Adequate winter rains can rouse it to life after years of dormancy. Many of them can complete an entire life cycle in a matter of months, some in just weeks. Contrary to the usual idea that deserts are uniformly hot, dry and homogeneous in their lack of plant life, they are actually biologically diverse and comprise a multitude of micro-climates changing from year to year. Each season's unique precipitation pattern falls on a huge variety of mini-environments. And each year in each of these tiny eco-niches, a different medley of plants bloom as different species thrive.
Ephemerals are the sprinters of the plant world, sending flower stalks jetting out in a few days.
The peak of this bloom may last for just days or many weeks, depending on the weather and difference in elevation. The higher one goes, the later blooms come. Different varieties of plants will be in bloom from day to day, and even hour to hour, since some open early and others later in the day. Ephemerals such as the Desert Sand Verbena , Desert Paintbrush and Mojave Aster usually germinate in the spring following winter rains. They grow quickly, flower and produce seeds before dying and scattering their progeny to the desert floor.