A superbloom is a rare desert botanical phenomenon in California and Arizona in which an unusually high proportion of wildflowers whose seeds have lain dormant in desert soil germinate and blossom at roughly the same time. The phenomenon is associated with an unusually wet rainy season. The term may have developed as a label in the 1990s.[1][2][3]
A similar phenomenon also occurs annually during the wet season along the arid west coast of South Africa between Cape Town and Namaqualand;[4] notably at nature reserves such as the West Coast National Park and Goegap Nature Reserve.[5][6]
- ^ Holly Ober (March 15, 2019). "Superbloom? If you say so". UC Riverside News.
- ^ Eleanor Imster (February 26, 2016). "Rare superbloom in California's Death valley". EarthSky.
- ^ "Arizona wildflower update: The 2023 bloom is still going strong. Here are 6 places to look". The Arizona Republic. Roger Naylor. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
- ^ Klein, JoAnna (October 5, 2016). "Why a South African Desert Blooms Into an Annual Flower Show". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- ^ "Off to enjoy the West Coast spring flowers? Here are the best places to visit". CapeTalk. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- ^ McCain, Nicole. "Spring is in the air: City of Cape calls on residents to have a blooming good time at nature reserves". News24. Retrieved May 4, 2023.