Wildflowers bloom in California after record drought, in pictures
Lake Elsinore, Diamond Valley Lake and Chino Hills State Park have all experienced a sudden explosion of wildflowers after dry weather gave way to heavy rain.
Julia Lu, and Amy Liu walk through a massive spring wildflower bloom in Lake Elsinore, CaliforniaLucy Nicholson/Reuters
Lake Elsinore, 70 miles from downtown Los Angeles, saw a carpet of vivid blooms, mainly orange California poppies, covering the hillside, alongside the busy Interstate 15 highway. People walked the trails, took photographs, rested among the flowers and picked colourful bunches to take home. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, 80 miles southeast of Lake Elsinore, is seeing an abundance of wildflowers, according to the park's website. "Plentiful rains in December, January AND February have encouraged the development of a spectacular showing of annual plants," the park's website said.
The winter storms brought relief to most of the region suffering years of worsening record drought conditions though aquifers remain very low and would require many more years of heavier than average rainfall to recharge water tables to pre-drought levels. In this gallery, IBTimesUK presents some of the best photos from the parks across California, who have experienced the sudden bloom:
California poppies in Lake Elsinore, CaliforniaLucy Nicholson/ReutersA jogger passes between fields of flowers at Diamond Valley Lake, near Hemet, CaliforniaDavid McNew/Getty ImagesCalifornia poppies and Canterbury bells at Diamond Valley Lake, CaliforniaDavid McNew/Getty ImagesCalifornia poppies at Diamond Valley Lake, CaliforniaDavid McNew/Getty ImagesA California poppy at Chino Hills State Park in Chino Hills, CaliforniaFrederic J. Brown/AFPCalifornia poppies bloom at Chino Hills State Park in Chino Hills, CaliforniaFrederic J. Brown/AFPA massive spring wildflower bloom in Lake Elsinore, CaliforniaLucy Nicholson/ReutersWildflowers bloom in Lake Elsinore, CaliforniaLucy Nicholson/ReutersWildflowers bloom in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, CaliforniaSue Horton/ReutersCanterbury bells at Diamond Valley Lake, CaliforniaDavid McNew/Getty ImagesSnowy mountains are seen behind flower-covered hills at Diamond Valley Lake, near Hemet, CaliforniaDavid McNew/Getty ImagesRancher's fiddlenecks at Diamond Valley Lake, CaliforniaDavid McNew/AFPChias at Diamond Valley Lake, CaliforniaDavid McNew/Getty ImagesCanterbury bells at Diamond Valley Lake, CaliforniaDavid McNew/Getty ImagesRancher's fiddlenecks at Diamond Valley Lake, CaliforniaDavid McNew/Getty Images
