Colorado’s Front Range may be dry, but some other Western spots got a good soaking this winter — and thatap leading to a lot of wildflower blooms. Will there be a superbloom this year? That depends on who you ask — and elevation and timing.
“There is no official definition of a superbloom,” said Abby Wines, a park ranger at Death Valley National Park, which straddles California and Nevada. “We use that term to describe conditions when there are so many flowers that they appear as swaths of color on the landscape, rather than as isolated flowers.”
She added, “The effect is particularly striking at low elevations in Death Valley National Park, when it happens on a landscape that is generally sand, gravel, and rocks.”
Wines said that as of late February, the park hadn’t hit peak bloom yet, but “it looks quite possible that the next few weeks will reach superbloom levels. Already the flowers are quite spectacular in some elevations and southern areas of the park.”
At Death Valley National Park, the most expansion bloom areas were along South Badwater Road leading up to Badwater Basin, where Lake Manly was shimmering, and several miles beyond.
During a drive, there were mostly Desert Gold with bright yellow petals and orange-ish yellow puffy centers, alongside occasional veritable carpets of deep purple Caltha-leaf Phacelia. In one spot, there were a few pale lavender Desert Five Spot flowers.
Blooms don’t last long, however: Lower elevations will start to lose the flowers toward the end of March; at higher elevations of the park they should be plentiful from April through June, according to the National Park Service.
At the Furnace Creek Visitor Center, a handy posterboard display tells visitors where to see wildflowers and what flowers they might see. During a stop at Badwater Basin, stop and ask park rangers for more advice on where to see wildflowers.
Itap incredibly special to see the desert landscape bright with green, yellow, and purple hues against the mostly brown, red, and tan colors. The pleasant scent of the wildflowers is surprising, particularly what looked like a pale purple sand verbena near Ashford Mill Ruins.
Beyond Death Valley National Park
In other parts of California, winter storms are giving locals hope to see, if not a superbloom, a “really good bloom” in hotspots.
“Regionally, it looks like itap going to be a very good year,” said Dan McCamish, senior environmental scientist at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, which spreads into three counties and is about a two-hour drive from San Diego. “I would say that superbloom is not a scientifically coined term.” Instead, he attributes this concept to colorful blooms that could be seen in satellite images back in 2016-17 and 2018-19, and the popularity of Instagram. “We jokingly say every bloom is super.”
The difference this year, McCamish said in a phone interview, is that the rainstorms aren’t as widespread across the region. “If the temperatures get too high, the flowers will dry up pretty quickly,” he said, adding that the ideal is to have temperatures stay cool — under 70 degrees Fahrenheit — with cloud cover, for the wildflower blooms to last through spring.
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is 600,000 acres with elevations ranging from about sea level to over 6,000 feet above sea level. The types of flowers that might bloom vary across this vast park. In February, McCamish said, there were already winter wildflower blooms. “Some of our big showy wildflowers like the sand verbena that is a sprawling hot pink carpet, mixed in with our dune primroses, a bright white flower with a creamy yellow center, will grow in concert.”
Other flower species might bloom later in the spring, like the scarlet red flowers on the ocotillo, that McCamish describes as looking like “an upside-down octopus.”
In Murrieta, Calif., the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve is a 7,500-acre spot ideal to see wildflowers later in March and even April, as more storms closed the reserve in February. There you might see an example of California’s “vernal pools,” which can be filled with wildflowers this time of year. Visitors might see tall purple lupine, bright orange California poppies, delicate purple and pink shooting stars, and more native plants in bloom.
These are just a couple of the places in California where nature lovers can seek out a glimpse of the spring blooms. No matter where you go, however, itap important to respectful of the environment so that others can see these flowers, too, and the fragile plants can survive for another season.
In Arizona, itap not clear yet if there will be a superbloom this spring where fall rains seemed to help, but then warm temperatures and winter dry conditions make for a mixed forecast. For the curious and hopeful, look for the orange of poppies at Picacho Peak State Park and the spikey penstemon at Catalina State Park.
‘Don’t doom the bloom!’
McCamish said that the saying at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is, “Don’t doom the bloom!” and this means, tread lightly in these natural areas. “Every park or landscape area will have their own rules,” he said.
For starters, he suggested that people first go to the Facebook page or call the wildflower hotline at 760-767-4684, and make a plan for their visi. Let someone know where you’re going and when you expect to return, as well, since there might not be any cellphone service. Bring water, printed-out maps, and other provisions for emergencies.
Also, keep your dog leashed and on trails with you. This is another animal’s home, he said: “Think rattlesnakes!”
It should go without saying not to pick any flowers. “We need our flowers to complete their full life cycles and disperse seed to make more flowers,” McCamish said. “These are very susceptible to trampling so be mindful.”
At Death Valley National Park, visitors need to resist the urge to drive beyond the narrow shoulder of the road when they pull off to snap photos of wildflowers. Also, drones are prohibited here, and so is picking the flowers.
“Drive around the park, parking and taking short strolls at different places,” said Wines. “You’ll see a greater variety of flowers that way.”
Where to stay if you go
The has a mix of lodging options from a historic inn to camping and casitas. Itap about a two to three-hour drive from Las Vegas, Nev.. Dzٻٳ.dz
About 30 minutes away is , which primarily has hotel rooms and RV spots next door. This place books up fast. stovepipedeathvalley.com
Fly into Palm Springs, then drive about an hour to reach one entry point for Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The town of Borrego Springs is at the center, where visitors can stay at the (adults only), the , or , surrounded by the state park.
The in Murietta is about an hour’s drive from San Diego. murrieta-hotsprings.com
