The Atacama Desert in Chile has bloomed. Heavy rainfall in the world's driest desert has caused a rare miracle: it has been carpeted with purple-pink flowers.
Such a bloom occurs every few years and lasts for a short time, with the flowers disappearing by November. This time, rainfall reached 60 millimeters, allowing seeds that had been dormant for decades under the rocky soil to germinate.
The main "hero" of this unique phenomenon is the elongate cystanthes, a plant that paints the desert in purple-pink shades. Scientists from Andrés Bello University are studying this plant to understand how it survives in conditions of extreme heat and water scarcity.
This knowledge could help develop drought-resistant crops, which are especially important amid global warming. Since 2023, a 570 km² area of the Atacama Desert has been designated as a "Flowering Desert" national park. It is strictly forbidden to pick or trample plants here.
