Superbloom

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Superbloom in Riverside County, California in 2019 Walker Canyon During a Poppy Super Bloom.jpg
Superbloom in Riverside County, California in 2019

A superbloom is a rare desert botanical phenomenon in California and Arizona in which an unusually high proportion of wildflowers whose seeds have lain dormant in desert soil germinate and blossom at roughly the same time. The phenomenon is associated with an unusually wet rainy season. The term may have developed as a label in the 1990s. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

A similar phenomenon also occurs annually during the wet season along the arid west coast of South Africa between Cape Town and Namaqualand; [4] notably at nature reserves such as the West Coast National Park and Goegap Nature Reserve. [5] [6]

Necessary conditions and sequence of events

The conditions under which a superbloom can occur are exceptional. Because some invasive grasses, such as bromes, will compete with native flowers for moisture, the desert must remain dry enough prior to the bloom to keep them from becoming established. [1] The desert must receive rainfall in the autumn, and this rain must penetrate deep into the soil matrix in order to reach a majority of the dormant seeds of flowering plants. If subsequent rainfall is excessive or inundating, the young plants may be carried away in flash floods; if it is inadequate, the seeds will die from dehydration. [7]

Next, the ground in which the seeds lie must warm slowly over the several months which follow the first soaking rain, and the desert must have enough cloud cover both to shield the soil from intense daytime desert heat and to insulate it from overnight freezing temperatures. Finally, once the newly germinated plants have reached the surface of the soil, the desert must remain undisturbed by strong winds which would uproot the plants or damage the young shoots. The rare concatenation of these events is what makes a superbloom such an extraordinary occurrence. [7]

In California, superblooms typically occur once every ten years or so. This has happened less often since the beginning of the 21st century due to persistent state drought. Anza-Borrego Park and Carrizo Plain National Monument are some of the most popular places to witness a superbloom, and the bloom of 2019 was particularly abundant. This followed another only two years prior, in 2017. [8]

Carrizo Plain National Monument in 2017 Superbloom at Carrizo 2017.jpg
Carrizo Plain National Monument in 2017

In the Mojave Desert of California, common plant species which compose the superblooms are brittlebush (Encelia farinosa) (yellow flowers), [9] California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) (bright orange), [10] bluebells (Phacelia campanularia) (deep purple), [1] lupine (purple), sand verbena (Abronia) (yellow), desert sunflowers (Geraea canescens) (bright yellow), evening primrose (Camissonia brevipes) (mostly white, occasionally yellow), popcorn flowers (Plagiobothrys) (white or yellow), and desert lily (Hesperocallis) (white). [11] [12] [13] Several of these plants are also invasive, such as wild mustard. [14]

At Carrizo Plain in California, different annual plant species compose color patches of the hills (Temblor Range and Caliente Range) and the valley floor (Soda Lake). Dominant color patches of hills are bright yellow ( Monolopia lanceolata, Caulanthus inflatus ), purple ( Phacelia tanacetifolia ), magenta/dark pink ( Castilleja exserta ), and orange ( Eschscholzia californica, Mentzelia pectinata ). Dominant color patches of the valley floor are golden yellow ( Monolopia stricta, Leptosyne calliopsidea ), pale yellow ( Layia munzii ), purple ( Phacelia ciliata ), and light pink ( Streptanthus anceps ). [ citation needed ]

Tourism effects

Superblooms increase public awareness of California's rural Federal public lands and the state's rich floristic diversity. It can also have a positive, although brief, effect on the local rural economy. Too much public visitation in such a short time period; however, can have negative impacts. In 2019, massive traffic jams prompted Lake Elsinore, California to shut down access to Walker Canyon, [15] [16] a major access route for viewing the superbloom. Dense concentrations of visitors walking off-trail can cause damage or uproot the plants. [17]

The 2023 California super bloom followed a few months of wetter than average weather. The superbloom phenomenon was large enough to be seen from space by NASA's Landsat 9 satellite and has attracted many visitors. [18]

Algal bloom(akasio) by Noctiluca in Nagasaki Algal bloom(akasio) by Noctiluca in Nagasaki.jpg
Algal bloom(akasio) by Noctiluca in Nagasaki

