The Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is experiencing its first big wildflowers super bloom in more than a decade, and park officials suggest not waiting too long to see it.
California's surprisingly wet winter probably had more to do with the unusual bloom, rather than whatever is behind reports from around the country of very early signs of spring, and it's only expected to last a week or two.
While the super bloom is bringing the colorful view to the area, park officials remind visitors that it is still – well, a desert, noted the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The state park, California's largest at 630,000 acres, runs from the Riverside County line to the U.S.-Mexican border in eastern San Diego County.
"This is probably the first big bloom in at least 12 years and maybe more like 20 years," Sally Theriault, an Anza-Borrego Desert State Park interpreter, told the Union-Tribune. "I'll go out on a limb and say it'll last probably a week or two, but those caterpillars are a force of nature to be reckoned with for sure."
Park officials said visitors may want to get out to the park in the early morning hours because afternoon temperatures are expected to reach into the 90s over the weekend.
"This will be a 'rolling bloom;' different areas will come into bloom at different times," said an update from the Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association website on Friday. "The bloom will likely last for several weeks as different areas come into full bloom."
"If Mother Nature cooperates, we expect blooms for several weeks. It's important to know that the best flower viewing is in the morning. Many flowers close up during the heat of the day."
The park's explosion of flowers – which include greenery, poppies, primroses, and lilies – has impressed Kathy DeMunck, an assistant manager at the desert's nature center, noted National Geographic.
"What's happened in the last four or five days is extraordinary," said DeMunck. "We really haven't had this kind of a bloom since 2005. The desert has really come alive."
Many took to social media to share the colorful view.
#superbloom
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