See the ‘Super Bloom’ Bringing Life to Death Valley

Heavy storms in the fall spurred an explosion of growth in winter.

One of the hottest and driest places on Earth is now, for a short while, covered in beautiful yellow, pink and purple wildflowers

Death Valley has wildflower blooms every year, but an unusual series of storms in October has triggered what some call a “super bloom,” seen in these photos. This is the biggest bloom Death Valley has seen in a decade.

The flowers that bloom lie dormant as seeds in the valley for most of the year.  Varieties now blooming include the Desert Gold, the Golden Evening Primrose and the more elusive Desert Five-spot.

Previous super blooms were in 1998 and 2005. Those years, like 2015 and 2016, also saw heavy El Niño activity. 



Read This Next

California’s epic superbloom is here. Don’t ruin it.
Nature is out of sync—and reshaping everything, everywhere
7 herbs that may help fight cold and flu

Go Further

Subscriber Exclusive Content

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet