West
Will California have a 'superbloom' this year? Here's what to know about the flower spectacle
- Carpets of yellow, orange and gold flowers are spreading across Southern California’s deserts.
- This year’s blooms are not as vibrant or abundant as last year’s “superbloom,” which followed drought-busting rains.
- Superblooms occur when desert stretches transform into dense wildflower fields due to dormant seeds germinating after seasons with over 30 percent average precipitation.
Carpets of yellow, orange and gold flowers are beginning to cover Southern California’s vast deserts, the Bay Area’s dramatic bluffs and even near Los Angeles International Airport.
But do they add up to a “superbloom”? There is no single definition of the event, but so far this year’s blooms haven’t been as vibrant or abundant as those that took over swaths of California last spring following drought-busting rains. This year, too, the state received ample winter rains.
After especially wet winters, bursts of color may appear in the spring, drawing droves of visitors to California and other parts of the Southwest to glimpse the flowering fields and pose for pictures.
CALIFORNIA’S MASSIVE SUPERBLOOM SEEN FROM SPACE FOLLOWING HISTORIC, DROUGHT-ENDING RAINS
Here are some key facts about the natural spectacle.
Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, flowers bloom in Mussel Rock Park in Daly City, California, on April 1, 2024. Carpets of tiny, rain-fed wildflowers known as “superblooms” are appearing in parts of California and Arizona. Their arrival draws droves of visitors who stop to glimpse the flashes of color and pose for pictures. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)
WHAT’S A SUPERBLOOM?
Scientists don’t agree on any one definition. Across California and Arizona, there are stretches of desert that can quickly transform into dense fields of wildflowers, since seeds lie dormant in the soil and then germinate and blossom at around the same time.
A recent study found that such widespread blooms, which have been visible by satellite imagery in some years, take place after seasons with greater than 30% average precipitation, said Naomi Fraga, director of conservation programs at the California Botanic Garden, east of Los Angeles.
DOES THIS YEAR COUNT?
No, according to Fraga. That’s because there isn’t a huge diversity in the flowers that have blossomed in places like California’s Death Valley.
This year’s blooms aren’t as large or as dense as wildflowers in past years, she said.
“When I think of superblooms, I think of a bloom that is so extraordinary, that’s a once in a lifetime event,” Fraga said, adding that the wildflower display this year “still makes a beautiful show.”
Last spring, early April visitors to Southern California’s Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve were treated to dazzling orange displays of the state flower. But around the same time this year, the fields were absent of the orange blooms, with the reserve’s officials posting that the window for an impressive show was becoming “increasingly narrow.”
In Death Valley, one of the driest places on earth, stretches of desert are dotted with gold thanks to sunflowers that emerged after an especially wet winter and spring.
Whether that constitutes a superbloom is “really in the eye of the beholder,” said Evan Meyer, executive director of the California-based nonprofit Theodore Payne Foundation, which works to preserve California’s native plants.
WHEN DOES IT HAPPEN?
April is typically the peak month for spring wildflowers, but in high-elevation places they can continue to blossom later into the spring.
Superblooms generally refer to low-elevation desert regions, Fraga said.
“It’s much more geographic than seasonal,” Meyer said. “Spring in the mountains hasn’t started, and in the low desert, it’s past its peak.”
When temperatures rise in the desert, the flowers can quickly dry out.
HOW DOES CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECT THE SUPERBLOOM?
Experts say it might be too soon to tell.
Climate change is making precipitation patterns more erratic, but the effects on wildflowers could play out over decades or even centuries, Fraga said, since seeds stay dormant in the soil for long periods of time.
Southern California received heavy rain last summer, unlike its usually dry summers, which she said probably stimulated flowers to germinate out of season. Winter temperatures also were higher than average, so many of them were able to stay in bloom through the spring season.
“That made for a very unusual bloom,” Fraga said.
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Each week at Last Rites, a Duboce Triangle establishment known for its immersive atmosphere, fans gather for a watch party of the long-running reality television series “Survivor.”
San Francisco resident Kiram Maledi has been a regular since discovering the event with friends.
“We live really close by,” Maledi said. “And my good friend Emily, who turned us on to ‘Survivor,’ found out that Last Rites hosts ‘Survivor’ night. We got super into watching ‘Survivor’ in the past couple years, and the thought of an outing in our neighborhood where we get to participate in community while also indulging in this awesome season is pretty fun.”
“Survivor,” one of the longest-running reality shows in television history, is now in its 50th season on CBS.
For Maledi, appreciation for the series came later in life.
