El Niño transforms Chile's Atacama Desert as thousands of hectares bloom

The Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on the planet, has been transformed in appearance after intense rainfall in northern Chile. Vast swathes of usually parched ground have been carpeted with purple and white flowers in a natural phenomenon known as the "desierto florido", or "flowering desert". Beneath the soil of Atacama, seeds and bulbs from around 200 different species lie dormant for long periods, waiting for the conditions they need to germinate. The rainfall linked to the El Niño climate phenomenon has enabled many of them to bloom. The result has transformed parts of the desert landscape and drawn in large numbers of visitors, who stop to photograph the unusual display of blossom. Rainfall has been especially abundant this season.