As we delve further in to this rainy winter and look ahead to spring, we can’t help but wonder, will we get another Superbloom this year? Can 2017’s spectacular display be topped? Reporter Heather Clisby has the flower forecast …
According to Joshua Tree National Park’s Vegetation Branch Chief Neil Frakes, it’s going to be a colorful spring, though he never used the word “super.” Frakes does anticipate a “good bloom, perhaps a great bloom” in the coming months.
| Frakes noted that we already have colorful blooms of lupines and poppies by the park’s southern entrance. Other low elevation areas are starting to pop and the early bloom is likely due to October’s unforgettable storm. Thanks to consistent rain in December and January, Frakes suspects that the bloom will last well into the spring. He noted that Joshua Trees began flowering early this year, in November, and they continue to produce flower buds. Normally, our beloved Joshua Trees flower in mid-February so Frakes expects a healthy bloom for them as well. Frakes stressed that it is a gift to observe these desert blossoms and to be mindful. It is illegal to pick wildflowers within the park and heavy levels of trampling may impact the ability of wildflowers to produce seed and complete their life cycle, which is critical for all future blooms Unfortunately, the rains bolster invasive plants as well, such as Sahara mustard and London rocket plus grasses like Red Brome, Cheatgrass and Mediterranean Grass. Frakes and his park colleagues worry that these non-native plants will out-compete our native plants and lead to less forage for the desert tortoises. Frakes states that the Park is “taking action to control invasive plants in the park.” |
Reporting for Z107.7, this is Heather Clisby.
