Spring has sprung, and this year wild flowers are blooming like never before. About once every decade, the area of Anza-Borrego Springs undergoes a “super bloom” in which perfect conditions result in huge amounts of blooming flowers for only a couple weeks.

These desert wildflowers, along with the open scenery provides an experience that Southern Californians can not get anywhere else.

“The weekend I went, it wasn’t fully blooming yet so I didn’t see very many flowers,” senior Aubreanna Ochoa said. “Lake Henshaw was really pretty when we drive by it and also saw a lot of cows. We went because it was extra credit for out AP Environmental Science class and we thought it would be cool. We made a lot of senior memories.”

Since the the flowers are really dependent on weather conditions, some students didn’t find what they expected. On the other hand, AP Environmental Science teacher, Mr. Muilenburg, gave students extra credit points for attempting to witness this natural rarity.

“It was about two hours away, but our group got lost on a dirt road,” senior Jennie Sprague said. “I went early when there weren’t many flowers there, but I had fun on the drive with my friends which made it worth it. The actual place wasn’t very exciting and was really hot.”

People have been flooding to this state park from all over the past couple weeks, and as some students discovered, the desert provided more than just beauty in nature.

“I went because I heard it was supposed to be the best year ever for flowers there,” senior Keli McGuire said. “It was really hot and crowded, but still pretty. We saw a lot of desert flowers, but there were also a bunch of statues in the middle of nowhere on the way there.”

Along the way, famous metal sculptures depicting desert creatures drew many visitors. From horses to serpents, these large pieces of art represent the history of the desert and the life it has provided.

“We went to see flowers, but we also came across cool metal sculptures that we took pictures with,” senior Taylor Richieri said. “My group didn’t get out of our car to look at the flowers, but I heard one group got their car stuck in the dirt for four hours. There wasn’t any service so we had to use actual maps and it was really difficult to navigate around when everything looks the same in the middle of nowhere. We also stopped in the little town of Anza-Borrego Springs to get help.”

Although some students struggled along the way, they were able to make memories with their friends in an interesting away away from civilization.

“I went with seven of my friends on a long drive there,” senior Sierra Tontini said. “We actually saw more along the way than when we got there, but it still was super fun. We saw some cows on the way there, but it was mostly just open desert. The flowers that were there were just tiny little daisies on the ground. It was really fun to go with my friends to make memories, but I don’t think it was worth it to see tiny flowers.”

To check out more about the park visit Anza-Borrego Park