Every once in a while, the climate conditions in Death Valley are just perfect to create a breathtaking display of flowers called a “super bloom.”

There is an amazing super bloom in Death Valley right now. If you’d like to see it, head up there as soon as you can, as it will probably last only another week or two. The last super bloom was in 2005. There has not been enough rain since then to create another floral carpet across the valley floor since.

Death Valley is anything but “deathly” right now. Spring and fall seasons are the best time to see the multitude of wildflowers in blossom.

Brown-eyed Evening Primrose

This year has already proven to be nothing less than stellar. Currently the valley floor is carpeted by a tall, yellow, daisy-like flower called desert gold. Nearly every large expanse is yellow. Along the roadside, in the disturbed area you will find millions of brown-eyed evening primrose. There are also lots of desert five spots beginning to open up, several varieties a Phacelia, yellow evening primrose, cheese bush, broad-leaf gilia, chicory, desert dandelions, desert needles, pincushions, desert sand verbena and much more.

One of my favorites, the sprucebush, looks like it could be found on the mountainous cliffs of Japan. The way it grows, it would be the perfect companion plant in an Ikebana floral display. My other favorite is a plant called gravel ghost. This plant was named because the thin flower stems seem to disappear, and the white flower “ghost” seems to be floating in mid-air.

Spiny Herb

If you go to Death Valley, get out of the car and (carefully) walk around, or you will miss a lot. There are tons of tiny flowers affectionately known as “belly flowers” to wildflower geeks like me. These are the tiny flowers that stay very close to the ground and can be seen the best when lying on your belly. A daily clean T-shirt is imperative.

Such belly flowers you might find right now are rock daisies, desert stars, cryptantha, Bigelow’s monkeyflower, peppergrass, twining snapdragon, turtleback, brittle spineflower and a plant that looks like an alien called spiny herb.

Gravel Ghost

If you are an adventurous type, nothing will please you more than a drive through Death Valley. If you stand near the fields of flowers, the smell is almost intoxicating.

Despite the fact that those of us in Santa Clarita have not gotten a ton of rain as predicted, the El Nino brought enough rain to create this super bloom. Since the super blooms tend to come in El Nino years, you might have to wait a long time before another carpet of flowers takes over Death Valley. I have only been lucky enough to see three super blooms in my life. Each time I see one, I am even more speechless.

The normal rainfall in Death Valley is about 2 inches a year. This year, the region received more than 3 inches within five hours back in October. And that was only one storm.

Desert Five Spot

The current bloom is in the lower elevations. Some of the high areas still have some snow, which will continue to bring runoff water to the plants below and keep them blooming. The current bloom is expected to remain through mid-March, and after that, the higher elevations are expected to begin performing. So, if you have an opportunity to see this super bloom, take advantage of it. It might happen only once per decade, and seeing a sight like this could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Be sure to call for road closures before you head out to Death Valley. Several roads are closed due to the same rains that brought the flowers. Park rangers told us it could take years to complete all of the repairs.

Dianne Erskine-Hellrigel is executive director of the Community Hiking Club and president of the Santa Clara River Watershed Conservancy. Contact Dianne through communityhikingclub.org or at zuliebear@aol.com.

Purple Mat – a belly flower

Desert Sand Verbena