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When Corina Godoy, a native-plant specialist with the Mojave Desert Land Trust, invited me on a hike into the desert near Joshua Tree, I said yes. That’s me being more open. Cultivating curiosity. Yes, yes, yes. Plus, another superbloom.
From a trailhead south of town, we headed up a dusty wash. It quickly became apparent that superbloom is a relative term. We did not arrive at dense carpets of orange poppies. We did walk among Joshua trees, their branch tips sprouting light-green buds. And there were plenty of flowers, their colors extravagant against the sandy-hued hillsides: yellow tickseed, desert golden poppies, pink wild hyacinth.
Godoy was ecstatic. She’d been working hard in the land trust’s nursery, cleaning native seeds and prepping germination beds. It had been some days since she’d gotten out.
“Oh, this is a purple mat,” she said, bending over a plant that displayed fuchsia blooms. “Last year they were very discreet. This time they’re quite showy!” As in most of California, parts of the Mojave had seen unusual amounts of rain in this third year of La Niña. Even the botanist was taken by surprise, stopping often along the desert floor.
“One color that you’ll commonly see out here is yellow, even some oranges, but the blues and purples, they hold a special place in my heart,” Godoy said. “They’re glowing. This is such a great year to see what’s in bloom. Even the lichen. It’s all too much!”