Nature rewards us for withstanding the drought, surviving wildfires and suffering floods of the last decade with a super bloom.

This is a media title for a "killer wildflower year." All systems are GO with extended rain and sufficient cold to unlock dormancy mechanisms in many rare plant seeds. That's why it's a super bloom because so many plants, like cicadas, only do their thing once every seven to 10 years when it rains hard, with low daytime temperatures and cold nights.

Anyone who is ready to go out and mingle with the wildflowers should have a proper manual with color pictures to know what you're looking at. Without a botany tour guide, most folks don't have a clue.

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The most well-illustrated guide is "Mojave Desert Wildflowers" by Pam MacKay, which is one of the Falcon Guide series. Half- and quarter-page full color photos make it a must-have for serious viewers. It also helps you ID plants in your photos later on.

The best text is from Edmund C. Jaeger's "Desert Wild Flowers," published in 1940, reprinted and available to buy online. The detailed backgrounds on each species and ethnobotany are fascinating.

Some of the best diversity of seasonal annuals and perennials are found in the canyons around the edges of the Coachella Valley where they are protected from wind. The others are in the preserves and oases on the valley floor. But with this much rain, the whole valley could bloom heavily due to the soil disturbance by the Whitewater wash that brought lots of new seed to the valley's surface soils. Some species are notorious for flourishing when soils have been disturbed.

The timing of wildflowers begins earlier on the valley floor and extends much later in the high desert. This gives us a much wider season of viewing than other locations on just one elevation such as the coastline. It's likely the "super bloom" will begin in early March in the low desert and extend into June in the high desert. That's a three-month bloom season that gives us time to visit numerous locations.

Often the appearance of purple desert verbena in sandy vacant lots of Palm Springs starts the season off early. Cold weather is knocking back the bloom production of other urban wildflowers, so they may be slowed and bloom later. Each species will react to the conditions differently, so plan a few trips to find different combinations of plants and flowers as temperatures warm.

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The ultimate way to see flowers if you're not a walker or hiker is to plan an all-day drive through Joshua Tree National Park in April or May.

The main paved road connects the high desert entrance at Joshua Tree to the exit at I-10 to bring you back to the low desert in a giant loop. This route takes you into the Pinto Basin area, where vast colorful vistas of flowers are a once in a lifetime photo event.

The Cholla Garden area is a great place to park and wander a huge wide flat wash full of amazing plants without tackling rough country.

Virtually all the hiking trails in the area will be inundated with wildflowers. Hire a guided trail ride on horseback at Smoke Tree Stables get you deep into the Indian Canyons where you're not allowed to go on foot. High on a horse reveals some incredible surprises on canyon walls such as rare Dudleya saxosa.

Other top locations include Coachella Valley Preserve, Morongo Valley Preserve and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

Everywhere you go this year there will be flowers, so get out and travel around, wander and hike, or take a bus and go with a tour. Bring your camera with a macro lens if you want close-ups and a wide angle 27 mm or greater for sweeping landscapes. It's essential because one day in the future those photos will remind you that it takes brutal weather to give rise to such exquisite beauty here in arid California.

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