LLANOS DE CHALLE NATIONAL PARK, Chile: A rare bloom in Chile’s Atacama Desert has briefly transformed one of the world’s driest places into a dazzling carpet of fuchsia-colored wildflowers. The arid region — considered the driest nonpolar desert on Earth, averaging around 2 millimeters (0.08 inches) of rainfall a year — was a riot of color this week after unusual downpours throughout the Southern Hemisphere’s winter months soaked the desert foothills and highlands.

One of the world's driest deserts is transformed into a sea of wildflowers after a rare bloom.

LLANOS DE CHALLE NATIONAL PARK, Chile: A rare bloom in Chile’s Atacama Desert has briefly transformed one of the world’s driest places into a dazzling carpet of fuchsia-colored…