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At the parking lot
Solstice Canyon
Malibu, CA
Archive for the ‘National Park Service’ Category
The Car and the Tree
Feb 3rd, 12
/ 13 Comments
Cholla Garden
Feb 2nd, 12
/ 28 Comments
Welcome February! We have a sunny forecast this weekend in the mid 70′s. Spring is almost here, and the wildflowers are slowly starting to bloom in some areas.
Just in time to catch the last light of the sun.
The desert, too will be filled with cacti blooms. Cholla cactus is the general name for a group of cactus with elongate, cylindrical, branching stems.
Cholla Garden
Joshua Tree National Park
29 Palms, California
January 28, 2012
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Joshua – The Tree of Life
Jan 30th, 12
/ 19 Comments
Joshua Tree, Yucca brevifolia, grows wildly in the Mojave Desert. It has adapted to reduced rainfall by spreading its roots in a dense and shallow network to collect as much surface moisture as possible.
The tree named so by the Mormon immigrants who crossed the Colorado River, from the biblical character, Joshua. The tree’s limbs are outstretched in supplication, guiding travelers going westward.
Almost every part of this plant has been or used by other desert dwellers as well as the animals. Chemehuevi people wove its fibers to make baskets, sandals and mats.
Beechy ground squirrels and deer eat the white creamy blossoms. Later fruits and seeds provide food for antelope ground squirrels and other small animals.
Even after death, a tree trunk on the ground provides home for the desert night lizards, ants and scorpions. Eventually, termites return it to the desert enriching the sandy soil for the next Joshua Tree sprout.
I heard birds chirping, but could not see them, fortunate enough to capture this little one. Definitely there were woodpeckers leaving their marks on this tree.
We hiked and climbed some rocks. Another day trip, clocked another close to 500 miles round trip.
Joshua Tree National Park
29 Palms, CA
January 28, 2012
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Our World Tuesday
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