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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Katharine Gammon in Los Angeles

The dazzling, troubling history of California superbloom tourism

People walk on a trail through a hillside covered in yellow blooms.
People walk amid wildflowers blooming in Carrizo Plain national monument near Santa Margarita, California. Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images

This year’s California wildflower superbloom is a historic phenomenon, brought on by an unprecedented wet winter. Miles of golden-orange poppies, purple desert sand-verbena and pink filaree are visible from space. This time of year it seems that everywhere from remote corners of the desert to drab highway medians are bursting with color.

The spectacle draws thousands of visitors every spring, who flock to enjoy the view and take photos of the unique natural spectacle – as people have done for generations.

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