright red poppies…they would come upon a golden spattering of orange and yellow Mexican golden poppies.
The green and brown desert landscape has been dusted once again by the glowing fields of poppies. The Mexican golden poppies, a subspecies of the California poppy, are an annual native species that can be seen in early spring throughout southern New Mexico, west Texas, and southern Arizona. Their presence is determined by precipitation in the spring and winter of the previous year at the right intervals for the seeds to germinate. If conditions aren’t ideal, the seeds will remain in the ground until more favorable conditions present themselves for germination. Although they are an annual species, some years are more conducive to higher rates of germination, which is why we see very heavy blooms every few years and much lighter blooms more often. The weather is hard to predict here in the desert. The years of these golden blooms can happen sporadically at the base of the Organs. Some say every ten years, but we have had large blooms as recent as 2020 and a slightly smaller crop rang in with the spring of 2022. This year’s bloom is smaller than previous years, but nonetheless a lovely and unique sighting in the hard, brown desert.
Although the Mexican golden poppy is considered less toxic than other poppy species, it can be dangerous if ingested. While belonging to the same family as the opium poppy, the Mexican golden poppy does not contain opium and is not used for recreational purposes. However, the plant does contain toxic compounds, especially the seeds, so the entire plant should be handled with care, particularly around children.
As the golden blanket of flora attracts many locals for rare photo opportunities, some worry that the increased foot traffic will kill the flowers and prevent them from returning. With the sheer number of poppies in bloom, that probably won’t be an issue, but stepping on live plants can certainly damage the seeds that would normally fall into the ground to await the next prime opportunity for germination.
These flowers will likely fade away in late March and early April. Enjoy this very special Golden Hour, for as Robert Frost reminds us, “Nothing Gold Can Stay.”
To experience this golden dusting of the landscape, the poppies can be found off Baylor Canyon Road between Dripping Springs and Highway 70, or from Aguirre Springs Road.
