SOUTHLAND – (INT) – Southern California’s display of wildflowers is only one result of the generous winter rains.

The array of blooms has transformed many mountain, foothill and desert fields into blankets of orange and yellow.

Ecologists at UC Riverside say that thanks to a very dry year in 2018, non-native grasses have thinned out enough to let wildflowers take over. The return of native wildflowers isn’t just beautiful. Wildflowers play a critical role in maintaining a diverse ecosystem and healthy populations of birds and insects.

The desert is having a terrific wildflower year, allowing its permanent population of painted lady butterflies to breed by the millions. Some follow the bloom northward, delighting Californians and butterfly-eating birds with their colorful swarms.

Richard Minnich, a professor of earth sciences at UC Riverside, and author of the book, “California’s Fading Wildflowers: Lost Legacy and Biological Invasions,” said “it’s all in the eye of the beholder.”

Story Date: April 4, 2019