Arizona- Sublime in Spring

Get Outside!

Spring in Arizona, which runs from March to May, has two of the three most pleasant months during the year back-to-back, and wildflowers and blooms abound. Arizona is unique in that its spring flowering season runs from mid-February to Mid-June, but peaks from about mid-March to late-April, depending on the amount of precipitation received during that time. March and April provide ideal temperatures to experience the outdoors, bringing the desert to life and titillating the senses with an artist's palette of vibrant colors. Everything starts coming back to life after lying dormant throughout the winter, and you just can't help but get out there and be a part of it. Trust me... All I hear from my kids is, "let's go to the park, it's so nice outside!", and my husband and I can't help but give in to the constant request. They also want to get in the pool, but I make them wait for that until about May.

The "Palo Verde" trees (meaning "green stick" in Spanish, and the official state tree), explode with their small but vibrant yellow blooms and can be found in abundance lining many of the streets throughout Arizona. This is one of my favorite times of year in Arizona rivaled only by the Cherry Blossoms around the Tidal Basin in D.C. You will want throw the windows and doors of your house open to let the outside in, or be outside as much as possible to soak up the perfect weather and the beautiful blooms. Taking a hike is the best way to see and photograph the cacti in bloom. Be sure to check out the Saguaros, which can only be found in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and Sonora Mexico, when they are debuting their white star flowers. These blooms are described as having a slightly pungent but sweet melon-like scent. For a few months the stars align and everything is perfect and we all get out to soak it up and store it up so we can get through what we knows is getting closer everyday... THE SUMMER!

Saguaro cacti found throughout Arizona

Perfect Temperatures

Regardless of where you go or what you do, spring in Arizona is absolutely beautiful, and meant to be experienced 'en plein air'. Most places will have outdoor seating and events allowing customers to enjoy the splendid weather and soak up some rays before it gets too hot. Even the Phoenix area, which happens to be in a valley nestled between several mountain ranges and commonly referred to as 'The Valley', has moderate temperatures peaking in the low 70s later in the season. One tip- Due to the possible temperature shifts dress in light layers. I seem to have a comfortable temperature range of about 5 degrees so find myself adding layers or taking them off repeatedly throughout the day. In the morning you can wake to temperatures in the low 40s, and see increases by up to 30 degrees, reaching the low 70s during the warmest part of the day. Also remember this is the desert, so evenings and nights tend to cool down substantially, so keep a light weight sweater handy... Just in case.