The Death Valley Bloom of 2005 (inspirational)

[BrendaBrick]

Technology Transformation: The Death Valley Bloom

December 3, 2009 by Pete Reilly

Last week I heard Sir Ken Robinson mention the Death Valley Bloom of 2005. He suggested that we check it out on the Internet. I did, and I thank Sir Ken for leading me to explore this amazing phenomenon.

Death Valley, California is unique because it contains the lowest, hottest, driest location in North America. Nearly 550 square miles of its area lie below sea level. It is one of the hottest places on earth, attaining the second-highest temperature ever recorded, 134 degrees F. in 1913.

It contains the lowest point in the western hemisphere — 282 feet below sea level near Badwater.

In this harsh environment life seems rare.



Plants and animals work hard to survive. The landscape is barren, dusty, and devoid of color.

Death Valley averages less than 2″ of rain per year.



In the fall and winter of 2005 there were unusually heavy rains that dumped almost 6.5″ of rain on the desert floor.

Soon after an incredible transformation took place.

Wildflowers began to appear.



Entire hillsides began to come alive with flowers.



Splashes of color replaced the barren expanses of desert.

Death Valley was completely transformed in what has been referred to as the ‘Hundred Year Bloom”.



When we work towards transforming our schools, it sometimes feels as if our schools will never change.

We look out at the landscape of reform and see a vast desert.

Things look hopeless.

We don’t know where to begin. We get discouraged.

The Death Valley Bloom should give us hope.

The seeds of change are right there below the surface all the time.

As Sir Ken Robinson explained, they are merely waiting for the right conditions to bloom.

I love that thought. I believe it.



In order to transform teaching and learning we need to be the rain.



Make Rain!

pete

SOURCE (with a few more pictures): http://preilly.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/technology-transformation-the-death-valley-bloom/

"The seeds of change are right there below the surface all the time, they are merely waiting for the right conditions to bloom."

[LWolf]

1. I was there for the historic bloom of 1998.

I spent most of my spring break there, alone.

[BrendaBrick]

2. What was it like?

(If you don't mind my asking...) Was that around the time of "El Nino", I think?

[LWolf]

5. El Ninos came every few years; I don't remember if that was

an El Nino year, but it's possible.

The buzz was that it was the "hundred year bloom." My spring break was the first week of April.

It was HOT, even in April. The flowers, though...there were few places that were not carpeted. The colors, with the hot, dry, spare air, created a kind of sensory overload; a high without drugs. Barren expanses of sand, rock, and desert scrub suddenly overtaken by rivers of brilliant color...incredible.

I'd hike in a different place every day, with plenty of water, binoculars, a journal, and a field guide. And a camera; not digital then, so my pics are only in hard copy. I kept a list of every living thing I encountered, plant and animal. I spent time resting on rocks in the near silence. There were some other people in the center of things, but a 45 minute hike away from trail heads left almost all of them behind.

I stayed in a little room rented near a store for food; I'd come home each evening, worn out and covered with dried sweat; a shower, some food, and I'd spend the evening playing my guitar before turning in to do it all over again the next day.

I could have camped, but I really wanted that hot shower every day.

[BrendaBrick]

Wow.

The way you describe it...I almost feel as if I were actually there too! A high without drugs.

Thanks so much for sharing LWolf.

[izquierdista]

3. Harsh environment? Barren, dusty and devoid of color?

Not when you get to know it and know where to look. El Ninos that bring rain to the valley do green it up every few years. Those seeds have to be patient to survive and sprout and grow.

[BrendaBrick]

6. Just read this little tid bit about the seeds:

The flowers have adapted to the desert by developing seeds with coatings so thick or waxy that they can hibernate for decades. Only continued heavy rains will coax them to grow. Then, when there's just the right amount of moisture, sunlight and warmth, "it's all systems go," says Pam Muick, executive director of the California Native Plant Society.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7182113/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/death-valley-alive-wildflowers/#.TtKVeWFmncd

Can hibernate for decades...that's pretty impressive!!!

On a related note, geesh, its been several years now...but I remember watching something, somewhere about these certain type of frogs, I don't think that it was in the US...maybe Australia? I can't recall...anyway - the landscape looked just like the first photo. All dried and cracked and peeling and you would think that NOTHING could be living underneath...yet - sure 'nuff - a big storm came and these frogs that were hibernating for who knows how long?...all of a sudden emerged...and of course, quickly mated.

To watch how surely some extremely patient and devoted photographer/film-maker was able to capture that still kind of blows me away!

I just wish I could remember where I saw that. Wild Kingdom, maybe? I dunno ~ but it was really, really cool!!!

[izquierdista]

8. Check out the bloom in the Atacama

As I recall, it was a couple or three years ago. You can find photos on Google Images. It rained some places that had not had measurable rain in 400 years. But there were seeds that had been blown in by the wind, and the rains did bring them to life.

[BrendaBrick]

9. 4 HUNDRED YEARS!!!!!

(What happened to 'jaw drop' icon?, btw)

Awesome!!!

[Johnson20]

4. Life's ability to survive and grow is truly amazing.n/t

[BrendaBrick]

7. Yes indeed. Reminds me of a quote by Tupac Shakur:

“It’s like if you plant something in the concrete and if it grow and the rose petal got all kinda scratches and marks, you ain’t gonna say ‘damn, look at all the scratches and marks on the rose that grew from the concrete..’ you gonna be like ‘DAMN! a ROSE grew from the CONCRETE’!”

~Tupac Shakur



RIP Tupac.

Source: http://thefirstmorning.wordpress.com/2008/11/ (posted third down)