Helen Doyle reflects on how California’s spring bloom is flourishing all around us.
The Bay Area, really all of California, experienced an unprecedented winter. Many people across the state have suffered irreparable losses – of loved ones, of homes, of livelihoods. And we have yet to realize the full impacts of the persistent rain and snow, wind, and cold — and now the big thaw — across the state.
Yet now, as the days lengthen and the sun shines more warmly and brightly, we can see the positive effects of the crazy weather we’ve endured. News stories and social media have been full of pictures of super-blooms of our state’s gorgeous wildflowers – the iconic golden orange California Poppy perhaps the most famous of all.
But not to worry if you couldn’t hit the peak bloom here or there, not to stress about making it out to a state or regional park. | invite you to look around wherever you are- as you walk in your neighborhood, commute along a freeway, play in a local park, wait at a bus stop. What’s blooming? What looks different from last year? What’s spilling over its container? What critters are hovering or flitting around? What looks ready to take over the world?
California, with its Mediterranean climate and varied ecosystems, is the most biodiverse state in the nation. Many native plants loved this winter and spring’s rainy, cool weather – leafing out to catch more sun, extending their blooming period, waiting patiently to disperse their seeds.