SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE - For years, the seeds of colorful wildflowers wait patiently in the parched soils of California. But every once in a while, when conditions align, these seeds germinate and bloom all at once throughout the Golden State, creating what’s often called a “superbloom.”
The last California superbloom took place in 2019 following a period of heavy rains. Now, after another wet winter, some experts say the state may be poised for a spring explosion of wildflowers, depending on temperature and rainfall over the next few weeks.
“There’s going to be a bloom, but the question is are there going to be tall flowers or are they going to be belly flowers?” says Richard Minnich, an Earth and planetary scientist at the University of California, Riverside, to the Los Angeles Times’ Nathan Solis. “Belly flowers, meaning you get on your belly to see them, because they’re so small.”
The likelihood of a superbloom varies throughout the state. Some areas may get “extensive carpets of flowers,” while others may have patchier displays, says Cameron Barrows, a conservation biologist at the University of California, Riverside, to Newsweek’s Robyn White.