We’ve learned by now that the pandemic is canceling events left and right, but could we have ever guessed it would cancel popular Instagram trends too?
It’s springtime in California, which means wildflower blooms are in order.
Most notably the bright orange poppy blooms In Walker Canyon and Antelope Canyon. Though it’s not a super bloom this year, the hills are still covered in beautiful, vibrant flowers.
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The California Department of Parks and Recreation have a live-stream set up so you can watch the flowers from home.
They’ve done this for years, even without stay-at-home orders and quarantine measures. The live cam has a wide shot of one of the hills with groups of orange splattered across it.
If you’ve watched before, you might notice something different this year.
There’s no people. The poppy blooms were a popular destination for Instagram users trying to get that perfect shot. They’d often ignore signs saying not to go off the trail or walk in the flowers, opting instead for sitting or laying down in them, using them as a modeling prop. Year after year, this would end with trampled poppies.
That doesn’t mean people aren’t trying, though.
The valleys are closed, but there are people sneaking in to either take pictures or just see the flowers. Still, it’s gone from thousands of visitors a day in past years to just a few who are trying to test their luck.
While I’m sure there are plenty of people who miss seeing the flowers, there’s one thing we can all agree on.
It’s nice that the fields are getting a break from hopeful Instagram influencers marching all over them. They’re safe this year, which ensures that we’ll be able to see their beauty again next spring.
