The China Mail - Poppies offer hope in fire-scarred Los Angeles

But his plot now shimmers with delicate orange blooms -- the California poppies he has sown throughout the charred town of Altadena as a symbol of hope.

"These flowers will grow and proliferate anywhere on the globe that humans can survive," the 65-year-old told AFP.

"They are so resilient. They look super fragile, but they're not; they're pretty tough underneath... kind of like Altadenans."

Nestled against the mountains overlooking Los Angeles, Altadena was ravaged by the wildfires that tore through America's second-biggest city in January 2025.

Of the 31 people who perished in the fires, 19 died in Altadena. The rest were killed in the upmarket coastal enclaves of Pacific Palisades and Malibu.

More than 9,000 buildings were destroyed, transforming the area into a vast wasteland.

Fifteen months later, Altadena is slowly and painfully rising from its ashes.

A few house frames are beginning to go up. But for survivors, rebuilding often turns into a battle — caught between the complex process of filing insurance claims and the slow-moving bureaucracy of an area many complain is over-regulated.

— Symbol —

Over the past few months, Amy has sown 250 million poppy seeds across more than 750 empty lots, spending $12,000 of his own money.

It is his way of bringing color to this somber landscape and boosting the spirits of survivors.

"What I found is, for me, personally, helping others makes me feel not only alive, but some of the best moments I've had since the fire involved helping others," he said.

His choice of the California poppy is no accident: The plant, with its tulip-like bloom, is the official flower of the Golden State.

Before Los Angeles expanded its sprawl as far as the eye could see, Altadena was renowned as a "poppy paradise," Amy says, and the flower appears on the town's official seal.

In the 19th century, Angelenos and wealthy tourists from the East Coast would flock to the hills every spring to witness the blooms blanketing the slopes in undulating oranges and golds.

— 'A new beginning' —

But with the global climate being changed by humanity's unchecked use of fossil fuels, nature's patterns are being interrupted.

California has just wrapped up one of the driest months of March on record, leaving many of the poppies Amy sowed in trouble.

Yet, in scattered spots, they have pushed their way through the soil, like on the sidewalk in front of a fast-food restaurant, where blooms have sprouted beneath a mural of a young girl holding a poppy.

"Seeing nature come back after the fires is just so heartwarming," said Roxanne Albee as she left the restaurant.

"It's like a new beginning," added the 77-year-old former actress who lost her home to the flames and is struggling to compile a detailed inventory of lost possessions for her insurance company.

"To have these flowers, have the poppies come back... that's part of the vibe of Altadena."

In a few years' time, Amy, who has dubbed his vehicle "The Poppymobile," hopes his flowers will have spread, restoring the town to its former glory.

"My hope is that in subsequent years and decades, Altadena is once again justifiably renowned for its poppies," he said.

It's "a way to bind us together, and yes, to remember our history, where we've come from, and to look forward to the future."=

J.Thompson--ThChM