2024-07-28 06:00:09
The Atacama Desert is blooming, with flowers covering arid expanses in white and purple hues. This unusual winter bloom, the first in a decade, is the result of rains in April.
Credit: Cesar Esteban Pizarro Gacitúa
The 11 mm rainfall and the morning fog “camanchaca” have awakened dormant vegetation. The first species to appear are the Cistanthe grandiflora and the Nolana baccata.
The current bloom covers between 300 and 400 km², according to Cesar Pizarro of Conaf. A spring bloom can extend over 15,000 km² with more than 200 species. It usually occurs after rains from June to August linked to the El Niño phenomenon.
In 2015, rains in March had already triggered a similar winter bloom, followed by a floral explosion in spring. This yearforecasts remain uncertain, the phenomenon The girl could prevent spring flowering.
A major challenge is the lack of pollinators, delayed by low temperatures, explains María Fernanda Pérez. Only a few moths, reptiles, birds and mammals have been observed. Plants have an autonomous pollination mechanism, but it is late.
The fuchsia flowers of Cistanthe grandiflora appear in this rare bloom.
Credit: Cesar Esteban Pizarro Gacitúa
Climate change could make these abnormal events more frequent, threatening the floral diversity of the Atacama Desert by leaving only bulbous plants or favoring invasive species.
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