The super bloom of wild flowers, as a result of extremely heavy winter rainfall, has resulted in the hillside being completely covered in bright orange poppies over the last two weeks
The state was battered this winter by at least a dozen atmospheric rivers - long plumes of moisture from the Pacific Ocean - as well as powerful storms fueled by arctic air that produced blizzard conditions in mountainous areas.
The wintry weather flooded homes, triggered power outages and brought much-needed rain to drought-parched agriculture, though in some cases, more water than the crops could withstand.
But now, California's normally arid desert sands have become awash with color thanks to a rare 'super bloom' of poppies caused by the massive amounts of rainfall.
Rain-fed wildflowers that lay dormant for years have suddenly sprouted - creating a spectacular display that has drawn record crowds and led to traffic jams on rural roads.
A 'super bloom' is a term for when a mass amount of desert plants bloom at one time.
In California, that happens about once in a decade in a given area and it hadn't happened for some time given the state's recent drought.
'The superbloom is really a cultural phenomenon, where people decide that there are enough flowers here, right now, that we'll call it a superbloom,' Daniel Winkler, a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, told the Los Angeles Times.
Wildflowers bloom near Diamond Valley Lake in Hemet, California
But some focal points for flower tourism, including Lake Elsinore with its golden poppies, are telling visitors to stay away this year after they were harmed by crowds in 2019 that trampled over the flowers.
In February, Lake Elsinore Mayor Natasha Johnson told a press conference where she recounted the chaos of 2019.
'The flowers were beautiful; the scene was a nightmare,' Johnson said.
The poppies are blooming but the canyon where they grow and parking areas are now completely off-limits.
Poppies are found throughout California in spring and summer, but usually not as extensively as the blankets of gold that in 2019 covered slopes near Lake Elsinore, a city of 71,000 in Riverside County about 60 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
A super bloom occurs when warm temperatures follow stretches of winter rain and the explosion of flowers exceeds average spring-time blooms
'Back in 2019 numerous safety incidents occurred on the trail and on our roadways,' Johnson said. 'Tens of thousands of people, as many as 100,000 in a weekend — Disneyland-sized crowds — seeking to experience nature trampled the very habitat that they placed so high in regard and sought to enjoy.'
People illegally parked their cars along the freeway and neighborhoods were so gridlocked that parts of the city were essentially severed, affecting emergency services and the ability of residents to go to stores and work, Johnson said.
People waited for hours in queues to see the canyon and many were unprepared for the hike, resulting in injuries.
California Highway Patrol Lt. Craig Palmer said the agency has already begun saturation patrols of the area, and that freeway shoulders are only for use in emergency situations.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco warned that there will be zero tolerance for parking violations and the result could be a citation, a vehicle being towed or worse.
'It is a misdemeanor infraction, and you're subject to arrest and booking into jail,' Bianco said.
The mayor said Lake Elsinore usually welcomes visitors but the 2019 phenomenon came at a cost that was too high for residents.
Thousands of others have left their vehicles to traipse across the desert and analyze the array of delicate yellow, orange, purple and magenta blooms up close.
'It's really hard as a naturalist to enjoy the places that are overrun with tourists and Instagram models and people that are not used to being out in these places,' Joan Dudney, assistant professor at the department of environmental studies at UC Santa Barbara said.
She noted how visitors are too often 'out there for the spectacle' and 'haven't yet developed a connection with these natural spaces.'
Beekeepers are particularly hopeful that the superbloom could provide ample forage for bees and potentially translate into a good year for honey.
Among the blooms are desert sunflowers, lilies and dandelions, poppies, sand verbena, lupine, dune evening primrose, Canterbury bells, monkeyflower, Phacelia and Cryptanth.
Wildflowers bloom along Henderson Canyon Road in Borrego Springs, California
Reader Comments
But that's silly.
The first clear record of anarchist thought can be traced back to the Taoists in the sixth century B.C. The Tao Te Ching is considered one of the greatest anarchist classics.
Hello Maxx, I'm fully in agreement with you. The Tao has been my daily pocketbook for 2 decades. My book.
I was just surprised at your first sentence.
I would say its purpose is to confuse people because confused people are easier to control. Plus it promotes an atmosphere of 'hate those who are different.'
But I will say again, anarchism says that mankind is inherently good and that for most of history human beings have organized themselves in society without government and man-made law in a peaceful and productive way.
So for me it's a matter of 'knowing your enemy.'
The trouble is not 'at the top' nor 'out there', the peeps have lusted after laziness since the 80s and have pinched their eyes shut.
Ethan didnt speak against humanity, nor would I ever. Peeps on the other 👋 and, ... you were harsh in your post, which isnt who you are. 🤗
Peeps are being shown a new way of living, willing or not -- the time is already UP.💪
As I said, it's silly (which doesn't seem like a harsh word to me) but "Without humans, the world looks...pretty," sounds like something an eugenicist would say and I strongly disagree.
People equate humanity.
Harsh
And I've always felt eugenicists should lead by example.
Thanks for the chat.
Maybe you're an American. They do consider themselves exceptional. Not sure why....
Here's a quote from the late, great George Carlin that you might want to meditate on.... Good luck to you as well.