Western Railroad Discussion > Has the abundant rainfall produced a track-side wildflower bloom?

I'm curious if the abundant western rainfall has produced any track-side wildflower blooms this spring?
If anyone has current knowledge or photographs of track-side flowers, please share the locations. I observed impressive non-track-side lupine fields on highway 223 west of highway 58 toward Arvin on 3/24.
Back in April 1987 there was an impressive lupine bloom in the Tehachapi's at Bealville. Why I didn't mine this angle for more shots baffles me. I would like a go back on that day.

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This site has proven useful.
[url=http://​https://www.desertusa.com/wildflo/ca.html]​https://www.desertusa.com/wildflo/ca.html[/url]
—Mac

The TLTC (Tehachapi LIve Train Cameras) will give you a pretty good idea but not much yet. It snowed in Tehachapi
day before yesterday. As a matter of fact it's not even that green yet. 

Out 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/31/23 22:10 by callum_out.

Very nice look back, hard to beat that.

Bob

Posted from Android

That's a beautiful landscape and fantastic locomotive consist, thanks for sharing!

My understanding is that you can actually get too MUCH rain for a good wildflower show. In that case, all you get is grass.

Winston Hill

Wonderfull scenery!

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1

Sterk Wrote:
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> That's a beautiful landscape and fantastic
> locomotive consist, thanks for sharing!

----->  I'll second that!  <------

MP184 Wrote:
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> I'm curious if the abundant western rainfall has
> produced any track-side wildflower blooms this
> spring?

So far, the blooms are spotty, nothing spectacular like what you got in your photo. And as mentioned above, wildflowers are competing with grass in some areas. For drier areas where grass don't grow, the small pockets of blooms stand out:

- Warren (near Mojave) today.
- Between Bena and Ilmon.
 

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winstonhill Wrote:
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> My understanding is that you can actually get too
> MUCH rain for a good wildflower show. In that
> case, all you get is grass.

That is what seems to be happening. The grass continued growing through the rain and the flowers are a bit slower with the cold and cloudy days.  The grass in many areas is about to turn yellow because its matured and will die regardless of rain. It has crowded out the flowers.

 

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

Thank you for all the responses.
It does not look like my wish for a repeat of the 1987 Bealville flower bloom in 2023 will be granted. Maybe in 2024.

Posted from iPhone