Springtime in the Desert Poppies are in bloom on the desert floor for the first time in this area of the national park in about ten years. The Tucson Mountains are in the background and cholla and prickly pear cacti surround the area along with creosote bushes and mesquite trees. I regularly have to drive through this area to get into the city to shop, etc, and in spring I am always looking down as the highway is climbing over a mountain pass to see if there are spring blooms.