“I’m a fan of the show because I never thought I’d be into reality TV, and I’m pleasantly surprised,” he said. “It’s a good practice of self to challenge myself for what I think I like. The challenges are super fun to watch. It’s cool to watch and be like, ‘How bad would I be at that?’ And for me to watch the social game and be like, ‘Oh, I would be crushed by that, I would really struggle.’ So to kind of role play like, how would these people do it, how would I do it, and oftentimes just get surprised and into it.”
The bar’s carefully crafted environment adds to the experience. With jungle-inspired decor, layered sound design and even scent elements, the space is designed to evoke a tropical destination, echoing the setting of the show itself.
Screens positioned throughout the bar ensure the episode is visible from nearly every angle.
“This is such a well-crafted space,” Maledi said. “The decorations, sound design — it even smells like what I think a tropical destination bar would smell like. I guess it is that. Drinks are super fantastic. I didn’t even know there was a second side of the menu.”
At Last Rites, the weekly gathering goes beyond simply watching a television show. For fans, it’s an immersive experience, one that brings them closer to the world of “Survivor,” and to each other.
The Waterford RiNo building at 2797 Wewatta Way was given to a lender in 2025. (BusinessDen file)
Denver’s apartment market is facing headwinds.
BusinessDen scoured county foreclosure records, third-party reports and court filings to determine the area’s apartment buildings that have exhibited signs of financial distress in recent months.
The list below is not necessarily comprehensive, but will be updated when we have more information, or when a particular property’s situation changes.
Foreclosed
2617-2667 W. Evans Ave., Denver
Loan: $14 million
Former owner: JTA1 Real Properties LLC AND JTA4 Real Properties LLC
Unit count: 125
456 S. Ironton St., Aurora
Loan: $25.54
Former owner: HL Lofts LLC/Summit Communities
Unit count: 112
Deed-in-lieu of foreclosure
2797 Wewatta Way, Denver
Loan: $91 million
Former owner: SRGMF III Wewatta Way Denver LLC/Sares Regis Group
Unit count: 301
Foreclosure initiated
1259 Newton St., Denver
Loan: $12.65 million
Owner: AVP Newton Venture LLC/Armada Venture Partners
4510 W. Saint Clair Place, Adams County
Loan: $6.35 million
Owner: 4510 Saint Clair Apartments LLC
2038 South Vaughn Way, Aurora
Loan: $57.15 million
Owner: Arboreta Apts LLC/Summit Communities
Unit count: 268
1433, 1451 and 1463 Macon St., Aurora
Loan: $2.98 million
Owner: West Macon Street LLC
In receivership, not in foreclosure
10101 Washington St., Thornton
Loan: $17.5 million
Owner: Meadows at Town Center LLC/Summit Communities
Units: 104
7500 Dakin St., Adams County
Loan: $49.5 million
Owner: Boulder CR Apts LLC/Summit Communities
Units: 322
Bankrupt
1592 Boston St., Aurora
Loan: $3 million
Owner: 1592 Boston Street LLC/Shaul Gabbay
Unit count: 32
1960 Dallas St., Aurora
Loan: $4.8 million
Owner: 1960 Dallas Street LLC/Shaul Gabbay
Unit count: 32
The Seattle Mariners have two notable players on the injured list that are nearing their returns.
Mariners’ Matt Brash details side issue, doesn’t think it’s serious
Here’s a quick look at what we know about the statuses of third baseman Brendan Donovan and Bryce Miller.
Brendan Donovan
Donovan has been out of action with a left groin strain since April 18, but could be just days away from getting back in the Mariners’ lineup. The 29-year-old All-Star has reached the minimum amount for a stay on the 10-day injured list.
“The progression has gone as hoped, and he’s taken swings. I think he looks like he’s on pace to be back during the homestand at some point,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said Tuesday.
Donovan was the Mariners’ key offseason acquisition, landing in Seattle from the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-team trade that also involved the Tampa Bay Rays.
Donovan underwent sports hernia surgery in October and had a few periods where he missed games in April due to injury or illness.
When Donovan has been on the field, he’s been Seattle’s primary leadoff hitter against right-handed pitching and among the team’s best offensive producers. He has a .304/.437/.518 slash line for a .954 OPS with three home runs in 18 games this year.
Bryce Miller
Still working his way back after oblique inflammation derailed his spring training, Miller is expected to make the third start of his minor league rehab assignment Friday in the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers’ home game against the Las Vegas Aviators at Cheney Stadium.
The Mariners will have a tough decision to make with their starting rotation when Miller returns, as Emerson Hancock (2.86 ERA, 0.981 WHIP) has been great thus far filling in for Miller. Seattle has some time before a decision needs to be made, though.
For one, Miller isn’t fully stretched out, throwing only 47 pitches and three innings in his second rehab start last Friday with the High-A Everett AquaSox. And second, Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said that the M’s were likely to use the full 30 days allowed on Miller’s rehab stint, which would put him on pace to join the team in mid-May.
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