LAS CRUCES – Las Crucens may have noticed there weren’t many orange and yellow poppies that bloomed near the Organ Mountains this spring, but what happened to them?
The poppies we see in Doña Ana County are called Mexican Golden Poppies, an annual native species, according to John Freyermuth with the Native Plant Society of New Mexico. He explained that the species of poppy is a subspecies of the California Poppy and is seen throughout southern New Mexico, west Texas, northern Chihuahua and southern Arizona.
While people may have seen some blooming poppy plants this year, they were few and far between compared to recent years.
In basic terms, Freyermuth said there was not enough precipitation in the spring and winter of 2021 and at the right intervals for the seeds to germinate. Instead, the seeds will remain in the ground until favorable conditions allow them to grow into blooming plants.
“It is an annual, which means that the plant grows for one season, or annually. After it flowers, its seeds become scattered, and the parent plant will die,” Freyermuth said in an email. “The tiny seeds will remain in the soil bank for years. When the right conditions are met, then they will germinate. Some years are particularly conducive to higher rates of germination.”
Las Crucens saw an abundance of poppies in early 2020, luring large numbers of people to take photos along Baylor Canyon Road and nearby areas. Many voiced concerns at the time that the increased foot traffic would keep the flowers from growing back. Freyermuth said that, while he did not think people could “trample out the flowers,” large groups could damage the plants enough to where they would not produce seeds.
The brightly colored plants usually spring up throughout the desert in the early part of the year, declining in March and April. Freyermuth said the blooms are never seen in the area during the summer or fall. The plant prefers frequent precipitation and has even been seen blooming in the snow.
He explained that years of good blooms occur sporadically, and some say only happen about once every 10 years. However, Freyermuth said this is not always the case.
“It’s always hard to predict the weather, especially in desert areas. The natural world that exists here, including the poppies, have adapted to these conditions. For these species, it is not a harsh environment. It is their home,” he said.
Leah Romero is the trending reporter at the Las Cruces Sun-News and can be reached at 575-418-3442, [email protected] or @rromero_leah on Twitter.
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