Saturday, February 22 – Field trip to eastern Franklin Mountains for early wildflowers and cactus flowers, 8:30 AM

Join us for a trip to the base of the Franklin Mountains in El Paso, Texas as we look for early spring flowers! The Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail is an easy 0.6 mile loop that begins at the El Paso Museum of Archeology. We’ll have an opportunity to explore the museum’s garden before beginning the trail. The trail will take us through the high desert foothills of the Franklin Mountains where we’ll look for native cacti and hopefully catch a glimpse of some of the earliest spring wildflowers.With any luck, we’ll see the gorgeous woven-spine pineapple cactus (Echinomastus intertextus) in bloom, as well as a number of flowering annuals like the california poppy!

Anyone who would like to carpool can meet at 8:30 am at one of two locations: the Fairacres post office for those close to Picacho Hills and western Las Cruces; or the Pan American Center parking lot for anyone coming from further east or north in the Las Cruces area. The Fairacres Post office is located at 3800 W Picacho Ave, Fairacres, NM 88033. The meeting location for the Pan American Center will be to the east of the arena off Arrowhead Drive, just south of S. Triviz Road (called “Arrowhead Dr Parking” in Google maps).

We plan on arriving at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, located at 4301 Woodrow Bean Transmountain Dr, El Paso, TX 79924, around 9:30 am. Please dress for the weather, wear comfortable walking shoes, and bring water, snacks, and sun protection. We plan on leaving El Paso by 12:30 pm to arrive back in Las Cruces by around 1:30 pm.

2025-02-22 08:30 2025-02-22 13:30 America/Denver Saturday, February 22 – Field trip to eastern Franklin Mountains for early wildflowers and cactus flowers, 8:30 AM

Join us for a trip to the base of the Franklin Mountains in El Paso, Texas as we look for early spring flowers! The Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail is an easy 0.6 mile loop that begins at the El Paso Museum of Archeology. We’ll have an opportunity to explore the museum’s garden before beginning the […]

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