A superbloom occurs when a high proportion of wildflowers blossom at roughly the same time. Local gardeners are noticing more vibrant flowers than in past season.

New Ulm’s Pollinator Park on North Broadway has especially benefit from the rains. Pollinator Park volunteers Deb Steinberg and Joe Gartner recently took a tour of the park and were with what they found.

Many of his favorite pollinating plants were stronger than he had ever seen. Some of the newly planted flowers were already sprouting up.

“This probably the wettest June we’ve had since the pollinator park started,” Gartner said. “Everything is more vibrant.”

Pollinator Park volunteer Deb Steinberg points to where a yellow prairie cone flowers that is twice as tall as it was last year. --photo by Clay Schuldt

Usually in the summer he needs to bring a watering can out to the park, but that has not been necessary. The real danger is too much water. Gartner said his home garden received an excessive amount of rain, but that has not been an issue with the pollinator garden. Everything is thriving without drowning out.

“The number of flowers on each plant is higher,” Steinberg said. “When the open up it quite a show.”

She pointed to a four-foot tall yellow prairie coneflower plant. Last year at this time, the plant was only half as tall. The extra rain had caused most of the flowers to increase in size and intensity.

Some of the flower currently in bloom are the butterfly weed, known for its orange coloring. The maroon and gold blanket flower is also prominent, with several of the flowers growing around the pollinator park sign.

The coreopsis flower was the most abundant at the park. The yellow flowers could been seen scatter throughout the garden.

Pollinator Park volunteer Joe Gartner admires the abundance of flowers in the park. --photo by Clay Schuldt

Steinberg and Gartner predicted the purple cone flower will be the next plant to bloom. A few had already started to open up, but by next month the park will have be covered in purple flowers.

Gartner said it is possible for these native prairie plants to bloom into the fall. The effect of this early rainfall could last for months, with later blooming flowers benefiting.

Steinberg said in addition to the superbloom, the pollinator park was attracting bees and monarch butterflies. She already found monarch eggs growing on the milkweed. She encouraged everyone to visit the park for the flowers, but watch for the pollinators too.

“This is one bright spot of all this water,” Steinberg said.

Gartner will be hosting a free pollinator plant giveaway at 2 p.m. Sunday in the pollinator park. He had extra plants for anyone interested in taking advantage of the superbloom.

Deb Steinberg uncovers a purple cone flower in bloom. It is the first of many expected to bloom within the next month. --photo by Clay Schuldt

A bumble bee explores a purple prairie clover at the local pollinator park. --photo by Clay Schuldt

An admiral butterfly lands on a blooming blanket flower at New Ulm’s pollinator park. --photo by Deb Steiberg