Wildflower super bloom returns to California after rainy winter
A super bloom of flowers has returned to California after a wet winter.
Super blooms happen in wet years that occur after several years of drought. In many parts of the state, more rain fell in the first few months of 2023 than in the entirety of 2022, KFMB reported. Super blooms are highly likely in many areas of California this year, UC Davis Plant Sciences Professor Daniel Potter said. The rain triggers the germination of wildflower seeds, leading to super bloom.California State Parks Director Armando Quintero asked visitors not to “doom the bloom” in an advisory on how to safely and responsibly see the flowers. People visiting parks should stay on trails. They also shouldn’t pick any of the flowers.
Nature and photography lovers shouldn’t rush to visit without checking the rules; officials have put new ones into place after droves of tourists came out in 2019 to view the poppy super blooms, in some areas trampling the flowers. Many towns have cautioned visitors this year in the name of both safety and conservation. Lake Elsinore Mayor Natasha Johnson warned visitors they could face arrest this year if they come to see the flowers in nearby Walker Canyon in Riverside County.
California State Parks Director Armando Quintero asked visitors not to “doom the bloom” in an advisory on how to safely and responsibly see the flowers. People visiting parks should stay on trails. They also shouldn’t pick any of the flowers.
Super blooms happen in wet years that occur after several years of drought. In many parts of the state, more rain fell in the first few months of 2023 than in the entirety of 2022, KFMB reported. Super blooms are highly likely in many areas of California this year, UC Davis Plant Sciences Professor Daniel Potter said. The rain triggers the germination of wildflower seeds, leading to super bloom.
The canyon and parking areas are now completely off-limits. California Highway Patrol Lt. Craig Palmer said the agency is doing saturation patrols.
“Back in 2019, numerous safety incidents occurred on the trail and on our roadways,” Johnson said during a February press conference. “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.”
