Instagrammers Are Killing This Field Of Poppies ( HBO)

The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve has a few rules: Dont bring your dog to the park, dont eat food along the trail, and dont fly drones overhead. The most important Stay on the trail. But during this seasons super bloom, a semirare outbreak of golden poppies in spring, staff at the reserve have had a difficult time making sure swarms of kids, families, and models posing for Instagram follow along without trampling the delicate wildflowers. On a typical day, the park sees about 60 visitors. During super bloom season that number skyrockets to around 2, 000. Jean Rhyne, who has been an interpreter at the reserve for 13 years, has been vocal about the longterm impact this can have on the parks natural wildlife. This park was created specifically because of the poppies that are here, Rhyne told Vice News, And if they get stepped on or sat on to take a picture in it compacts the soil and then the roots from the seeds of the next year can t get in. So we ll have scars