Wildflower bloom ahead of possible super bloom

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - If you're seeing flashes of yellow and orange this year, consider yourself lucky! Chances are, much of those -- and other colors -- are hidden by thick swaths of green in the local mountains.  

It's all on display right now at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden as Mother Nature lays the groundwork for a potential spring super bloom. 

"We've got a lot of wildflowers that haven't even started to bloom yet," said Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Executive Director, Steve Windhager.

But the ones that have, including orange California poppies and bright yellow Tidy Tips, are drawing visitors to the nearly 80 acre open space in Mission Canyon.

Windhager told your News Channel that what visitors are seeing now is the start to a "wildflower bloom."

"We're starting to see that bloom in our meadows but it's actually going to get better and better over the course of the years," said Windhager.

In order to understand the ground plan for Mother Nature's full super bloom, we need to get into the weeds because this year, there are a lot of them. And grasses.

"This year, honestly, I think we had too much rain," said Windhager.

The colorful cacophony of a super bloom is more complicated than people think. 

"A super bloom is that year when all the conditions are right and the wildflowers just take off and all of the seeds that are lying dormant in the soil get the right amount of moisture and they all produce incredible blooms and wildflowers. That doesn't happen every year," he said. "Some those seeds will stay dormant in the soil waiting for the right moment."

Windhager added that this might be one of those years. He explained that growing grasses and other species are competition this year for wildflowers so, the flowers that do bloom might not be as easy to see.

"Some of those long, distant vista views that just cover the mountains with color may not be quite as obvious or quite as dramatic."

Windhager talked about the ecological benefits of a super bloom.

"Super blooms are great opportunities for pollinators to take advantage of all the wealth and abundance of wildflowers and so you'll see that they're great for providing a lot of resources. And, what's really important is that they're laying down a lot of seeds for the next super bloom which may not be next year, it may be 10 years from now."

One thing flower lovers won't see in abundance this early April are shades of purple and blue.

"The one we're missing this year is the Lupine which hasn't shown up yet this year and it may not show up."

If you really want a Lupine fix this season, Windhager said you might have better luck with a visit to Figueroa Mountain in the Santa Ynez Valley. But, if it's closer to home, there is plenty to feast your eyes on in the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.

"In addition to wildflowers we have the Manzanitas that are still blooming, the Ceanothus (or California lilacs) are still blooming, the creek is running. Everything is looking its best and it's just vibrant and full of life!"

We can enjoy the wildflowers that are gracing our hills and canyons, likely into June.