Recovery of a desert stream after an intense flash flooding event is described as a model of temporal succession in lotic ecosystems. A late summer flood in Sycamore Creek, Arizona, virtually eliminated algae and reduced invertebrate standing crop by 98%. Physical and morphometric conditions typical of the preflood period were restored in 2 d and the biota recovered in 2-3 wk. Algal communities responded rapidly and achieved a standing crop of nearly 100 g/m2 in 2 wk. Community composition was dominated by diatoms early in succession and by filamentous greens and blue-greens later. Macroinvertebrates also recolonized denuded substrates rapidly, largely by immigration of aerial adults and subsequent oviposition. Keywords: aquatic insects, desert stream, flooding, nutrient dynamics, primary production, stream, succession.