Death Valley wildflowers rising in major bloom

[David_Senesac]

As I expected in the earlier sub-forum thread, Death Valley Flash Flood, all that rain during the flood is now producing a major vegetation bloom with most of it coming from the enormous 2005 seed bed that has been laying there dormant for a decade. Glowing reports are that southern areas of the park from Artist Drive south to Jubilee Pass are exploding, especially with brown-eyed primrose just like it began in 2005. All the other usually species including desertgold are rapidly rising. That region is also the lowest zone of the park, much below sea level as it is the end of the Armagosa River basin. It is also not only the warmest part of the park in winter but also about the balmiest location in our Southwest deserts. Note the LA Times just broke a story on the bloom yesterday January 22 that is sure to generate a lot of interest.

An unknown after the flood was what parts of the park actually got unusual soaking rains because there is only a single weather station for park at Funeral Creek thus most of the park can only be assessed vaguely from Las Vegas weather radar. We did know mid-northern sections up by Scotties Castle had heavy rains because that was where most of the damage news played. But now the green plants rising in the south answers that question. I was also uncertain about when the bloom would rise and peak so tentatively thought mid February to mid March might be the peak. But the late October deluge set the clock running early and my suspicion is those annuals can rise at any time during the winter season after a delay from adequate rains. Of note, SR178/Jubilee Pass Road west of Shoshone is and apparently will remain closed as is under repairs. To the south of the dogleg, Harry Wade Road (dirt) is open but marginal for high wheel base 4WD. What that means is anyone driving south from Funeral Creek SR190 south down Badwater Road to the flower areas had better have a full tank of gas because it will be an out an back effort.

Am thinking of making the long 480 mile drive from the San Jose area by next weekend but uncertain whether to spend a whole week down there or not because other areas I have major plans for at higher elevations in the north regions of that national park that I'll need another week for will remain dormant for a couple more months. For more info on weather and road conditions Google "death valley morning report"

[Sirius Glass]

We plan of going to Death Valley early Spring this year.

[Nodda Duma]

I remember the floods of '05 (though I thought it was '06), which turned badwater into a shallow lake....large enough that kayakers were out on it. The desert flowers were beautiful then too. Even in Indian Wells Valley where we lived.

...and then the bugs swarmed in on the feast of flowers.

[Jim Noel]

Check the DV web site for a daily update on weather, roads and flowers.

[Sirius Glass]

I remember the floods of '05 (though I thought it was '06), which turned badwater into a shallow lake....large enough that kayakers were out on it. The desert flowers were beautiful then too. Even in Indian Wells Valley where we lived.

...and then the bugs swarmed in on the feast of flowers.

We went one weekend then and the park was empty, just the rangers and us. The floor of the valley was carpeted with yellow and purple flowers. Visibility 150+ miles with nice clouds. That weekend that Los Angeles Times ran a Travel Section article about how great is was and two weeks later fights were breaking out in the gas lines.

[Drew Wiley]

It's hard to predict because it might actually be late fall or early winter rains which trigger a particular kind of bloom. There are actually websites dedicated to
California drylands bloom predictions, with steady updating, covering not only true desert like Death Valley and Borrego, but places like the Carrizo plain and
Antelope Valley etc. I've been in Death Valley twice in my life where there was a thirty-mile long lake in it, in the last instance with people kayaking in it. I took
a shot or two from the hills above, and a number of 8x10 color negs of clay hills all tinged with green. Trying to get film to properly respond to the all those rare
mineral colors in DV is a very difficult task, quite different than capturing the secondary light of sunrises and sunsets like people generally do. The only thing that worked well was the old pre-E6 Agfachrome sheet film -grainy as hell, but responsive to hues that modern film somehow can't even see, including fluorescent lichen.

[Drew Wiley]

I might add that I prefer things slightly before the "peak" bloom. Not just to beat the crowds, but because the first crop of wildflowers tends to be lower to the ground and more cooperative in terms of depth of field with big cameras. On that last trip a decade or so ago, I left Death Valley and hit the Carizzo at itself the
beginning of the bloom, with vast intricate carpets of shallow flowers, well before all the tall growth.

[David_Senesac]

Just earlier than peak bloom also tends to be more nicely greener.

As a color landscape photographer, Provia 100F has excellent color fidelity with natural day light conditions. Unlike many who are focused on early or late warm light, my preference for exposing Provia in order to bring out the best natural rock color is usually an hour or three after sunrise or before sunset. Many types of rock transmit most saturated color when sunlight has enough altitude to be absorbed to short depths by rock surfaces, (since many minerals have translucent components) where white sunlight is hue filtered and then reflects out.

Flood washes just south of Golden Canyon March 2005.



Same area a month later early April after desertgold rose up.



And some paleozoic landscapes near Jubilee Pass March 2005 where the ancient rock has light pink and orange beige hues.

http://www.davidsenesac.com/images/print_05-D-34.html

The classic DVNP icon subject for colored rock is what one can see along Artist Drive. An icon subject shot millions of times. However there are better landscapes with those same colors in that zone the public never sees and for which tripods have probably never looked out on. Beyond that Amargosa Range geology, there are some other landscapes in the park to the north I will be visiting later in the winter that have colors people will be absolutely amazed no one had earlier brought to public light. And that is all because much like I found in Petrified Forest NP 3 years ago, there are vast areas almost no people ever venture into. As a DVNP ranger told me in 2005 after we talked about some of the unusual places I explored, "frankly most people are afraid to hike cross country in a waterless desert even in the winter season".

David
http://www.davidsenesac.com/2015_Tri...onicles-0.html

[Sirius Glass]

We went one weekend then and the park was empty, just the rangers and us. The floor of the valley was carpeted with yellow and purple flowers. Visibility 150+ miles with nice clouds. That weekend that Los Angeles Times ran a Travel Section article about how great is was and two weeks later fights were breaking out in the gas lines.

Same area a month later early April after desertgold rose up.



And some paleozoic landscapes near Jubilee Pass March 2005 where the ancient rock has light pink and orange beige hues.

http://www.davidsenesac.com/images/print_05-D-34.html

Now that is what I was talking about!

[Drew Wiley]

Believe me, there are some places in the backcountry that have far more incredible colors than Artist's Drive, and Provia won't touch some of the mineral greens
worth a damn. There are all kinds of strange rare things in those rocks. It's not like taking pictures of flowers. But of course, there are many other exciting things that most E6 films will respond to. But there are some ethical issues involved. I'd hate to see someone stumble onto some of these sights that even the Park
Service wants to keep secret due to their sensitivity, and have someone plaster pictures all over the place with specific titles and damned GPS coordinates. But
if you don't carry a big canteen nobody will have anything to worry about anyway.