Credit: Anza Borrego Desert Natural History Association
The rainy days Los Angeles has endured this year has given birth to one of the most colorful spring season the Southern California desert has ever seen.
The desert has been drenched with over six inches of rain since December, twice the amount of rainfall from 2016, according to an article by KPBS.
Super Bloom: From Dry Desert To Perennial Paradise
Far from parched, barren lands with nothing but cacti and tumbleweeds, SoCal’s desert is currently a perennial paradise blessed with a dozen different species of rare and vibrant wildflower plants. Dubbed as “the super bloom,” experts say it takes precise weather conditions for this to happen.
“The classic field of color plant out there is the dune verbena. It can cover whole fields with purple, and when you stand out there you can smell its sort of sweet delicate scent,” Clayton Tschudy, director of horticulture at the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College, said.
Aside from the dune verbena, other popular desert blooms include the yellow desert sunflowers, woolly Indian paintbrush, and the Parish poppy. Tschudy, who leads desert wildflower tours on weekends, says the desert lily is his personal favorite.
"It's something you'd never expect to see in a desert. It’s a bulb, but sometimes the bulb can be 3 or 4 feet down in the sand, and when the conditions are right it will shoot up, and then put on this incredible lily bloom,” he described.
Super Bloom: Where To See SoCal’s Wildflowers
Locals and tourists alike are grabbing the opportunity to take snaps of the picturesque Southern California deserts.
Here’s a list of some of the best spots where you can go to get the views California’s desert paradise from Time Out LA:
- Death Valley National Park
- Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve
- Anza-Borrego Desert
- Palos Verdes Peninsula
- Point Mugu State Park
- Malibu Creek State Park
- Idyllwild Nature Center
On the social networking site Instagram, there are over 51,215 posts under the hashtag #superbloom alone. The photos are so gorgeous, you’re going to get serious feed envy!
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