The wild and unpredictable weather of California may have impacted the superbloom that was expected after the wet winter. While the colors may be more muted in most of California compared to the color explosion last year, Death Valley is experiencing a resurgence of colors after a perfectly wet winter. It remains to be seen if the other drier regions of the state experience a similar floral bloom.
Here are some of the blooms captured in the various wilderness areas in Southern California
CA USA
Blooms of the Gorge
Old wagons, run-down stagecoaches, rusty barns and worn out corrals dot the green hills that slope down to the still waters of the Columbia River a thousand feet below. These were the only vestiges reminding us of the rich history of homesteading in this beautiful region dating back to the mid-19th century. Today, these are part of the Columbia Hills Historical State Park in the Columbia Gorge, which in spring, bursts with brilliant blooms of balsamroot.
Here is one such bloom framing an old wagon, a remnant of a bygone era.
Columbia Hills Historical State Park
WA USA
Wildflower Closeups
I always wonder what led to rich diversity of wildflowers every time I witness a spring bloom event. The blooms I have witness comprise of anything from dainty buttercups with shiny golden yellow petals, blue petaled baby-blue eyes dotting the undergrowth near creeks, vivid reds of the Indian paintbrush in the thick bush, the soft orange of the ubiquitos California poppy fluttering in vast swathes under a sunny sky. And even though I have seen them from up close and from far away, I can never get tired of looking at nature's artwork.
Central California
USA
Visions of Spring
The fallow lands in the agricultural plains of California are often a shade of rusty brown through most of the year, a side effect of the hot and dry climate experienced by the interior of the state for most of the year. These conditions do not spare the rounded hills that run along the western spine of the state. But the spring rains rejuvenate these lands, adding a fresh coat of green, and a dash of color from wildflowers.
Wild mustards, with their distinct lemon-yellow blooms, are the first ones to crop up on vast swathes of fallow lands. Soon after, the still-moist meadows proliferate with various flowering plants and spring grasses. The California black oak, a tree well adapted to this climate, acquires a fresh set of leaves after laying dormant all winter, and quickly envelop any mistletoe growing on their branches.
Driving through these lands often provide a window into the past, of how California used to be before it got as densely populated as it is now.
Central Valley
CA USA
Is it a superbloom year?
It may be too early to tell whether the deluge of winter rains in California will lead to a superbloom. Last years spectacular blooms were attributed to the right amount of rain at the right time. Will the same happen this year?
Here are a few scenes of colorful poppies covering the sun-drenched slopes of the Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve.
Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve
CA USA
Summer in Rainier
Summer hiking in Mount Rainier can take one from lush old-growth lowland forests to subalpine wildflower meadows and to the high alpine reaches strewn with old volcanic debris. It is one of the few places in the world where you can experience the varied ecology of all the three life zones within just a few miles. No wonder crowds of tourists throng the Park in the summer.
It was for this reason that the Park instituted a reservation system to control the visitation numbers, and ensure that the fragile ecology is preserved for a long time to come.
Reservations open up 3 months in advance. Make sure to snag one to capture the beauty of summer in Mount Rainier. Read more about it here.
Mount Rainier National Park
WA USA
Superbloom
While March is cold and dreary in the Pacific Northwest, signs of spring manage to squeeze in. The Cherry blossoms peak in mid-late march, and different sets of flowering plants start showing off their colors with every passing week. But for the best signs of spring, there is no better place that the wildflowers of California. The bumper rains of the winter of '22-23 meant that the spring of 2023 was going to be a superbloom year, where acres of predominantly sun-drenched dry landscapes were going to be transformed into a vast carpet of colors.
I paid a visit to central California during this time, and even though I was a week early, the scope and size of the wildflower blooms I witnessed was nothing short of extraordinary.
As before, you can buy this calendar at this link.
Carrizo Plains National Monument
CA USA
Carpet of flowers
Every spring, the streets and parks of Seattle are ablaze with a variety of floral blooms, from the bright cherry blossoms, the vibrant camelias, the regal magnolias, the colorful tulips and daffodils to the tiny flowering plants including daisies, phloxes and bluebells. I found this carpet of lawn daisies at a park in Seattle particularly captivating
Seattle
WA USA
Spring of Flowers
Springs in California were spent driving around to various parts of the golden state to seek the colorful blooms of wildflowers. Hills, brown and dry during the summer and fall, transform in February to a verdant English landscape, and play host some of the largest varieties of wildflowers. Resplendent blooms of the california poppy, pygmy lupines, fiddlenecks, asters, daisies and many others carpet the sunlit slopes of the Sierra foothills. I am yet to witness such a transformation in any other part of the country.
Table Mountain Ecological Reserve
CA USA
A Fallen Rose
From above, the tulip fields were geometrical patterns of straight lines of different colors: yellows, blues, whites, pinks and reds. Coupled with assortments of an agricultural life, these patterns were interesting to photograph.
But down below, the compositions and scenes were strikingly different. Gone were the patterns where details were lost. Instead, I tried to focus on the minutiae, and on the uncommon occurrence.
Woodburn
OR USA