Places to see desert bloom

Deserts are attached with aridity, very hot air, cracked land or vast sand dunes, not suitable for organisms to live, just some species that are drought tolerant. That’s the reason why the fact that flowers bloom in the desert makes many people surprised and excited. The blooming time in a desert sometimes is not because of spring, but often due to unusually high rainfall.

Around the world, people have recorded some deserts blooming, let’s see which they are!

Ataсama Desert, Chile

The Atacama Desert covers more than 181,000 square kilometers, located in the north of Chile. This is one of the driest and sunniest places in the world, according to NASA. Scientists have discovered that the topography of the Atacama is very similar to that of Mars. Therefore, Atacama attracts a lot of attention whenever it blooms. This desert usually receives less than 1mm of rain per year, even some areas have not had rain for the past 500 years. This year, unusually high rainfall helped flowers to bloom and impress many.

It is known that Chile is trying to protect this phenomenon through the Desierto Florido National Park project in the southern area of Atacama desert. Chilean President Gabriel Boric assured Desierto Florido to be established with the highest standards of environmental protection in Chile. It is set to open in early 2023 and will be the 44th national park in the country.

Pinnacles Desert, Australia

The Pinnacles Desert is located in Nambung National Park, about 200km north of Perth, convenient for you to visit. Pinnacles is such a strange desert with thousands of weathered limestones, rising from the sand. The beautiful natural limestone structure was long formed, about 25,000-30,000 years ago, making visitors feel like they were lost on another planet.

Not only its unique scenery, Pinnacles also captivates many travelers thanks to the phenomenon of blooming. If you want to see flowers here, you should visit from August to October, when wildflowers begin to bloom beautifully. If you want to admire the beauty of the limestones, choose the time of sunrise or sunset in spring.

Namaqualand Desert, South Africa

Despite being a desert, Namaqualand usually gets higher rainfall than other regions in Africa. In the months with little or no rain, the landscape here is barren and dry, but from August to October, the more rainfall makes flowers and plants grow. Among them are rare flowers such as Golden Sparaxis, Purple Geraniums or Snow Protea. In addition to rainfall, flowers in Namaqualand bloom a lot depending on the wind and sunshine. The cold air at the end of the year makes the flowers bloom even more. In spring, higher temperatures will cause the flowers to wilt. This desert has blooming flowers every year. After wilting, the seeds fall off, are buried in the soil and wait to germinate to start a new life next year.

Anza-Borrego Desert, USA

Anza-Borrego desert state park is located in California, USA. From February to April is the ideal time to see the flowers and plants creating a colorful carpet here. However, it is difficult to predict exactly when flowers will appear because this phenomenon depends on many factors such as the amount of rain absorbed in winter, sunlight, wind strength and temperature.

Early 2019, “super bloom” happened here due to the wet weather. It was the second “super bloom” in two years in California, which is considered very unusual because it often occurs on average once in about a decade in a specific area. If there is a drought, it is even less impossible to see.

Badlands, USA

The Badlands area in Utah is famous for its aridity with cliffs, cracked land and unspoiled landscapes. Nevertheless, at the right time, visitors will have the chance to immerse themselves in the surreal scene when wildflowers and cactus flowers sprout from the barren ground.

In the spring, when the humidity reaches the highest level, the seeds lying in the crevices will suddenly sprout and bloom, but only for a very short time. When moisture is not enough, the flowers will wither quickly. So, just visit the Badlands if you know for sure flowers are blooming in this area!