Super Bloom

     A rare and beautiful "super bloom" of wildflowers is taking over Death Valley.

     "I never imagined that so much life could exist here in such staggering abundance and intense beauty."

Death Valley is defying its name.

The California and Nevada desert, which is the driest in North America and one of the hottest in the world, is experiencing a bloom of wildflowers after an exceptionally wet October. Typically, the area gets two inches of rainfall per year; in October, the National Weather Service estimated that flash floods may have generated up to three inches of rainfall in five hours, likely a result of the El Niño weather pattern in California.

The result is that for the past two months, the suddenly fertile desert is fostering an explosion of wildflowers, unofficially coined a “super bloom.” These super blooms happen about once every 10 years; the last ones in 2005 and 1998 were also due to an El Niño weather pattern, according to the National Park Service. “I never imagined that so much life could exist here in such staggering abundance and intense beauty,” Alan Van Valkenburg, a park ranger who has lived in Death Valley for 25 years, said.

“When we have a big flower year like this all these flowers are setting seeds,” Linda Slater, a spokesperson for Death Valley National Park, told Quartz. Though visitors may not be able to see the seeds, “they’re there for years and decades,” on or near the surface, Slater says, waiting for the right dose of rainfall—about once a month for every winter month.

Currently, 20 species of wildflowers are in bloom, the majority ephemerals, which have short, deliberate lives. They blossom quickly, and generate seeds before the dry heat stifles them once more. The Desert Gold is responsible for the “carpets” of solid color right now, but Slater says that in other years she has seen spectacular white Dune Evening Primrose blanket the landscape.

“It just makes you feel so good, every day, to go out and see these wonderful [views],” Slater says. Some of the flowers are already fading at lower elevations, she says, but others in different areas are just starting to bloom, and will likely be available for visitors in the next few months. Death Valley National Park is posting updates of the bloom.--written by Katherine Ellen Foley.
    "You don't have anything to do," Amy says, "why don't you run down and see them?"
    She spent a week in Death Valley several years ago and found it very intriguing. It's one of her favorite places to go. We keep thinking we'll take the trailer and go sometime but we never do.
    At Albion Basin, our hour's drive from here. we can enjoy 120 varieties of wildflowers, famous the world over.
    And why does Amy think if we don't go to work in the car everyday we're not doing anything? We're quite busy. . .in our own slow way. 

Golden Desert

 Sand Verbena mixed

 with Desert Golden flowers

Rock Daisys and Golden Evening Primerose

Gravel Ghost Flowers

Desert Five Spot or Lantern Flower

Brown Evening Primerose

Purple Mat Flower

This is my contribution to the wildflowers of the world.

DeRay, Jeanette and Juanita driving

in from visiting Lynn at the herd.

1957