Algal superblooms

Because algae often reproduce in large sporadic bouts, referred to as algal blooms, the term "superbloom" is sometimes applied to especially prolific short-term algal growth that causes discoloration of water on a large scale. [19] [20] Other than sharing a botanical context, however, the two events have nothing in common.[ citation needed ]

Comedian Darryl Lenox named his 2021 album Super Bloom after the botanical phenomenon. [21]

Related Research Articles

<i>Eschscholzia californica</i> Species of flowering plant and state flower of California

Eschscholzia californica, the California poppy, golden poppy, California sunlight or cup of gold, is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae, native to the United States and Mexico. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant flowering in summer, with showy cup-shaped flowers in brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow. It is also used as food or a garnish. It became the official state flower of California in 1903.

<i>Eschscholzia</i> Genus of flowering plants in the poppy family Papaveracae

Eschscholzia is a genus of 12 annual or perennial plants in the Papaveraceae (poppy) family. The genus was named after the Baltic German/Imperial Russian botanist Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz (1793–1831). All species are native to Mexico or the southern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildflower</span> Flower that grows in the wild, not intentionally planted

A wildflower is a flower that grows in the wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is any different from the native plant, even if it is growing where it would not naturally be found. The term can refer to the whole plant, even when not in bloom, and not just the flower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Central Valley grasslands</span> Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in California, United States

The California Central Valley grasslands is a temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in California's Central Valley. It a diverse ecoregion containing areas of desert grassland, prairie, savanna, riparian forest, marsh, several types of seasonal vernal pools, and large lakes such as now-dry Tulare Lake, Buena Vista Lake, and Kern Lake.

<i>Phacelia calthifolia</i> Species of plant

Phacelia calthifolia, is a flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae. It is native to the Mojave Desert in southeastern California and western Nevada, between Barstow, California, and the Death Valley area, where it occurs below 1,000 m in sandy soils.

<i>Aralia californica</i> Species of flowering plant

Aralia californica, known by the common name elk clover though not actually a clover, is a large herb in the family Araliaceae, the only member of the ginseng family native to California and southwestern Oregon. It is also called California aralia and California spikenard.

<i>Phacelia fremontii</i> Species of plant

Phacelia fremontii is a flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae native to the southwestern United States. In California, its range includes the Mojave Desert, the San Joaquin Valley, the Coast Ranges, and the Sierra Nevada. It was named for John C. Frémont.

<i>Dipterostemon</i> Species of flowering plant

Dipterostemon is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae. Its only species is Dipterostemon capitatus, synonym Dichelostemma capitatum, known by the common names blue dicks, wild hyacinth, purplehead and brodiaea, native to the Western United States and northwest Mexico.

<i>Anemopsis</i> Genus of flowering plants

The monotypic genus Anemopsis has only one species, Anemopsis californica, with the common names yerba mansa or lizard tail.

<i>Geraea canescens</i> Species of flowering plant

Geraea canescens, commonly known as desert sunflower, hairy desert sunflower, or desert gold, is an annual plant in the family Asteraceae. The genus name comes from the Greek geraios, referring to the white hairs on the fruits.

<i>Eschscholzia glyptosperma</i> Species of flowering plant

Eschscholzia glyptosperma is a species of poppy known by the common names desert gold poppy, desert golden poppy, and Mojave poppy.

<i>Eschscholzia hypecoides</i> Species of flowering plant

Eschscholzia hypecoides is a species of poppy known by the common name San Benito poppy.

<i>Eschscholzia minutiflora</i> Species of flowering plant

Eschscholzia minutiflora is a species of poppy known by the common name pygmy poppy.

<i>Lasthenia californica</i> Species of flowering plant

Lasthenia californica is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name California goldfields. It is native to western North America.

<i>Phacelia sericea</i> Species of plant

Phacelia sericea, the silky phacelia or blue alpine phacelia, is a showy perennial species of Phacelia endemic to western North America. It grows mainly at subalpine to alpine elevations in forest openings or above treeline among rocks and sand. Sericea comes from the Latin sericeus, or silky, referring to the fine hairs on the leaves and stem.

