Superblooms sprout bursts of colors around the Bay Area
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - As spring continues to unfold, between intermittent rains, wildflowers are eager to explode into a floral wonderland.
At Mt. Diablo State Park, the California poppies appear in patches with many more likely to sprout up.
"There's been certainly some spectacular years, and this is shaping up to be one of them you know and this is just sort of the first phase of it, with the poppies, always kind of first. When you go up further, and the flora changes a little bit, then you get into some other plants," said cyclist Bill Shedd.
If this is just beginning, the future looks bright for a spectacular Mt. Diablo spring season.
Photos: California poppies are blooming in the East Bay; here's where to see them
KTVU photojournalist Jaden Schaul captured a large swath of California poppies showing off their colors at the Shell Ridge Open Space in Walnut Creek.
"Certainly, in the last couple of years, they're beautiful with the moisture and every season is great. It's fun to see the contrast. You come here in the fall and it's totally dry and there's tarantulas and you come up here and there's flowers now," added another cyclist Jim Warner.
The City of Walnut Creek's Shell Ridge was not just showing off a burst of colors, but the valley below had hints of purple and radiant green that will end up on a spectacular display in the coming days and weeks.
Other places likely to have super blooms include Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve, south of Antioch; Coyote Hills Regional Park, north of Newark; Briones Regional Park, east of Pacheco; Sunol Regional Wilderness, east of Fremont and Anthony Chabot Regional Park, east of the Oakland Zoo.
Superbloom season will likely be in abundance statewide.
"Just this weekend I'm gonna go down to Joshua Tree and I hope to hopefully see some super blooms," said Shedd.
Those hoping to get a glimpse of the superbloom should check in advance to see if the bright flora has arrived. Otherwise, there might be some disappointment.
A few of the most popular super blooms are likely to be found to the south in Joshua Tree, Death Valley, and Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve.
For Michel Ng and his son, the blooms at Mt. Diablo are just fine.
"For many years, we didn’t see a lot of flowers. Since it's spring, you want to catch the best moment of your life. You know, the flowers are best," said Ng.