SANTA CRUZ — The rain has subsided and the sun is out. Noses are runny, eyes are itchy and the landscape is suddenly painted with massive amorphous streaks of orange, yellow and purple.
It must be “superbloom” season in California.
An exceptionally wet winter has fed dormant seeds resting in the region’s previously parched soil and has helped produce a massive proliferation of blooming flowers that have adorned the state from top to bottom.
While the images in Santa Cruz County may not be gigantic enough to catch the eyes of astronauts in space – as other areas are known to have done – local experts say there’s no shortage of beauty to behold in the county by the coast.
“We’re in for quite a show this year and it has already started,” said Bonny Hawley, executive director of Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks, an operating partner of California State Parks.
Hawley, who has lived in the county for more than 35 years, took a trip to San Francisco this week using the circuitous Highway 1 route and said she saw more flowers along the roadway than she has seen during any previous bloom.
“It’s pretty spectacular,” she said.
The how and where
The phenomena captured in countless social media photos has taken on the monicker “superbloom” which has become a buzzword broadly referring to the exceptionally large and colorful explosion of wildflowers.
UC Santa Cruz Arboretum and Botanic Garden Executive Director Martin Quigley explained that the conditions have to line up just right to awaken such a high number of annual plant seedlings that grow, bloom, set seeds and die all in one year.
“A super bloom is one where not only the quantity of rainfall is more than normal, but the timing is perfect,” said Quigley, specifying that this typically means significant rainfall episodes sometime close to November and January. “All those seeds that have been sitting underground for two or five or 20 years finally have the right conditions to come up.”
At a super bloom in Death Valley National Park some years ago, Quigley said a local botanist told him they were finding species that hadn’t been seen for 40-50 years.
“The quantity of flowers is good, but it’s the massive amount of species blooming simultaneously over a period of weeks or maybe a couple of months,” he said.
While Quigley said Santa Cruz doesn’t have the desert-like conditions that are ideal for the sprawling and diverse features of a traditional superbloom, the heavy rains are helping to awaken an avalanche of colorful flowers.
Hawley said the bright orange glow of California poppies has blanketed the landscape at Wilder Ranch State Park. For those looking to make discoveries while on a brisk hike, she said many of the backcountry trails that were closed at the park due to recent winter storms have opened once again.
The diminutive redwood violet flower – which is actually bright yellow – is also making its presence known in a big way beneath the soaring canopy at Big Basin Redwoods State Park, where raging fires ripped through the forest almost three years prior.
Hawley recommended taking the park’s redwood loop trail where it is popping up “all over the place” while also noting that the northward Castle Rock State Park is another flower-packed forest region with plenty of trails.
Other native flowers to keep an eye out for especially in coastal areas includes the bright-yellow California goldfields, white beach strawberry flower and the stacked purple lupine flower, among many more.
However Quigley suggested moving fast, as flower season has already peaked and the clock is ticking.
“The hotter it gets the faster it goes,” he said.
Mindful stewardship
But along with the breathtaking natural beauty comes a responsibility to act as a mindful steward of the delicate plants and environment.
Above all, Quigley stressed that keeping on the marked trails is critical to ensuring that the unfurled flowers stay open as long as possible.
“Everybody needs a selfie and they prefer to do it rolling in the flowers,” he said. “These are delicate little plants. You squash them once, they’re dead.”
Additionally, Quigley said invasive species can be easily tracked in through seeds that have latched onto clothing, shoes or even vehicle tires and he recommended doing a quick check before venturing out.
Still, it’s been a long, wet winter and Hawley advised the public not to hesitate when it comes to witnessing the wonder of nature all around us.
“It’s a great time to get out into the parks with your friends, your family, or for just your own mental health and wellness,” she said. “It’s just an extraordinary time out there right now.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com