WhereAZ.com

- The Mexican gold poppy (Eschscholzia californica ssp. mexicana) is a perennial plant that is native to Mexico, California, and southern Arizona - Can grow up to 24 inches tall and wide, and has large, deep orange to golden flowers with darker centers ... fine silver-green foliage and hollow stems ... before flowering, it looks like a thistle because of its prickly leaves - Drought tolerant, self-seeding, and prefers full sun and well-drained soil - Can be stubborn and may need a big cool-season rain to germinate -  In the Sonoran Desert, great shows of this poppy are dependent on an abundance of winter rains during November–February - Some years, the poppy fields around Picacho Peak State Park are simply spectacular ... another good area is by "A" Mountain in Tucson ... also, check out Saguaro National Park West and East, Catalina State Park, Oracle State Park, Patagonia State Park, Kitt Peak National Observatory, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, and Tubac Presidio Sta...