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Wildflowers

PostPosted: Sat Feb 27, 2016 6:40 pm
by panamint_patty
Wildflower Warning
Maybe they should consider creating pullout areas so motorists can stop and enjoy the view!

Re: Wildflowers 2016

PostPosted: Mon Feb 29, 2016 8:23 am
by wildrose
So far this year doesn't seem anything close to spectacular, but I have seen some flowers around. Hopefully the bloom intensifies during March and into April, but so far I'm not expecting a whole lot. There was a lot of traffic through town this weekend and so I'm guessing lots of people were out and about exploring the desert and possibly enjoying wildflowers.

Re: Wildflowers 2016

PostPosted: Tue Mar 08, 2016 8:51 am
by hungrybill
They're calling it a super bloom, but it's not really all that much above average. It's better than the last few years, but it's nothing that comes close to super. That said, spring wildflowers are always enjoyable and even in the driest years there are lots of great flowers to see.

Re: Wildflowers 2016

PostPosted: Tue Mar 08, 2016 9:39 am
by shadylady
Super Bloom: The last true super bloom was 2005. Since then there have been several strong years with the last few years being a bit weak. 2010 was well above average and this year is just above average, but like hungrybill says spring is always a great year to enjoy wildflowers. Even in dry years they're all around. You just have to know where to look!

Re: Wildflowers 2016

PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 2016 7:24 am
by CrustyOldFart
It's actually kind of funny. A couple weeks ago I was thinking that this was a pretty poor year for wildflowers and then I heard news that we were experiencing a super bloom. I scratched my head and muttered WTF!

Re: Wildflowers 2016

PostPosted: Mon Mar 14, 2016 8:43 am
by sierra_jim
Super Bloom: Not hardly, but it's above average although a little spotty. There are areas what look below average and areas that look above average, but overall it's pretty average. Not sure who started the super bloom rumor. It's anything but...

Re: Wildflowers 2016

PostPosted: Mon Apr 04, 2016 6:43 am
by panamint_patty
Super Bloom: It was a very good year, but I agree with sierra jim. It was above average, but nothing terribly amazing. The super bloom thing was probably just a tactic to increase the flow of tourists into DVNP. More of a marketing ploy than an accurate assessment of the quality or quantity of the wildflower bloom.

Re: Wildflowers 2016

PostPosted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 6:37 am
by sandman
Super Hype: Is nothing sacred? You'd think that the press would at least be honest about the quality of the spring bloom. Maybe it was the rangers worried about losing their jobs if not enough tourists showed up or maybe it was the concessionaires. I don't know who it was, but reporters should maybe do a little more fact-checking. It seems that reality checking is something few people do anymore.

Re: Wildflowers 2016

PostPosted: Sat May 07, 2016 7:49 am
by shadylady
sandman: Not really much hard data to judge the quality of a spring bloom one year with a previous year. It's mostly just a subjective judgement. There are certain objective measurements which could be taken, but I doubt anyone actually takes the time each year to do the fieldwork required for that kind of thing. So, fact-checking isn't something that reporters can do much of. They just have to take the word of the rangers or whoever they talk to and there's a good chance that many of those rangers weren't around for the last truly super bloom.

Re: Wildflowers 2016

PostPosted: Wed May 11, 2016 8:16 am
by wildrose
Super Whatever: As I recall it was 2005 when the First Lady made the trip to Death Valley to experience the spring bloom. That year was a spectacular year and nothing has close since then. That's assuming I'm getting the year right, but I believe my memory is accurate on the year and one thing I know for sure is that Bush was in office at that time, but I can't recall his wife's first name and I'm not going to bother to look it up!