In a first glimpse of spring, the California desert is starting to pop with wildflowers, and the upcoming season promises to be a big one. Just like the Golden State’s explosion of color two years ago, 2019 is shaping up to a be a super bloom that will be at least as amazing as 2017 and maybe more so at many locations, says California nature guide author Ann Marie Brown. What makes a bloom “super”?

Following a winter of exceptional rain, Southern California's desert wildflowers have bloomed en masse. The event is dubbed a “super bloom.”

Color photograph of wildflowers after a Super Bloom in the CA desert. Color print is 5x5 inches in Black Wood Frame that us 6x6 inches.

During our workshop in Joshua Tree, we were told about a wash filled with desert flowers. Kevin McNeal, Steve Sieren and I decided to check it out one evening. Now you have to understand, Kevin is from the Pacific Northwest, and so he was understandably excited at the possibility of capturing the Joshua Tree National Park in bloom. What greeted us was a patchy field of flowers, so delicate that the slightest whisper of air moved the petals and a hazy Southern California sky. Watching Kevin hunt around for a composition, was a wonderful learning experience...or more aptly a one man stand-up comedy act. By positioning my camera, low to the ground , angling it to find the maximum group of plants in one spot, waiting for a break in the wind, and a few other tricks along the way, I managed to capture the moment. I can’t say enough about what I learned from Kevin at the Mountain High Joshua Tree Workshop. If you have time, they are hosting another workshop in the Tetons and Yellowstone, May 30th-June 5th. at www.mountainhighworkshops.com. Also check out Kevin’s new site www.photocascadia.com. The Dune Evening Primrose are lovely to capture during the sunset as they open in the early evening and close in mid-morning, making the desert appear as if it is covered with tissue paper.