California’s Super Bloom: Springing into the Season

The+2017+Super+Bloom+in+California+has+returned+in+places+like++Antelope+Valley+and+Walker+Canyon%2C+attracting+thousands+of+tourists.

Cdallen915 via Wikipedia

The 2017 Super Bloom in California has returned in places like Antelope Valley and Walker Canyon, attracting thousands of tourists.

Following the destructive fires in parts of Southern California, a phenomenon dubbed the “super bloom” occurred, leaving colorful fields of California’s state flower the golden poppy, and numerous other native and non-native flowers.

This bloom typically happens once every 10 years, but due to the heavy winter rains, a similar occurrence took place in 2016. Beginning around mid-February, flowers bloomed across the mountain sides across Lake Elsinore, Antelope Valley, Death Valley National Park, Channel Islands National Park, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Pinnacles National Park, and is advancing towards Northern California.

Orange, yellow, purple, and white flowers started blooming in February and are expected to be present until summer in some areas. These golden fields of flowers are so vibrant, they can be seen from space shuttles.

City officials estimated that over 150,000 thousand tourists have traveled to the fields in Lake Elsinore alone; however, this overcrowding is detrimental to the flowers due to trampling. Because of these problems, many fields, such as Walker Canyon, are closed off to avoid further damage. Temporary shutdowns in other areas have been issued since then.

Lake Elsinore accommodated for the thousands of tourists and began to offer shuttle services from the Outlets at Lake Elsinore. These shuttles run from 8:00 A.M. until 7:00 P.M. in order to lessen the traffic in the city. The wait averaged about 45 minutes to an hour for each group of people.

The Wild Flower Hotline run by the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants provides weekly updates on spots to visit to see these wildflower fields all across Southern California. The hashtag #TrackTheBloom has also been created to stay up to date on the locations of these vibrant sensations.