We now take you north and into the high desert of the Antelope Valley. This valley got its name from the large numbers of pronghorn that once roamed here into the 1800s, before they were nearly exterminated. The triangular-shaped desert plain opens out into the western edge of the Mojave Desert. The San Andreas Fault Zone extends along its southern flanks into the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, while the Tehachapi Mountains branch out along its northwestern border. These massive mountain barriers leave it in a classic dry rain shadow facing the continent, even though most of the valley sits at just below 3,000 feet (~900 m) elevation.
As the wet winter storms of 2023 passed through, orographic precipitation drenched nearby mountains to the south and west and buried higher elevations in record snowfall. But the rain shadow performed on steroids, leaving relatively meager precipitation totals in the high desert and even drier conditions farther east. By late April, official weather stations recorded seasonal totals ranging between about 3-6 inches across the Antelope Valley, with substantial drop offs toward the east. But the weather station named Poppy Park near the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve apparently recorded a whopping 16 inches of rain. If this isolated anomaly is even close to correct, it helps to explain the impressive superbloom that erupted around the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve in April and it also helps us understand why many other parts of our deserts weren’t invited to this year’s spectacular flower display. Sit back and enjoy the show.
Where are the poppies? A variety of flowers greet visitors to the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve during spring. Soil characteristics, slope aspect, water availability, diurnal temperatures, wind exposure, and air drainage determine where and when particular species and their blooms will appear. The Mojave Desert is home to more than 20 phacelia species. These blue flowers look like Lacy (Hiddenflower or Small flowered) Phacelia (Phacelia cryptantha). They grow adjacent to the yellow Fiddlenecks (Amsinckia tessellata).Poppies, goldfields, and other flowers decorate high desert terrain just below 3,000’ (~900 m) elevation around the Antelope Valley. In the distance, sprouting wind turbines whirl in the prevailing breezes and occasional gales that tumble down mountain slopes and into the desert.Trails around the Poppy Reserve allow admirers to examine (without trampling) annual wildflowers erupting among the desert scrub. Folks quickly realize that other species blend their yellows to mix with the more orange-colored poppies. Common sunflowers, such as Goldfields (Lasthenia californica) may form carpets of yellow. It’s difficult to tell who’s who as we look farther toward the horizon.
Lupine species, such as blue Pygmy-leaved Lupine (Lupinus bicolor), are widespread, appearing in large numbers across western states. These members of the legume family are commonly found growing next to the poppies.
In 1903, the California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica) was designated California’s official state flower. Watch it stand out above goldfields and mingle with other plants that might include introduced weeds, here and throughout the Golden State.
These little white flowers look like Chaenactis fremontii , often labeled with common names such as Fremont or Desert Pincushion. They are in the daisy family and frequently appear across our high and low deserts during spring.
Isolated Wild Hyacinth or Blue Dicks (Dipterostemon capitatus) emerges above and decorates a variety of California plant communities from Oregon to Mexico. This stand-out perennial herb grows from a bulb during spring.
Your inner botanist might emerge at the little Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve Visitors Center. If you visit in the spring, it’s best to go early on a weekday to avoid poppygeddon crowds.
Eschscholzia californica is the star at this Visitor Center, where it helps define the Golden State.
You will discover plenty of natural science learning opportunities once you’ve wrestled your way through the crowds of flowers and people. This Visitor Center display celebrates a local high desert web of life. Kangaroo rats and meadowlarks feed on seeds (meadowlarks also eat insects); rattlesnakes prey on kangaroo rats and other unfortunates; roadrunners eat insects, small mammals, snakes, and lizards, along with their balanced diet of fruits, seeds, and prickly pear. The bobcat (peeking through) will feed on most smaller animals. Don’t be surprised to find a wily coyote (who seems to eat almost anything) hiding in the background in this nonstop predator-prey opera.
Each flower’s colors and aromas are adapted to attract particular insects and other pollinators that will then find food and help propagate the species. During this April, the hills are alive, but the buffet will be nearly empty and the party will be over by late summer.Visitors to the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve are restricted to designated trails so that they don’t trample the flowers. However, folks venture just outside the boundaries of the reserve for their chance to romp through the superbloom, as seen here.
We find many of the same species flowering in the open high desert just beyond the Reserve, but the poppies especially call out for attention. Who is winning in this battle for and between pollinators?
This is what an historic superbloom looks like after an historic winter. It’s April 21, 2023 in the Antelope Valley. Selfie City won’t last long under a blazing sun and such color may not return for years. But an El Nino is expected to develop before next season, which could encourage a repeat. Any bets?
