Flowering desert

The Flowering Atacama Desert (Spanish for Desierto Florido, also desert flower ) is a climatic phenomenon that occurs in the Atacama Desert, mainly in the Región de Atacama in Chile.

It is with the appearance of a variety of flowers from September to November in years - one of the driest deserts in the world - exceptional rainfall.

The climate is related the event with the global climate phenomenon El Niño, which causes overheating of the near-shore ocean currents. The coastal fog ( camanchacas ) that evaporate otherwise quite quickly, thereby contain sufficient moisture to as rain over the desert.

The rain causes large amounts of seeds and tubers, which are in a resting stage, at the beginning of spring to germinate or expel in the southern hemisphere begin, accompanied by a proliferation of insects, birds and small lizards. To flourish within a short time countless yellow, blue and violet colored flowers and herbs and turn the desert into a sea of ​​flowers. The event spreads in its greatest colors in the months of September-November from the north of the city to the north of the city Vallenar Copiapó, both near the coast and in the mountainous interior.

The plants make up more than 200 species, the majority of endemic species; they exist only in this region. Depending on whether it is a coastal or inland zone, outweigh other species and flourish independently within the stated time. The following species predominate:

• Lions paw (Spanish Garra de leon, Research Bomarea ovallei )
• Guanaco - paw (Spanish Pata de guanaco, Research Calandrinia longiscapa )
• Añañuca Amarilla (scientific Rhodophiala bagnoldii )

Due to different factors such as the presence of numerous tourists, the illegal sale of these species and the organization of auto racing in the desert, however, some environmental organizations have the progressive destruction of this heritage denounced because these activities limit the regenerative potential of the existing species during the last years. To keep the damage within limits, the Chilean government has introduced a series of prohibitions and fees and also launched information campaigns for the public, especially for tourists.