Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve officials warn - do not park your helicopter in super bloom fields

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Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Spring break crowds flocking to poppy fields in IE, Antelope Valley
Huge crowds continue to flock to Lake Elsinore and the Antelope Valley to gaze at the massive poppy fields.

ANTELOPE VALLEY (KABC) -- As Antelope Valley officials cope with an influx of visitors vying to view the super bloom, they're making one rule crystal clear: don't park your helicopter in the poppy fields.

The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve said on Facebook that a couple recently landed a helicopter in the middle of the fields and began hiking off trail.

"When our law enforcement staff attempted to contact the couple, they ran back to their helicopter and fled," the post stated.

VIDEO: Drone footage of poppy super bloom in Antelope Valley

ABC7's DRONE7 captured this footage of the majestic super bloom poppy fields in the Antelope Valley.

Lancaster has become a new super bloom hot spot, and large crowds have been putting the poppies in danger.

Signs that say "Fragile area, stay on trail" are posted everywhere at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve in Lancaster.

While most obey the rules, sadly, a few don't.

MORE: Lake Elsinore's poppy-covered hillsides visible from space

Images from space capture the orange vibrancy of Walker Canyon's poppies. (Satellite image ©2019 DigitalGlobe, a Maxar company)

Park rangers have been handing out tickets to violators disobeying laws by walking off trails, trampling the flowers and in some cases just lying in the poppies, crushing them while taking selfies.

If you harm a flower, you could be facing a $1,000 fine and a year in jail.

MORE: California super bloom - Take a zip line over flower field in Corona

You think you've seen every angle of the super bloom in the Inland Empire? Think again.