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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us April 7, 2005 Death Valley is overrun with seekers of the 50-year bloom Photos and story by Denise Baratta Ashland Daily Tidings With every severe act of Mother Nature, some good can sometimes come out of the seemingly bad. For all of the flooding, landslides, destruction and death experienced in Southern California this past winter, a glimmer of goodness has sprung forth in the desert southwest as a result of the extreme weather. An afternoon rainstorm in Warm Springs Canyon whips fields of yellow and purple blooms into a windy mass. This portion of the canyon is usually marked by bare rock fields. Not seen in nearly half a decade, long hibrant seeds have awakened into a vibrant and glorious display of blooms and colors in areas ranging from Death Valley National Park and the Mojave Desert in Southern California into the southernmost regions of Arizona. Those here know it simply as the 50-year bloom. Normally receiving only 2 inches of rain per average year, this year Death Valley has received six. While extreme rains resulted in massive flooding this past August, killing two people and wiping out numerous roads that remain closed due to the heavy damage, tens of thousands of visitors have merged upon this relatively disregarded park due to the unprecedented amount of flowers that have found their way up through the rubble to bloom for a spectacular show. Purplemats, or belly flowers, bloom in low to mid elevations covering the floor of Death Valley in a carpet of rich violet cover. The bloom is attributed to the waxy coatings the seeds have, allowing them to remain dormant for decades before enough rain allows them to release their flowers. This year, the rain was enough. National media attention, including ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS and the Associated Press have driven visitor numbers up to record-setting levels. “It’s been crazy,” said Death Valley Park Ranger Terry Baldino, “of the unprecedented crowds. “On a normal day during the Spring vacation we get about 3,000 visitors per day. This year, we are seeing about 12,000.” While the height of the viewing season is in March, park officials are expecting the flowers to last until July in the higher elevations. Two of the thousands of photographers who have decended on Death Valley National Park in the past several weeks capture a sunset picture of flowers and colorful rock formations. Blooms of the brittlebush glow in late afternoon light. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Slippers Women's & Men's Slippers Ceramic Piggy Banks heloc libor rate Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Accelerate Weightloss Products Memory Foam Mattress afsa home equity loans teleconferencing W2 Forms Homeschooling Tatoos student loans Matchmaking & Dating Scripts African Safari Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems student loan consolidation diamonds Currancy Exchange Online Casinos Community Fasa Student Loans Tatoo Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams