The winter brought a lot of rain to California. This now paves the way for a special natural spectacle. But the super bloom attracts too many inconsiderate onlookers. That’s why the mayor of Lake Elsinore is now announcing a drastic step.
For weeks, low pressure systems pounded California. Atmospheric flows have brought copious amounts of rain so far in late 2022, early 2023, replenishing reservoirs and soils . There is snow in the mountains like it hasn’t been in a long time. The severe drought in the US state was at least considerably alleviated – and at the same time the rain paved the way for a special natural spectacle. Millions of wildflowers sprout in California’s drylands and will paint the landscape yellow, orange and blue throughout February and March.
California is getting ready for super bloom and influencer glut
The phenomenon called super bloom only occurs after really wet winters. Such blooms also occurred in 2017 and 2019 . But while they used to attract nature lovers in particular, the events are now attracting more and more people who have less regard for the fragile splendour. In 2019, for example, tens of thousands of visitors flocked to Lake Elsinore Canyon to admire the orange-colored sea of California poppies, which not only caused local traffic chaos.
Gorge and nearby parking lots will be closed
“The flowers were beautiful, it was a nightmare to look at,” Lake Elsinore Mayor Natasha Johnson said at a news conference, according to the Guardian. Therefore, the gorge will be closed as well as the nearby parking lots. The authorities want to prevent the flowers and the sensitive soil from being trampled on by people looking for the perfect picture like in 2019.
Visitors walk off the pathways through the flowers for photos
Again and again, visitors were caught walking through the middle of the flowers to take photos away from the paths. Because of the rush, many interested people sometimes had to wait hours until they got into the canyon, so great was the interest.
However, it is still unclear how big the super bloom will be. Many flowers are germinating en masse, but a dry period before flowering could put an end to the spectacle. In addition, the permanent cloudbursts caused numerous landslides and run-offs, so that many seeds were possibly also washed away. In the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in southern California, however, there are increasing signs that there will actually be a super bloom: many plants in the park are already beginning to bloom.