What to Know
- The Flower Fields in Carlsbad
- The first Giant Tecolote Ranunculus bloom of the season, always a much-anticipated event, was shared on Feb. 2, 2023
- The outdoor attraction, which features over 70,000,000 flowers, is open from March 1 through Mother's Day each year
"Would a woodchuck chuck wood" is a question that's commonly asked by kids, at least when they're repeating the timeless rhyme.
But another important question has arisen on the morning of Feb. 2, 2023: Would the world's best-known woodchuck, a groundhog that goes by the famous name of Punxsutawney Phil, mind too much if one of California's most celebrated spring predictors shared his spotlight?
The prognosticating groundhog is synonymous with the second day of February, of course, which happens to be the very date when the first blossom at a famous Carlsbad attraction made its much-anticipated debut.
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That blossom?
It's a Giant Tecolote Ranunculus, the beautiful bloom most associated with The Flower Fields. Soon, around 70,000,000 more Giant Tecolate Ranunculuses will join this early bloomer, all to create a stunning spread of color over 50 ocean-close acres.
And while there isn't much that the beloved Pennsylvania critter and the milky-white flower have in common, they've both become symbols of our united search for early signs of spring.
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow on the morning of Feb. 2, 2023, an indicator, at least according to Groundhog Day lore, that there will be six more weeks of winter.
However, that first Giant Tecolote Ranunculus seen in Carlsbad on Feb. 2 speaks to spring's potentially imminent approach here in the Golden State.
The Flower Fields team shared the cheerful snapshot of this spring-predicting stunner on social media, a picture that promises us that warmer days are on the wind.
But hold up: While the first flower of the Flower Fields has become something to watch for, we still haven't seen Mojave Maxine, The Living Desert's adorable Desert Tortoise, emerge from her burrow, meaning that winter might not be over just yet.
If Maxine does step out of her cozy hole on Feb. 2, however, what a memorable day that will be: Groundhog shadows, the first flower of the Flower Fields, and the California desert's best-known spring prognosticator, all sharing a single, spring-sweet spotlight.
Maxine, no pressure at all, you do your thing, but please know that we're antsy with anticipation. When you finally bid your burrow goodbye, we'll be here to cheer you on.