Phacelia adenophora is a species of phacelia known by the common name glandular yellow phacelia. It is native to the northwestern United States where it can be found in Oregon, northeastern California, and northwestern Nevada. It grows in mountain and plateau habitat. This is an annual herb producing decumbent, creeping, spreading, or upright branched stems up to 40 centimeters long. The leaves are oblong in shape and deeply lobed, measuring up to 3 centimeters long, and concentrated at the base. The inflorescence is a one-sided cyme of many bell-shaped flowers each under 1 cm long. The petals are fused at the base with five lobes. Unlike many phacelias, which bloom in shades of blue and purple, this species has yellow to golden flowers. It occasionally has purple edges on the corolla. It has five hairy stamens. The fruit is a fuzzy, oblong capsule a few millimeters in length containing up to 14 seeds.

Phacelia inundata is a species of phacelia known by the common names playa yellow phacelia and playa phacelia. It is native to the Modoc Plateau and surrounding areas in Oregon, western Nevada, and northeastern California, where it grows in the alkaline soils of playas and dry lakebeds.

<i>Phacelia linearis</i> Species of plant

Phacelia linearis, the linear-leaved phacelia or threadleaf phacelia, is a species of phacelia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Holly Ober (March 15, 2019). "Superbloom? If you say so". UC Riverside News.
  2. ↑ Eleanor Imster (February 26, 2016). "Rare superbloom in California's Death valley". EarthSky.
  3. ↑ "Arizona wildflower update: The 2023 bloom is still going strong. Here are 6 places to look". The Arizona Republic . Roger Naylor. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  4. ↑ Klein, JoAnna (October 5, 2016). "Why a South African Desert Blooms Into an Annual Flower Show". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Off to enjoy the West Coast spring flowers? Here are the best places to visit". CapeTalk. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  6. ↑ McCain, Nicole. "Spring is in the air: City of Cape calls on residents to have a blooming good time at nature reserves". News24. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Roger W. Thompson (2017). We Stood Upon Stars: Finding God in Lost Places. Crown Publishing Group. p. 160. ISBN   978-1-60142-959-9.
  8. ↑ Alice Bryant (March 11, 2019). "Rain Brings Second California Super Bloom in Two Years". VOANews.
  9. ↑ Sara Combs; Rich Combs (October 23, 2018). At Home in Joshua Tree: A Field Guide to Desert Living. Running Press. p. 181. ISBN   978-0-7624-9166-7.
  10. ↑ "Superbloom of California poppies put the gold in Golden State". The Mercury News. March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  11. ↑ Trott, Sarah (February 26, 2019). "What to know before heading out to see the Superbloom". KESQ. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  12. ↑ Erika Martin (March 5, 2019). "Here's How to Take in the Impressive Wildflower Blooms Popping up Across Southern California". KTLA.
  13. ↑ "California Super Bloom: Everything You Need to Know". MK Library. March 22, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Where to See a 'Super Bloom' in the Bay Area". KQED. March 19, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  15. ↑ Reyes-Velarde, Alejandra (March 14, 2019). "Instagram-hungry crowds are destroying the super bloom". LA Times . Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  16. ↑ Gammon, Katharine (March 18, 2019). "#Superbloom or #poppynightmare? Selfie chaos forces canyon closure". The Guardian . Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  17. ↑ Canon, Gabrielle (April 9, 2019). "The vigilante shaming influencers for bad behavior in national parks". The Guardian. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  18. ↑ "California's superbloom is so big and bright, it can be seen from space". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  19. ↑ Indian River Lagoon 2011 Consortium (April 2015). The Superbloom: Evaluating Effects and Possible Causes with Available Data (PDF).{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  20. ↑ Steven Johnson (2018). Farsighted: How We Make the Decisions That Matter the Most. Penguin Publishing Group. p. 47. ISBN   978-1-59448-821-4.
  21. ↑ Thomson, John (November 25, 2022). "Darryl Lenox: Blind Ambition". Inspired Magazine. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
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