Owl-clover is one of the short-stemmed desert spring annuals which, in
favorable seasons, carpet the desert floor with a beautiful, colorful
mass display. Sometimes growing in pure stands, at others mixed with
goldpoppies, lupines, or other spring flowers, it is found throughout
southern Arizona, southern California, and Baja California, at
elevations between 1,500 and 4,500 feet, blossoming from March to May.
Cattle and sheep graze it extensively. The Spanish name _escobita_ means
“little broom.” Individual flowers are not conspicuous, but their
clusters intermixed with the colorful bracts produce a pretty, feathery
effect.
_Orthocarpus purpurascens_ Figwort Family
[Illustration: OWL-CLOVER]