Wildflower timing tools
Scientists report some wildflowers—like the scarlet monkeyflower—have evolved rapidly to survive drought, even as a multi‑year megadrought threatens bloom counts across the West. A new interactive map is live to help hikers and campers time trips to bloom‑rich places such as Carrizo Plain despite shifting spring patterns ( ).
A team led by Daniel Anstett and senior author Amy Angert published the Science paper on March 12, 2026 documenting “evolutionary rescue” in scarlet monkeyflower after the 2012–2015 drought by tracking populations for more than a decade and sequencing whole genomes from 55 populations. (news.cornell.edu) Field sampling began in 2010 by researchers including Seema Sheth, and the study reports some local monkeyflower populations fell as much as 90% before rebounds that correlated with rapid shifts in drought‑associated genetic variants. (phys.org) The team used a “seed time capsule” approach and linked specific genomic changes to drought‑tolerant traits — for example, shifts associated with reduced leaf water loss and altered carbon uptake that predicted which populations would recover. (science.ubc.ca) Hipcamp released a 2026 California “Superbloom Forecast” interactive map built from more than 150,000 research‑grade iNaturalist observations gathered between 2021 and 2025 to predict likely peak bloom windows and pair them with nearby campsites. (hipcamp.com) The Hipcamp layer highlights hotspots such as Carrizo Plain and lists estimated peak seasons (for example, poppy season mid‑March through May) while reporting year‑over‑year spring booking gains — +64% for Death Valley, +22% for greater San Diego, and +19% for greater Los Angeles. (hipcamp.com) NOAA’s Spring Outlook released March 20, 2026 warns drought is likely to worsen or develop across much of the U.S. West and the south‑central Plains for April–June, favors above‑normal temperatures across the western U.S., and notes that as of mid‑March moderate‑to‑exceptional drought covered about 55% of the continental United States. (noaa.gov)
