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Wildflower Season In California

WalnutBaron

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California is enjoying a very heavy rain/snow year this winter, with the most recent snow survey showing us at 153% of normal as of the end of February. And that means we're in for one of those rare "superbloom" spring seasons with a huge and thrilling display of California wildflowers festooning our deserts, hillsides, and roadsides.

Here is a guide published yesterday in the Palm Springs Desert Sun.

The new wildflower season is just beginning, and runs into May. For those of you buried in snow someplace, we invite you to enjoy this special season with us!

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Guitarmom

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I was driving down Interstate 5 one year though a sparsely inhabited town called Gorman. The hills of Gorman were so awash in color that people were stopping their cars on the shoulder of the freeway and getting out just to look. It was awesome!

I think 2019 just might surpass that!

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk
 

buzglyd

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If it would stop raining for a few days I would hop on my motorcycle and ride out!
 

aarce

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It's funny I actually had the same thought, about the wildflowers. Taking a trip to the central coast in early May. Hope to catch the tail end. Great Pics!
 

WalnutBaron

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And then there's the ugly side of this story: over the weekend, some 66,000 visitors flooded Lake Elsinore to see the California Golden Poppies (which are really bright orange). In their frantic efforts to get the perfect selfie for their Instagram and Facebook accounts, they trampled fields of flowers, overwhelmed law enforcement which was trying to control traffic, and ultimately resulted in town officials closing the entire area for the remainder of the season. What a shame that the herd are so selfish and disrespectful of Mother Nature's showcase.

Here's the article from The Points Guy.

And here's a typical Instagram post from one of the self-absorbed.
 

gnipgnop

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Are there ever any flowers left in late September ~ early October?? Visiting Palm Springs during that time.
 

Lydlady

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And then there's the ugly side of this story: over the weekend, some 66,000 visitors flooded Lake Elsinore to see the California Golden Poppies (which are really bright orange). In their frantic efforts to get the perfect selfie for their Instagram and Facebook accounts, they trampled fields of flowers, overwhelmed law enforcement which was trying to control traffic, and ultimately resulted in town officials closing the entire area for the remainder of the season. What a shame that the herd are so selfish and disrespectful of Mother Nature's showcase.

Here's the article from The Points Guy.

And here's a typical Instagram post from one of the self-absorbed.

This really is a shame. I really wanted to go as it's only a little over an hour away. But I knew the crowds would be overwhelming.
 

klpca

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Are there ever any flowers left in late September ~ early October?? Visiting Palm Springs during that time.
Nope. This is a spring only deal. Btw, we've been driving past the hills for years enjoying this - from the freeway. Some years are better than others and with all of the rain we have had this year, 2019 is a good year, but it is an annual thing. Social media has ruined this for everyone. I can't wait for this phase to pass, and I hope that it happens in my lifetime.

We are outdoor enthusiasts and are starting to look for less popular places to visit because of the crowds. Enjoying nature requires some ground rules (no pun intended) as in "take only pictures, leave only footprints". You have to stay on marked trails or eventually you wind up with erosion that eventually ruins the trails. Don't feed the animals. Yadda, yadda, yadda. A few years ago in the Tuolumne Meadows campground (a fairly remote high country campground) the folks in a nearby site decided to use the edge of their campsite (adjacent to our campsite) as their toilet. We actually had to let them know to walk down the path to use the restrooms. They were so surprised because they were "in the woods". Since we have been camping for 35+ years, I can say that this truly is a new phenomenon. They don't seem to have any basic outdoor education.
 

bizaro86

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We're going to be in San Diego/Carlsbad next week, and have found ourselves with a few extra days (we ended up travelling sooner due to 737-Max related flight cancellations). Once-in-a-decade wildflowers seems like something worth seeing, so I'd love any recommendations in that general area.
 

klpca

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We're going to be in San Diego/Carlsbad next week, and have found ourselves with a few extra days (we ended up travelling sooner due to 737-Max related flight cancellations). Once-in-a-decade wildflowers seems like something worth seeing, so I'd love any recommendations in that general area.
Carlsbad Flower Fields
http://www.theflowerfields.com/visitor-information/

Not sure what to tell you about Lake Elsinore. Here's the latest: https://www.pe.com/2019/03/18/walke...as-officials-ask-question-what-do-we-do-next/
You will no doubt get a two-fer. Poppies and the legendary California freeway traffic. You'll get to sit in it because the offramps and surface streets aren't set up to handle the amount of traffic that is occurring.
 

melissy123

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We were at Lake Elsinore yesterday. Since it was a weekday, no shuttle required. But still very crowded. Not sure if I would have gone had I known about the crowds (was hoping it was quiet on a Monday morning). Hoping to find a nice quiet place to hike in Palm Desert next weekend.
 

clifffaith

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I cringe every time they show pictures on the news of people, sometimes with young children, lounging in the flowers. Um, hello, don't they see the rattlesnake signs that are posted? We went to see the flowers several years ago and saw a rattlesnake, and we stayed on the path. No way I'd get down on the ground to have my face in the poppies!
 
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