Death Valley's rare carpet of gold
It's been called a once-in-a-decade event. A rare "super bloom" of wildflowers in Death Valley National Park has covered the hottest and driest place in North America with a carpet of gold, attracting tourists from all over the world and enchanting visitors with a stunning display from nature's paint brush, February-March 2016.
The park holds a world record for the hottest temperature ever recorded: 134 degrees Fahrenheit (57 degrees Celsius) on July 10, 1913. It's also home to the lowest elevation in North America, a place that's 282 feet below sea level, called Badwater Basin.
Every spring, some wildflowers bloom before it gets scorching hot, but the abundance of flowers this year is extremely unusual and happens about once every 10 years.
In this photo, wildflowers bloom near Badwater Basin in Death Valley, California, February 24.
Death Valley super bloom
Tourists take pictures amidst the wildflowers near Badwater Basin in Death Valley, February 24.
The last time there was a bloom of this magnitude was in 2005, and the time before that was in 1998.
Death Valley wildflowers
A truck passes Golden Evening Primose (Camissonia brevipes) wildflowers along a road in Death Valley, March 4.
Death Valley's average annual rainfall is 2 inches a year, and sometimes, it gets no rain at all. This season, the park got three very rare storms in the first two weeks of October that dropped more than 3 inches of rain in some parts of the valley. That was enough to trigger the growth of millions of wildflower seeds that have been dormant, awaiting significant rainfall.
Death Valley wildflowers
A wildflower blooms alongside the road near Badwater Basin in Death Valley, February 24.
This season's unusual October storms dropped so much rain in the desert that dormant seeds blossomed. No one knows how long seeds can wait for rain, but some flowers blossomed in 2005 that had never been seen in the park -- indicating their seeds had been dormant for many years.
Death Valley super bloom
A boy runs among wildflowers in Death Valley National Park, March 3, 2016.
The most abundant and eye-catching wildflower is the aptly named desert gold, a large, bright yellow bloom that looks like a daisy. The stems this year are growing to waist height, and the flowers cover entire hillsides and vast areas of the valley floor in the southern section of the park. These flowers are easily enjoyed from the car.
Death Valley wildflowers
Wildflowers line a road traveld by an RV near Badwater Basin in Death Valley, February 24.
Currently, the best flower show is at the south end of Death Valley National Park along Badwater Road, south of Furnace Creek. As the temperature rises, those flowers will fade, and the bloom will move north and to higher elevations.
Death Valley super bloom
Visitors take photos of wildflowers in Death Valley National Park, March 3.
Death Valley wildflowers
A Desert Gold wildflower in seen in dried earth in Death Valley National Park, March 3.
Death Valley wildflowers
Notch-Leaf Phacelia (Phacelia crenulatea) wildflowers are seen in Death Valley National Park, March 3, 2016.
Patient sightseers who get out of their vehicle can see many more species than the ones known as Desert Gold. More than 20 species of wildflowers bloom in the park at various elevations.
Death Valley super bloom
Wildflowers at dusk in Death Valley National Park, March 3.
The show won't last forever. Most of the flowers will wither in the next few weeks as temperatures start to rise.
Death Valley super bloom
Yellow wildflowers line the highway through Death Valley National Park, March 4.
Death Valley wildflowers
Visitors take a snapshot among wildflowers in Death Valley National Park, March 3.
Death Valley super bloom
Golden Evening-Primrose (Camissonia brevipes) wildflowers in Death Valley National Park, March 3.
Death Valley super bloom
Wildflowers are seen near the salt flats in Death Valley National Park, March 3.
Some flowers may be around as late as June at higher elevations, but those won't be as easy to see from a car and could require hiking.
Death Valley wildflowers
Desert Gold (Geraea canescens) wildflowers in Death Valley National Park, March 3.
Death Valley wildflowers
A Desert Five-spot "Eremalche rotundifolia" in Death Valley National Park, March 3.
Some of the other more common flowers besides Desert Gold include the deep purple phacelia; the desert five-spot, a delicate pink flower with five burgundy spots around its center; the gravel ghost, a delicate white flower that appears to be floating aboveground like a ghost because its stem is so thin it's almost invisible; and various types of desert primrose.
Death Valley super bloom
A visitor walks through a carpet of Desert Gold (Geraea canescens) wildflowers in Death Valley, March 4, 2016.
The National Park Service updates information on the best spots to see flowers throughout the bloom.
Death Valley wildflowers
Wildflowers are visible among driftwood in Death Valley National Park, March 3.
Southern California wildflowers
Death Valley isn't the only part of California seeing an abundance of wildflowers. After a brief period of heavy rain in January, Southern California experienced one of the hottest Februarys ever recorded, prompting early scenic wildflower blooms in several desert and foothill regions.
Here, blooms are seen among oak trees near California State Route 223, west of Tehachapi, California on March 4.
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