What a gorgeous Arizona day!

This morning was a perfect time to get the pooch and hit the hiking trails around metro Phoenix.  It’s unclear what kind of wildflower season this is going to be (rainy November and December but not so much in January) but already you see sprigs of lupine, brittlebush and desert marigolds popping up.

And as much as you want to, be careful not to go off trail to get the perfect of photo of the dog with the wildflowers – gotta leave the scenery beautiful for everyone else! Another good reason to keep your dog on the leash: where there’s wildflowers, there can be cactus.

A tip from the Arizona State Parks department:  if you are craving seeing golden Mexican poppies,  get out between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on a sunny day –but make sure to bring plenty of water for you and the dog.

Here are some very helpful up-to-date links to show you where to see the best wildflowers in Arizona:

• Wildflower report at Boyce Thompson (a dog-friendly place) : http://ag.arizona.edu/bta/events/wildflowers.html
• Beautiful book and blog: http://wildinarizona.com/wordpress/
• http://azstateparks.com/rangercam/index.html
• http://www.desertusa.com/wildflo/az.html