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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Nayara Batschke

It's spring in the Southern Hemisphere and even Chile's Atacama Desert is blossoming

APTOPIX Chile Desert Flowers - (Copyright 2026. The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Spring has finally arrived in the Southern Hemisphere and, in Chile, even the desert is blossoming.

Known as the driest nonpolar desert on Earth, a massive portion of the Atacama Desert has been covered in flowers after the El Niño weather pattern brought heavy rains to the region earlier this year. The unusually large amount of water allowed millions of seeds and bulbs to sprout and bloom, many of them after remaining dormant for decades.

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