Posts treating: "Joshua Trees"
Wednesday, 07 October 2015
South of the Klondyke District (our previous stop on this journey) and just north of Goldfield, one reaches one of the northernmost populations of Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) — or the northernmost population, depending on what range map you use. These unusual plants continue southward past Goldfield toward and beyond Beatty. They occur in dense stands or forests in several places,
Thunderstorm near Bandelier National Monument
No, it's not a volcanic eruption, but with the light show that followed that evening, it might as well have been. We were in the high desert of New Mexico at Bandelier National Monument, and the monsoons had arrived early. The lightning flashed every second or two for hours that night. It was magical.
Joshua Trees outside of Rainbow
During my travels a few weeks back, I noticed a lot of Joshua trees were blooming along Highway 138. We stopped and snapped a few close-ups without giving it much thought. I knew they bloom off and on in different parts of the Mojave Desert. It has come to my attention, via the Press-Enterprise of Riverside, that the Joshua trees are actually blooming everywhere in the Mojave this year.
Yuccas are one of the iconic plants of the desert. There are about 15 species with names such as Spanish bayonet, soap tree yucca, banana yucca, bear grass, and Joshua trees. Native American people used yuccas extensively for food, fiber, and soap. Yuccas can be distinguished from agaves by their thin leaves which are semi-succulent
For some reason, the powers-that-be somehow failed to call the incredible geological desert in Southern California "Great Big Granite Boulders National Park". They called it "Joshua Tree National Park" instead. I don't quite understand, but that's the way things go sometimes. Really though, the bizarre little 'trees' have a geological history, and it may be their undoing.The Joshua Tree
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Temperature increases resulting from climate change in the Southwest will likely eliminate Joshua trees from 90 percent of their current range in 60 to 90 years, according to a new study led by U.S. Geological Survey ecologist Ken