Photos of rare Superbloom of California's poppies captured by NASA Director

[procon]

I live in here! In the Antelope Valley, I'm about a quarter mile to the left of this photo.



You can't see this amazing display of color anyplace else, close up this year's spectacular Superbloom of dense orange poppies is overwhelming and so bright they hurt my eyes. They are all around me and I feel like I'm in the scene in the Wizard of Oz where Dorothy's running through the poppy field, the color is so intense that it's almost like a high. In smaller groups, my yard is carpeted with orange poppies and a kaleidoscope of other wildflowers in vivid yellow, also white, pinks, and purples.

Link to tweet

Glenn Graham, director of NASA's Safety+Mission Assurance & a pilot, flew above the Antelope Valley’s Poppy Reserve #superbloom in the center’s T-34 mission support aircraft on April 2.

[GemDigger]

1. WOW! That is eye candy if I ever saw eye candy. Thank you.

[MuseRider]

2. Just beautiful.

I have never seen this in person but the photos are so beautiful. I did see the big wildflower bloom outside of Palm Springs once. Not like this but beautiful as well. How long do you have the spectacular wildflower bloom?

[procon]

4. They usually only last for a couple of weeks, but with this

unusual Superbloom, they might last a little longer this year. They are very fragile and delicate, and start to wither if you pick them, fading away to limp lifelessness. I've had some success drying and pressing the poppies in layers of tissue paper covered in borax, and I'm going to do that tomorrow.

[MuseRider]

6. How great

to be able to dry them!

[Merlot]

11. You know, of course, that picking them is illegal.

I'm guessing you'e picking up the already dead ones.

[procon]

16. It's illegal to pick them on public lands.

There are warning signs posted at the Poppy Reserve, but the tourists that are flocking to the area can't read. Our community Facebook page reported that professional photographers were trying to stage photo shoots with models (both in the nude and fashion) frolicking through the poppies, crushing everything in their wake. The park service was handing out tickets by the score!

Packets of poppy seeds can be purchased locally, and maybe online too. I don't know if they can be propagated as they need a series of specific weather related events to happen within a narrow block of time for the poppies to bloom at all. Some years we've had no blooms at all because the conditions weren't right. That's why this year's Superbloom is such an exciting event.

[Raine]

17. It's awful that people have no consideration and end up destroying the

beauty that they came to see. My grandfather grew poppies in his yard I remember them from when I was a little kid. If these people are that much into poppies they should plant a garden and grow them.

[Sunlei]

3. How Beautiful! My Wild Horse was captured near that area, every spring she eats flowers!

*just the new flowers & a couple tiny nips of fresh new pine tips*

Must be medicine for the soul

[procon]

5. Our local vets have been posting warnings about avoiding grazing in pastures

with lots of wildflowers as some varieties are toxic to horses. Lethal beauty! They report that Yellow Fiddleneck is a bad one that is in bloom now and can cause acute liver failure if a horse eats enough of it.

[Sunlei]

7. She was born & lived in the wild for years. Her family taught her well.

She can 'catch rain' as well as select only certain flowers or plants. I think for their sweetness or maybe medicinal properties?

She's 22 years old now and has never been sick a day in her life. I free feed a decent hay & unlimited access to pasture, some flowers & plants she never touches.

She also loves Japanese Wisteria flowers, will clear the vines of flower-buds before the flowers even open.

[StarryNite]

8. Which herd was she from?

The BLM and Forest Service are ripping our wild horses out of the wild as fast as they can. Sadly there are so many who will lose their freedom and wind up standing in a feedlot or worse. It sounds like your girl has a wonderful forever home! Thank you for adopting her!

[sarge43]

9. What a glory!

Congratulations California. Best in show.

[NurseJackie]

10. "Poppies will put them to sleep. Sle-ee-p. Now they'll sle-ee-p."

"Now my beauties. Something with poison in it I think. With poison in it. But attractive to the eye and soothing to the smell. Ha-ha-ha-ha. Poppies. Poppies. Poppies will put them to sleep. Sle-ee-p. Now they'll sle-ee-p."

[Texasgal]

12. That is GORGEOUS!!!

Texas is also having a banner Bluebonnet season!

[nini]

13. we had wild poppies in the backyard when I was a kid

I was down near the LA Harbor. I loved them and would love to see them like in the pics.

[cally]

14. Just drove up hwy 1 from Santa Cruz to the Bay Area---amazing wildflowers

I’ve never seen so many there! I went to Anderson Valley last week. Anyone who can go, should just go. Once in a lifetime display I expect. Sooo glad I made the long drive to see the beauty.

[Raine]

15. BEAUTIFUL!!!!

Thanks for posting this!