Death Valley is a desert – it gets only about 2 inches of rainfall per year. And since life depends on water, the valley name is quite appropriate.
Life in Death Valley is dormant – some plant seeds lay waiting to sprout, waiting for the right conditions. Every few years rains arrive, and the valley comes alive for a few weeks. Flowers like Desert Gold and Desert Five-Spot proliferate in formerly lifeless valley.
The flower activity gives a chance for insects and animals as well as they feast on this ephemeral abundance of plants.
The spring wildflower bloom peaks around March or April, and depends entirely on the rainfall in the preceding months. If conditions are right, all the seeds laying dormant sprout all at once.
Plants tend to shape the channels the water flows in as it makes its way down the slopes.
