What is a superbloom?
A combination of weather ingredients create optimal conditions that trigger long-dormant seeds of desert flowers to awaken.
California superbloom: Winter rains bring spring explosion of colorful flowers
FOX Weather's Max Gorden reports on the wildflower superblooms covering deserts and hillsides across California, some of which are so vibrant they can be seen from space.
California deserts are bursting with color this year as wildflower blooms cover the landscape.
Known as superblooms, these floral phenomena usually occur in the late winter and early spring, resulting from a unique combination of sun, rain, temperature and wind, according to the California Department of Parks and Recreation.
These weather ingredients create optimal conditions that trigger long-dormant seeds to awaken.
California superbloom covers desert landscapes
Aerial footage shows hillsides covered in carpets of yellow flowers during a rare superbloom event. (Courtesy: Shreenivasan Manievannan via Storyful)
"It's this adaptation that's built into the plants," said Mike McElhatton, director for the Ana-Borrego Desert Natural History Association.
According to McElhatton, desert flowers drop seeds during lush and wet years. Those seeds are then able to survive in the ground for long periods of time without any water.
When water does arrive, it must be widespread throughout the desert to cue the seeds to grow – but when they do, the result can be spectacular.
![General view of hillsides and pastures in San Luis Obispo County. March 26, 2023.]()
Image 1 of 5General view of hillsides and pastures in San Luis Obispo County. March 26, 2023. (George Rose / Getty Images)
![The superbloom in 2019 created the "poppy nightmare" in Lake Elsinore. Thousands of visitors arrived day after day.]()
Image 2 of 5The superbloom in 2019 created the "poppy nightmare" in Lake Elsinore. Thousands of visitors arrived day after day. (Reuters)
![California poppies (Eschscholzia californica), the official state flower of California, bloom on the slopes of Steele Peak as the spring wildflower season nears on February 20, 2023 near Perris, California. Powerful storms brought heavy rains across much of the state in January, leading many to hope for another so-called "superbloom" of wildflowers like that of the spring of 2017. Wildflower blooms generally begin to peak in March and early April in the lower elevations, and later at higher elevation areas.]()
Image 3 of 5California poppies (Eschscholzia californica), the official state flower of California, bloom on the slopes of Steele Peak as the spring wildflower season nears on February 20, 2023 near Perris, California. Powerful storms brought heavy rains across much of the state in January, leading many to hope for another so-called "superbloom" of wildflowers like that of the spring of 2017. Wildflower blooms generally begin to peak in March and early April in the lower elevations, and later at higher elevation areas. (David McNew / Getty Images)
![Hillsides and pastures covered in a carpet of golden field wildflowers are drawing thousands of visitors this spring to Carrizo Plain, home to thousands of migratory birds and the largest alkali wetlands in the state, on March 28, 2017, in Carrizo Plain National Monument, California. Located in the southeastern corner of San Luis Obispo County between the Temblor and Caliente mountain ranges, this 43-mile- long high valley is experiencing an epic wildflower "superbloom" of golden fields, tidy tips, tickweed, fiddleheads, lupine, and hillside daisies.]()
Image 4 of 5Hillsides and pastures covered in a carpet of golden field wildflowers are drawing thousands of visitors this spring to Carrizo Plain, home to thousands of migratory birds and the largest alkali wetlands in the state, on March 28, 2017, in Carrizo Plain National Monument, California. Located in the southeastern corner of San Luis Obispo County between the Temblor and Caliente mountain ranges, this 43-mile- long high valley is experiencing an epic wildflower "superbloom" of golden fields, tidy tips, tickweed, fiddleheads, lupine, and hillside daisies. (George Rose / Getty Images)
![Hillsides and cattle pastures along Highway 58 between Santa Margarita and McKittrick are covered in wildflowers as viewed on March 28, 2017, near Carrizo Plain National Monument, California. Located on the eastern border of San Luis Obispo, this high valley is experiencing an epic wildflower "superbloom" of goldfields, tidy tips, tickweed, fiddleheads, lupine, and hillside daisies.]()
Image 5 of 5Hillsides and cattle pastures along Highway 58 between Santa Margarita and McKittrick are covered in wildflowers as viewed on March 28, 2017, near Carrizo Plain National Monument, California. Located on the eastern border of San Luis Obispo, this high valley is experiencing an epic wildflower "superbloom" of goldfields, tidy tips, tickweed, fiddleheads, lupine, and hillside daisies. (George Rose / Getty Images)
CALIFORNIA'S SUPERBLOOM VISIBLE FROM SPACE IN NEW NASA IMAGERY
"These areas that are normally just rock, just soil, just barren, not even shrubs, they’re filled with life," said Alan Van Valkenburg, a park ranger at Death Valley National Park. "So, Death Valley really does go from being a valley of death to a valley of life."
Superbloom in Death Valley National Park in 2016.
(Death Valley NPS / FOX Weather)
In addition to Death Valley, another prime viewing superbloom site is the Anza-Borrego Desert.
Located near the U.S.-Mexico border, the Anza-Borrego Desert had a grand superbloom in the spring of 2017 after atmospheric river storms drenched the state over that winter.
The superbloom seen this year is also the result of atmospheric rivers, which dropped trillions of gallons of water onto the Golden State.
7 of the best places to see flower superblooms in the U.S.
With the arrival of spring, fields across the United States come alive with color in stunning floral displays.