While almost everyone is on lockdown, the fiery landscape of Southern California is showing its true “superbloom” colors. The field of blooms is so amazing as it has been captured in its flame-like glory by satellites deployed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Space Observatory.
NASA’s Operational Land Imager captured the orange-hued poppy blooms on April 14, when the area was thought to be at or near its peak. The shots were taken in the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, near the tip of the Mojave Desert. The images were created by incorporating Landsat data from the US Geological Survey. The shots display the gridded landscape northwest of Palmdale, California as if set ablaze by wildflowers.
“The flowers bloomed after Southern California received significant rainfall in March and April 2020. This spring, Lancaster received around 10.5 inches (27 centimeters) of rain—almost 4 inches (10 centimeters) above normal,” wrote NASA. “The extra rain may cause the poppies to stick around longer than usual and result in an above-average wildflower year.
Authorities of the park called this bloom an “unexpected” surprise due to the late-season rains.”
“The bloom time changes every year,” said state park interpreter Jean Rhyne. “Generally, it happens early in April, but it can take place any time between mid-March and early May.”
The area experienced almost five years of drought but now, large amounts of long-anticipated rain welcomed the arrival of superblooms that began in the southern part of the state and slowly crept northward.
In the newly released NASA images, orange appears to dominate the landscape but the fields also contain lavender-colored forget-me-nots, cream cups, purple-hued bush pines, and yellow goldfields.
“Depending on the day or even hour, the orange patches may change in appearance. The poppies open their petals during sunny periods, appearing like a large blanket over the landscape. The flowers tend to close during windy, cold periods,” writes NASA.
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