Death Valley Bloom

Death Valley is as hauntingly stark as its name suggests. With landmarks like the Devil's Golf Course, Badwater Basin, and Furnace Creek, its windswept plains, scoured hillsides, and craggy peaks evoke a sense of hardship and an otherworldly moonscape. While truly beautiful in its own right, no one would call it lush.

Yet, once every decade or so, magic happens. The perfect combination of events (significant, well-spaced gentle winter rains and a mild, wet spring) cause seeds that have lain dormant for years to germinate, bringing the entire valley to life in a "super bloom."

I was lucky enough to see the gorgeous super bloom in 2005 but missed the one in 2016 and didn't even realize there was a small bloom in 2023. I was delighted to visit the valley earlier this week. It’s closer than I remembered (about two hours away) and filled with color. I saw vibrant purple phacelias and desert five-spots, brilliant yellow desert golds, and a delicate white daisy called the gravel ghost. Close to the ground, a plant with veined, soft green leaves called a velvet turtleneck cradled a gorgeous small yellow flower.

Since these blooms only happen every decade or so, this is a wonderful and rare time to visit. It is a beautiful sight, and relatively close to us, if you have the chance to go.