Bonnie Rannald's Photo-Explorations in focus with nature. : Blue Phacelia

Saturday, February 27, 2016

2016 Death Valley Wildflower Super Bloom

An artist palette of wildflowers carpets the desert

Who would ever imagine the splendor of wildflowers filling the landscape in one of the hottest and driest places on Earth? During February of 2016 Death Valley National Park has been accented with an abundance of desert flowers, also coined as a Super Bloom.

Death Valley is a national park in the U. S. and located in the states of California and Nevada. Covering an area of 5,219 mi², Death Valley is east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and in the Mojave Desert.

An El Niño weather pattern over the winter brought storms and rain to the area. The rainfall soaked the dry desert which allowed for the numerous flower seeds that have been lying dormant to germinate.

It is a rare occurrence when so many desert flowers bloom around the same time.

The wildflowers first begin to bloom in the lower elevations where the temperatures are warmer, filling the rugged desert ground with golden blooms.

Desert Gold Sunflowers and Golden Evening Primrose (Camissonia brevipes) blanket the slopes with the picturesque Black Mountains in the background. The colorful rocks are the result of oxidation with different metals, (red, pink and yellow from iron salts; green is decomposing tuff-derived mica, and manganese produces the purple).

Purple Notchleaf Phacelia (Phacelia crenulata) accent the harsh landscape around the salt flats of Badwater Basin.

Badwater Basin lies 279 feet (85 m) below sea level and usually only receives an average of 2 inches of rain a year.

The abundance of wildflowers in 2016 Super Bloom includes at least 20 different species and their sweet fragrance is almost overwhelming and like being in a formal garden.

Traveling up to the higher elevations where the temperatures are cooler, different species of flowers were found to be in bloom.

Along the Beatty Cut-Off Road accents of yellow and purple thrive in the rocky terrain.

Brilliant Yellow Cups seem to glow in the morning sun.

One of my favorite wildflowers due to its blue-lavender color is the Blue Phacelia or Wild Heliotrope.

This profusion of desert wildflowers will only last while the temperatures are mild and I was very fortunate to time my visit before the ones at the lower elevations began to fade. At this time in mid-February many of the Primrose had already started to bolt.

Follow my Photo-adventures Blog and check back for my next post where I will give more information, plus macro shots of the different species that I found.

What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been. I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences.

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

"Reflecting Nature's Artistry"

Many of these images are available on my website:

http://www.bonnierannald.com/

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Sunday, March 13, 2011

2011 Death Valley Wildflower Photograpy Sojourn

The 2011 Death Valley Photography Experience

On March 8, 2011 a group of nine people met in Death Valley National Park for the first annual Wildflower Photography Workshop, under the direction of Image Angels professional photographer Karen Linsley and me. Most in the group were unacquainted and what happened over the next one and half days was a remarkable bonding from sharing an adventure in one of the most inhospitable places on earth.

Death Valley was so named when a group of pioneers became lost in the winter of 1849 because they thought they were taking a shortcut to the gold mines in Californian. They were stuck in Death Valley for weeks and assumed dead. However only one in the group died.

What causes Death Valley to be such an inhospitable place is a number of factors. Located between the Great Basin and Mojave Desert, Death Valley has a violent creation over a span of millions of years from earthquake activity and severe erosion. Over time, flood waters rushing in to the lower elevations deposited salt and other minerals which collected in the 200 square miles (520 km2) valley floor, making any standing pools of water undrinkable, thus the name--Badwater. An exaggerated rainshadow effect causes Death Valley to be the driest area in North America, receiving on average 1.5 inches (38 mm) of rain a year. Having the lowest elevation in the Western Hemisphere, 282 feet (86 m) below sea level, Death Valley is also one of the hottest places on earth with a recorded temperature on 134 °F (56.7 °C) on July 10, 1913. Winter’s can also be harsh when temperatures drop toward the freezing point.

So why choose such a desolate, inhospitable location for a wildflower photography workshop? Along with the challenges that Death Valley presents, it also offers so much diversity with its rugged terrain, varying saturated colors and thriving ecosystems.

The following are highlights from our 2011 Death Valley Photography Experience:

After setting up camp at Furnace Creek,

the group relaxes before going out on the first photo shoot.

An Antelope Squirrel comes by looking for some snacks.

The first photo shoot was catching the sunset at the Sand Dunes.

Far in the distance, one of the photographers waits for the sun to drop.

A colorful sky greets us at sunrise the following day.

Wildflowers of Blue Phacelia and white Desert Chicory

grow in the slopes and rocky areas close to the main highway.

The Blue Phacelia grow profusely, accented with white Brown-eyed Evening Primrose.

Blue Phacelia and Brown-eyed Evening Primrose accent the rocks and wooded areas.

Creosote Bush and Brittle-bush color the desert with accents of yellow.

Setting out as a group with the goal to photograph the rare and unique wildflowers that bloom ever so timely in the spring, we were soon captivated by the lure of Death Valley’s mystique and the Wildflower Photography Workshop evolved in to a mutual photography experience with lasting memories and friendships. We are now committed and determined to offer The Photography Experience with return visits to Death Valley and other intriguing areas.

Next week's blog will be a continuation of the 2011 Death Valley Photography Experience, The Hike to Natural Bridge.