Thursday, April 24, 2008

Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave National Preserve - 4/19/08

I went up to Joshua Tree National Park on Saturday. I went in the Joshua Tree entrance. The flowers were still abundant in that area. There was a nice field of Golden Gilia and Desert Dandelions in one place. The roadsides were colored with yellow Desert Dandelions, orange Desert Globemallow, purple Phacelia, and White Tidy Tips and Desert Pincushion. From time to time, I spotted red Claret Cup Cacti and pink Hedgehog Cacti as well. At the Twentynine Palms side, there were numerous Silver Cholla Cacti as well as Hedgehog Cacti. The flowers were abundant here as well. I was glad I came back!

At the Mojave National Preserve, things were different. The vast amounts of Dune Evening Primrose along the roadsides were gone. Only some patches of Canterbury Bells and Desert Globemallow were left along Kelbaker Road. I did find some Sand Verbena and Dune Evening Primrose up at Kelso Dunes. And a very few Desert Lilies and Sand Verbena at Iron Age Road (off of Amboy Road between Joshua Tree and Amboy). I HAD some pretty nice pictures of Iron Age Road all blooming with Sand Verbena, Primrose and Desert Lilies, but somehow, when I was transfering files to my new computer, the whole file folder of those pictures was lost. I was really bummed! But I managed to get some new pictures, even if they weren't as great.

This upcoming weekend, I will probably stay home. I am off to Vegas on Monday :) Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire are on my list. And maybe next weekend, Sequoia and King's Canyon. Or Big Sur again. Who knows. All I know is that with gas prices the way they are, it is getting more and more expensive to go anywhere. Argh. I hope the gas prices go down soon!!!

I posted pictures below. Click on any for a larger view. You can also view the whole photo album by clicking HERE . Enjoy!

Joshua Tree National Park - Desert Eriastrum




Joshua Tree National Park
















Joshua Tree National Park - Desert Pincushion


Joshua Tree National Park - Rattlesnake Weed


Joshua Tree National Park - Mojave Aster




Joshua Tree National Park - Blazing Star


Joshua Tree National Park - White Tidy Tips and Butterfly


Joshua Tree National Park - White Rhatany


Joshua Tree National Park - Wallace's Wolly Daisy


Joshua Tree National Park - Silver Cholla


Joshua Tree National Park - Mojave Yucca


Joshua Tree National Park - Jimson Weed


Joshua Tree National Park - Indigo Bush




Joshua Tree National Park - Hedgehog Cactus







Joshua Tree National Park - Golden Gilia


Joshua Tree National Park - Desert Star


Joshua Tree National Park - Desert Senna


Joshua Tree National Park - Desert Paintbrush




Joshua Tree National Park - Desert Iguana


Joshua Tree National Park - Desert Globemallow




Joshua Tree National Park - Desert Calico


Joshua Tree National Park - Claret Cup Cactus




Joshua Tree National Park - Phacelia


Joshua Tree National Park - Annual Mitra


Iron Age Road - Sand Verbena


Iron Age Road - Desert Lily




Mojave National Preserve - Beavertail Cactus




Mojave National Preserve - Butterfly


Mojave National Preserve - Desert Marigold


Mojave National Preserve - Silver Cholla







Mojave National Preserve - Spanish Needles


Mojave National Preserve - Notch-Leaved Phacelia


Mojave National Preserve - Canterbury Bells


Mojave National Preserve - Dune Evening Primrose