If you read about a rare natural event in California these days, it's usually some disaster caused by global warming. But here's an uncommon phenomenon that's happening this year, and it's great for everybody: a super bloom of wildflowers. The Washington Post has a beautiful interactive photo article about the super bloom, here.
While it isn't a formal scientific term, a super bloom is "a wonderful natural phenomenon where many annual wildflowers all bloom simultaneously," said Naomi Fraga, director of conservation programs at the California Botanic Garden in Claremont.
"You have a great diversity, an abundance of many different wildflower species, all flowering, creating bright patches of color on the landscape where they become the dominant feature," Fraga said.
Wildflower seeds can lay dormant in the soil for years, waiting for the right conditions to start their lifecycle, and apparently this was their year to bust out.
