Colorful little wildflowers are blooming vibrantly across California, with their purple and yellow hues creating a picturesque scene reminiscent of an oil painting.
From the foggy San Francisco Bay area to the Mexican border and across the deserts of Arizona, these colorful flowers have flourished after an unusually wet winter, creating a “super bloom” phenomenon.
A series of strong storms have brought record amounts of rain and snow across California, replenishing reservoirs, ending much of the state’s three-year drought, and providing optimal conditions for millions of seeds to germinate.
Botanists say that wildflowers are expected to bloom in May. Currently, some areas are just starting to showcase their colors.
“One of the unique aspects of this year is its widespread range,” said Naomi Fraga, conservation program director at the California Botanic Garden. “It’s quite spectacular.”
According to experts, the super bloom phenomenon typically occurs after a wet winter. Ecologists at the University of California have documented 10 super blooms in the Anza-Borrego Desert of Southern California over the past four decades. Nine out of the ten blooms followed winters with above-average rainfall.
In the deserts of Arizona, blue lupins and orange poppies surround towering saguaro cacti, while delicate orchids are scattered throughout the forests of Northern California.
North of Los Angeles, visitors from around the world have trekked to the California Poppy Reserve in Antelope Valley to enjoy the explosion of orange and yellow flowers, which have spread beyond the park’s boundaries.
On a recent afternoon, crowds lined the highway to take photos with the state flower of California. Numerous wildflowers blossomed in the desert of Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California. The previously barren landscape has come alive with splashes of color. The fragrant scent of the flowers can be smelled from car windows, and their vibrant hues are visible from satellites.
Satellite images of the Carrizo Plain National Monument, just west of Bakersfield, California, taken on April 6, show valleys surrounded by rugged mountains with a deep purple cover. In contrast, the area was mostly brown due to drought a year prior.
Actor Joe Spanos remarked, “Vast patches of blue dominate the view.”
He described the foothills of Figaro adorned with bright yellow goldfields, blue lupins, and white milkmaid flowers in full bloom.
Here are some images of the “super bloom” phenomenon in the United States:
Photo: AP
