Set for epic blooms
If you love California wildflowers, it’s not too early to go to Death Valley. Desert golds and sand verbena started popping up in early January at lower elevations on the south side of the national park. Some say this year’s El Niño rains could mean an epic season after paltry blooms in recent years. “Southern Death Valley National Park is blowing up! Desert gold (Geraea canescens) is going absolutely wild near Ashford Mill,” wrote the Amargosa Conservancy on the Desert USA online wildflower report. “Flowers at low elevations … should be good through late March or early April,” park spokeswoman Abigail Wines wrote in an email.