The yellow-purple ananuca flower is among 200 flower species that can bloom in harsh environments, where the average rainfall is only 0.01 cm per year.

Bright purple and yellow flowers bloom in the Atacama Desert as part of an irregular “desert bloom” phenomenon in northern Chile. The seeds endure the extremely dry weather of the Atacama Desert for many years until they accumulate enough water and flower in the spring.

In this case, flower seeds can lie dormant in the soil for decades waiting for the necessary rainfall to revive.

According to Andrea Loaiza, this ecosystem is “very fragile because it is already at its limit”, revealing that “any disruption can disrupt that balance”.

Geneticist Andres Zurita said: “To adapt to the climate crisis, we need to understand natural processes. We want to learn from plants like this flower, which demonstrate the different adaptive mechanisms”.

Conservationists are working to find ways to protect the area from adventurous tourists who drive deep into the desert to witness the rare event with their own eyes. Some plant traders deliberately target this rare flower to the detriment of development, and too much traffic in the area will disrupt the terrain.