Native wildflower blooms vary depending on the weather and elevation, Meyer said, with the flowers lasting well into August in the high mountains.

"We've had above average rainfall this year, so the soil has stayed consistently moist, which is important," he said. "And we had a huge seed production from last year, so it's going to be interesting to see what happens. I think we'll definitely see a lot of flowers this year."

Which does not necessarily mean a superbloom. Scientists tend to be careful about making predictions but botanist Naomi Fraga, director of conservation programs for the California Botanic Garden, can't talk about one of her favorite subjects without betraying a little excitement for what might be coming.

The seed bank has been recharged, she said, but that doesn't mean those seeds will bloom in 2024; wildflower seeds can lie dormant for years before they germinate.

However, Fraga said, some stunning displays are already beginning in desert areas, boosted by heavy rains last August from Tropical Storm Hilary. The Anza Borrego Foundation, for instance, is already posting breathtaking photos of vast wildflower blooms on its Instagram page.

That heavy rain in August "primed the ground to receive and hold on to new rain, so everything got absorbed really well when the winter rains came," she said. "As long as the conditions stay cool and don't rise very rapidly in March, to where it's suddenly 90 degrees, I think we have a strong chance of a very extraordinary bloom in the Death Valley region."

The hills around Los Angeles County are already greening up, she said, so they could have strong displays of lupines, sages (salvias), phacelias and of course the state flower, the vibrantly orange California poppy (Eschscholzia californica), if the native flowers aren't overtaken by invasive mustard and non-native grasses.

Whether it will be a superbloom, however, "I'll leave to the visitors to judge," Fraga said, " because, of course, all blooms are super."

There's no precise definition for a superbloom, she said, "because it's kind of in the eye of the beholder. To me, a superbloom is a very prolific bloom that covers a fairly large geography, where areas are blooming in mass and not just pockets here and there."

Those "pocket" blooms are still beautiful, Fraga said, but for her, superblooms are events where even the experts are in awe.

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