Visitors 170
Modified 22-Apr-23
Created 22-Apr-23
29 photos
Following three years of drought in a time of global warming and regional drying, it rained. Not a steady gentle rain: it poured, paused, poured again. Long dry spells, cold weather. Rain.
Sleeping seeds in the dry soil felt the moisture and the temperature swings, and woke up. Somehow, many flower species, with somewhat different triggers, all felt the urge and woke up at the same time. Superbloom: many many flowers, covering the ground, a variety of different species crowding for attention.
One possible problem: pollinator overload. Helen and I saw few bees, beeflies, beetles, or butterflies, though the air was clear and the breezes soft. And so many open flowers, pleading for pollinators.
Returning from a trip to the headwaters of the Amargosa River in Nevada, Helen and I drove by Carrizo Plain. On the way back via Paso Robles, we then happened upon a small preserve bursting with blossoms: Shell Creek. Here are a few images.
Approaching the Temblor Range from the oilfields of Kern County, a surreal sight: rolling hills splashed in outlandish colors, yellow and orange. What artist conceived and painted this?
We passed through hills painted bright yellow, fringed with massed Fiddleneck blossoms, soft orange. Rust-orange California Poppies.
Carrizo Plain itself was marvelous. Carpets of blossoms, yellow, orange, dark blue, purple. Different combinations in different directions, from different vantage points. Yes, plenty of Fiddleneck: here, Desert Fiddleneck (Amsinckia tessellata). Joined by Common Goldfields (Lasthenia gracilis), Tidy Tips (Layia platyglossa), Great Valley Phacelia (P. ciliata), Red-stem Filaree (Erodium cicutarium), Common Hillside Daisies (Monolopia lanceolata), Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila menziesii), Valley Larkspur (Delphinium recurvatum), Purple Owl’s Clover (Castilleja exserta), mustard flowers, and yet another sunflower relative called Leafy Tickseed, AKA Leafy Stemmed Cordeosis (Leptosyne calliopsidea), joining its goldfields and daisy cousins. And more. (Can you find my mistake? Please leave a comment – people care.) Usually dry, Soda Lake was full.
Don’t you love the Latin names? So many stories!
The preserve we visited at Shell Creek was tiny by comparison with Carrizo Plain National Monument, and packed full to overflowing with a variety of wildflowers. Narrow dirt paths let visitors wander amidst the riotous display; though there were many people there, it did not feel crowded (with people at least – flowers are another story). Other species I spotted here include California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica) and Sky Lupine (Lupinus nanus) (?).
I hope you too can spend some time with flowers this spring. What a wonderful world we live in!
