California’s superblooms are so dramatic you can see them from space: Here are satellite photos
The superbloom is upon us. New satellite photos from Maxar show hillsides across the state adorned with colorful flowers.
In the first photo, a hillside outside of Palmdale glows in yellow and orange on April 10.
See a closer look here.
Wildflowers between two highways in Palmdale add purple to the mix.
The variety of colors around Palmdale is astonishing. On this hillside, a brighter yellow emerges alongside lime green.
Palmdale was not the only beneficiary of the spring bloom. Flowers were visible from space at Carrizo Plain National Monument in San Luis Obispo County on April 4.
On April 9, Shell Creek Road in San Luis Obispo County was enveloped in bright yellow petals.
Tourists flocking to see the display are drawing the ire of conservationists, who worry about degradation of the fragile flowers.
Flowers are able to bloom to this extent “because of all the conservationists that have worked so hard to protect these spaces,” and we can celebrate the phenomenon together, said Joan Dudney, an assistant professor at the department of environmental studies at UC Santa Barbara.
“We shouldn’t be shaming” those who flock to see the flowers, Dudney said, “but we should be more strategic and thoughtful” about where we send visitors.
In certain places like Shell Creek, blooms are more fragile and thus more likely to be trampled and ruined, she said. In other places like Carrizo Plain National Monument, “there’s so many flowers and the impact is a lot less.”
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