JOSHUA TREE, Calif. — As temperatures rise with the arrival of spring, wildflowers across Southern California that were provided a healthy dose of rain this past winter are blooming.

Visitors enjoy the kaleidoscopic displays, but experts like Evan Meyer, executive director at the Theodore Payne Foundation, say native wildflower species are threatened by loss of habitat, and invasive species, and visitors trampling over them in search of the best photo.

Meyer said wildflower blooms are a wonderful opportunity to appreciate nature but cautioned against carelessly destroying the vegetation by standing, walking, or sitting on it.

To preserve California’s biodiversity, Meyer suggested introducing native species to urban spaces by picking up plants from a nursery.