How to Survive a Superbloom
Plus, the value of quiet, scientists try to ruin bigfoot, hiking fashion, and more
howdy
Shh – listen! Do you hear that? It’s the collective sound of every person in the American Southwest who loves the outdoors grinding their teeth at the onslaught of media coverage of an incoming (or already beginning) wildflower superbloom.
California has a boom-and-bust cycle of rainfall. It gets the overwhelming majority of its precipitation in just a few months at the beginning of the year. The years themselves have a boom-and-bust cycle, too – we’ll get a few years of below-average, then one or two of above-average, and then it repeats again … although the warming climate is making the cycles much longer and the weather more extreme.
On average, the Southwest is still in a nearly 20-year megadrought, but this year seems to be fairly decent for precipitation in both rain and snow, and that means once again every website, newspaper, and magazine editor has started sounding the call for superbloom prep.
I’ve been through this before, so you’ll have to forgive me if my enthusiasm is a bit dampened. In the late 2010s, we had some decent rain years between a few extra dry ones. Superbloom coverage was everywhere – and so were the swarming crowds of people who mostly just seemed to be focused on using this stunning natural display as a cute backdrop for social media … and big floppy hats, I guess.
It’s tough to figure out what Peak Superbloom was – was it the couple that chartered a private helicopter to illegally land in the Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve? Was it the closed trails or damaged hillsides? Was it the unhinged “influencers” who threatened me after I politely asked them to take down their wildflower-trampling Instagram posts for #sponsored Kroger to-go yogurt cups? (It might have been that, actually).
The last time we had a superbloom year, I tried something a little different – any time I saw someplace being reported as a superbloom hotspot, I stayed as far away from that area as I possibly could. Instead, I just wandered around some new trails I’d been meaning to explore and some old favorites that were due for return visits. And you know what? Not only did I have some of my all-time favorite wildflower experiences, but I also got to have most of them completely by myself.
So if you – like me – are already exhausted with bloomchasers, take my advice. Stay away from whatever hot spots you see being reported on. Follow some of our favorite resources and try to go at pre-peak times (or weekdays if you can swing it - I will always support you ‘calling out’ for nature). If you post on social media, try to set a good example. And remember to just enjoy whatever flowers you see, wherever you find them. Every bloom is super.
The Big Story
Something to talk about
Apparently We Are GORPcore
I am an Elder Millennial, so I am old enough to remember when lumbersexual was a thing (and the hand-wringing too-deep deep dives into what all these flannels and beards really meant for American masculinity). Well, everything old is new again, because TikTokkers are Columbussing on OUR dumb trends and giving them new names. So, we have GORPcore now.
GORPcore is – in all likelihood – what you’re wearing right now. “Gorpcore is essentially wearing traditionally functional and utilitarian outdoor wear outside of their intended use,” according to a creative director quoted in one of these articles. A celebrity stylist describes it as being a “trend for people who are rarely active outdoors but still wish to wear practical and functional hiking gear.” So, I guess, when you see someone wearing a slick Arc’teryx jacket, you might want to look for signs of wear and tear before you ask them for their favorite trail beta … Via CNN.
Modern Hiking
Good stuff from the Modern Hiker site
Best Wildflower Resources
This week, with all the talk about superblooms, I’ve pinned an old favorite to the front page. Although I’m a little exhausted with the coverage of superblooms, I remain a big, big fan of tracking down good wildflower bloom spots. It’s one of the best parts of enjoying the outdoors this time of year, and if you know where to go you can usually avoid the swarms of social media influencers rolling around on the flowered hillsides to get yourself some actual peace and quiet, too.
I have a helpful info-post on the Best Wildflower Resources for Southern California, which not only gives you a couple of must-check sites to keep tabs on bloom statuses, but also points you toward places that will help you learn more about why these plants are important – and even how to grow your own, too!
Your Parks
Your Places
Shhhh!
Do you like deserts? Are you psyched about science? Do you value QUIET? You may want to register for next month’s Quiet Research Retreat in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. This three day, two-night experience will let you spend time in the field with experts in the field of “soundscape science.” You and 14 other participants will help capture the sounds of nature in Anza-Borrego with Quiet Parks International. Food and accommodations are included. Learn more and register by March 3rd at the ABF’s website. It’s not cheap, but this sounds like a really unique way to enjoy one of my favorite parts of California.
Wildlife Crossing
Wildlife and the Outdoors
Scientists Ruin Bigfoot
I am not, in any way shape or form, a trained scientist. I went to school for communications and am what my guidance counselors referred to as “a humanities person.” But I love my scientist friends and am thankful for their efforts – EXCEPT for when they try to ruin fun with cryptids like Bigfoot / Sasquatch.
A researcher named Floe Foxon has published an analysis of Bigfoot sightings in the Pacific Northwest that finds “a high correlation between documented Bigfoot encounters and dense populations of black bears.” They found that on average, every 1,000 bear increase in the population results in a 2.7% increase in Bigfoot sightings. Way to ruin the fun, Floe!
Via Outside
Leafing Out
Plants!
10,000 Tiny Parks
A few weeks ago, the Portland Audubon announced it had reached a major milestone – 10,000 properties enrolled in its ambitious Backyard Habitat Certification Program. The project is a joint undertaking with the Columbia Land Trust, and it’s an incredibly user-friendly way to get people in the Portland metro area to increase the number of native plants in their home or apartment landscaping. The program is 15 years old, and now has “created a wildlife corridor that spans four counties and connects individual yards to larger swaths of land conserved by nonprofit organizations and government agencies.” In the Portland metro area, 691 acres of land have been certified, meaning they contain a certain percentage of native plants and other features that benefit wildlife.
I’ve gone through the certification process and it was a lot of fun – I had a volunteer advisor come to my garden site to give recommendations, I got a ton of info on plants suited to my yard, and I got a book of coupons to native nurseries in the area to help stock up my garden.
I would LOVE if other areas could take some tips from this program and launch their own versions – SoCal is where I learned how to garden with natives and it would be amazing to link up all of the region’s terrific native nurseries, nonprofits, and education centers … hint hint just saying c’mon y’all!
One More Thing
Oh yeah, before I go …
Does all this talk of record snowpack and superblooms have your friends thinking we’re out of the drought? With images of enormous snowpacks or newly-filled reservoirs, it can certainly seem that way, but Hayley Smith from the Los Angeles Times has a solid explainer article on how California’s snowpack is melting faster and earlier than ever before … so we’re not out of the clear just yet.
So yeah … get out there and enjoy those green trails and wildflower blooms. Summer is just around the corner.
Until next time, Happy Trails,
Thank you for this!!
Though, unfortunately, I think the abusers will just continue their selfish, thoughtless ways. But I hooe people like you with such good messaging have some impact.