This week, Shasta County wildflowers began taking advantage of warm spring weather to shoot out blooms. Soon they'll cover forest floors and fields with tiny yellow, blue, purple and orange blossoms.
As temperatures rise, and after two wet winters soaked much of the state, parts of California may get a superbloom this spring, according to biologists.
After three years of drought, flowers took advantage of 2023's historic rainfall to explode in a riot of color across the state. Now that temperatures are warming after another wet winter, wildflowers could do it again in 2024, according to the California Department of Parks and Recreation .
Biologists use the term superbloom to refer to a "relatively rare" desert phenomenon, according to Jennifer Iaccarino, district botanist with the Klamath National Forest.
“A superbloom is where flower seeds that have lain dormant in the desert, sometimes for many years, all bloom at the same time," Master Gardener and Shasta College instructor Leimone Waite said.
The term was popularized during the 2019 California superbloom and people now use it to describe any year in which flower numbers explode, Iaccarino said.
The North State may not have deserts, said Waite, "but we do have some spectacular wildflower blooms in the spring."
Where to see wildflowers in Shasta, Siskiyou and Tehama counties
Six years after the Carr Fire burned almost all of Whiskeytown National Recreation Area in Redding, park staff expect a burst of wildflower action this spring.
Nature's push to survive after the fire and two wet winters means there should be "some amazing blooms over the next several months parkwide,” Whiskeytown’s program supervisor Scott Einberger said.
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In March, early seasonal bloomers include shooting star, warrior's plume and manzanita. "California lilac and red bud are on the brink of blooming," Einberger said on Tuesday, March 19.
While most of the Whiskeytown area has wildflowers in spring, the best places to see them include:
- Davis Gulch Trail: Enter at the trailhead on Kennedy Memorial Drive, about one mile past Whiskeytown Dam.
- Crystal Creek Water Ditch Trail: Start from Crystal Creek Road near Highway 299.
Starting in April and May, look for wildflowers along South Fork Mountain Lookout Road, a gravel road open to foot traffic. Turn off of Highway 299, opposite the Whiskeytown Visitor Center. “There’s a gate about a quarter of a mile up the road. Park at the pullout there and then stroll up the road,” Einberger said.
In April, look for common wooly sunflower and fragrant coyote mint. Return to the park in May to see the dogwood bloom, Einberger said.
Whiskeytown has blooming wildflowers through October, he said. For more information on the park's indigenous plants, go to www.nps.gov .
Other great spots to view wildflowers include the Millville Plains in Shasta County and the Paskenta-Flournoy area in Tehama County, Waite said.
Siskiyou County's flower power comes later in spring
While some wildflowers are starting to bloom on south-facing slopes in the Klamath National Forest, it's hard to predict exactly when they'll blossom in throughout Siskiyou County. Rainfall varies and while some areas are warming up, others are still getting hard frosts, said Iaccarino.
Past wildfires, including the 2022 Slater Fire, can set the stage for brilliant spring and summer blooms, she said, but "it’s difficult to predict what Mother Nature will do in any given season."
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If Mother Nature decides to put on a spectacular wildflower show, there are plenty of places in Siskiyou County to see it.
Iaccarino recommends stopping at sites along Highway 97 northeast from Weed and Interstate 5. These "offer spectacular views of spring wildflowers along with the amazing backdrop of Mt. Shasta," she said.
“Spring typically brings large displays of lupines, California poppy, balsamroot, mule's ears, larkspur, lilies and many varieties of flowering shrubs and trees," said Iaccarino. The Klamath National Forest is home to more than 3,000 plant species, many of which “don't grow anywhere else in the world,” she said.
Park officials ask that people who visit a wildflower area leave it as pristine as it was when they arrived. “Stay on the road or designated trail (and) don't compact the soil, dig up plants or pick flowers," Iaccarino said.
Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook . Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Could Redding area get a 'superboom?' Where to see wildflowers in Whiskeytown, Klamath
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