Joshua Tree National Park

Every spring for the last 10 years my folks and I have been meeting in Southern California for a week of flower viewing – they fly down from Southeast Alaska and I fly in from the San Francisco Bay Area. We mix up our destinations yearly, but do have some favorite spots to visit. We have seen everything from super blooms like last last year in Anza-Borrego, to bone dry years like the fourth year of the drought in Joshua Tree. Whether we see flowers or not, we always see interesting flora, fauna, and natural history, and enjoy our time together.

Joshua Tree National Park

This year we lucked out with wonderful cool weather early in the week, terminating with hot weather later in the week. We planned our excursions accordingly, and headed for Joshua Tree National Park first, with clear skies and a temperature hovering around the mid-seventies. 

Dry specimen at the Cottonwood Visitor Center

We entered the park from the southern entrance and stopped at the Cottonwood Visitor Center to check in with the naturalist. We wanted to find out whether any flowers were to be found (the website had already informed us that there were few flowers except possibly in the upper elevations). No new developments, so we took a few minutes to stroll through the specimen garden. Lots of seed pods from last year, but not much new activity.

Ocotillo Patch

Cholla Cactus Garden

We enjoyed the beautiful green vegetation, and clear blue sky of the Colorado Desert, stopping first at the Ocotillo Patch to walk among the red flowering plants, and then at the Cholla Cactus Garden to stroll along the prickly cactus. The plants seemed to be thriving from the recent rains, though we observed damage from previous drought years. I was glad to see the Cholla Emergency Kit (complete with pliers) in case we had an encounter with one of the pups!

Posing at the Cholla Cactus Garden

Cholla Emergency Kit

At the transition from the Colorado Desert to the Mohave Desert, we entered the wonderfully weird land of the Joshua Tree and the large, round rock formations piled up across the desert floor. In past years the Yucca and Joshua Trees were full of blossoms; this year we only saw the dried husks of previous years. 

Joshua Tree

Big Rocks

Since the air was so clear, we drove up to Key's View for stunning views to the south of the Salton Sea and down to the Mexican border, and to the north to the snow-topped Mount San Gorgonio (11,503 feet or 3,506 m.) The brisk wind kept the skies and vista clear, and prompted us to bundle up for the walk up to the highest view point. Great signage helped us identify nearby locations.

Key's View

Key's View of the valley below

On the way back we stopped at Ryan's Campground to walk among the Joshua trees, climb on the big rocks, and explore the Indian Cave, with its rocky shelter and ancient metate used to grind acorns into flour. We discovered several bushes with thriving colonies of tent caterpillars. We've seen their empty tents in past years, but never seen them moving about in their snug nests.

Indian Cave at Ryan's Campground

Metate and Shelter

Tent Caterpillars

Afterward, we left the Park via the Oasis Visitor Center entrance, and headed for The Rib Company in Twentynine Palms, for half racks of ribs and all the fixings, and great conversation about all we had seen during our visit and in previous years. Dad kept track of our steps for the day, using a feature of his iPhone calendar, and reported we took around 4,055 steps for the day. We drove home with the sun in our eyes, and great memories of a day together under clear blue skies, walking among the plants, rocks, and Joshua Trees. 

Field Trip to Joshua Tree National Park

The National Park Service is celebrating its centennial year in 2016, and Joshua Tree National Park is one of its crown jewels. It is situated north of Interstate 10 freeway, and east of Palm Springs. The Colorado and Mohave Desert, and the Pacific and North America plates meet at the Park; multiple mountain ranges run through it; and the elevation ranges from 506 ft (154 m) to 5,814 ft (1,772 m). At this convergence is a treasure trove of plants representing all these regions, including the fantastical Joshua Tree, which looks like something out of a Dr. Seuss book!

A dusting of snow on Mount San Jacinto

The weather had been cool and wet in the days before my folks and I visited Joshua Tree, so it was not surprising to see snow on Mount San Jacinto on our approach. We entered the park from the south, and made a stop on the large wash between the Bajada Nature Trail and Cottonwood Visitor Center. We saw native tamarisk, poppy, chia, phacelia, desert lavender, cheese bush, purple mat, and the beautiful, shimmering sand blazing star.

Desert explorers

Flower display in the wash between the Bajada Nature Trail and Cottonwood Visitor Center

Sand blazing star, with its shimmering petals

Over the years we have been observing Palo Verde trees infected with mistletoe in this area. The Palo Verde trees no doubt became vulnerable during the drought. Many of the trees appear to be finally dead, along with their mistletoe parasites, but closer inspection reveals dormant mistletoe seeds that are available to be eaten and dispersed.

Palo Verde tree that has succumbed to mistletoe

The Visitor Center was hopping with people stopping in for the latest news. Many schools are on spring break this time of year, so this is a great time for families and students to visit the park, along with the flower lovers of all ages. We saw several Prince’s Plumes at the Center.

Bladder pods, full with moisture

Cholla spp.

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In the higher elevation near Cholla Cactus Garden, we hiked out on the desert floor. We saw bladder pod and Cholla cactus in bloom, and pencil Cholla ready to bloom. The desert lavender was buzzing with pollinators, and very fragrant. We saw male and female Jojoba plants (dioecious). The females had already bloomed and produced seeds. I find Jojoba very difficult to photograph, since its many vertical leaves catch the wind and are in constant motion. I have many blurry pictures to prove it!

Female and mail Jojoba

Phacelia spp.

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Near Skull Rock we enjoyed hiking around the distinctive “monzogranite” rocks and boulders. We saw Beavertail cactus and Yucca schidigera in bloom; Chuparosa that was on the verge of blooming; and the shimmering remnants of tent caterpillars. The boulders and rocks attract rock climbers of all ages and abilities. The sky and air always seem especially clear and beautiful in this area.

Distinctive Joshua trees, schidigera cactus, and monzogranite boulders

To finish off the day, we headed for The Rib Company in Twentynine Palms for delicious half-racks of ribs and all the trimmings. We enjoyed our dinner, and reviewed the events of the day, before heading for home into the sunset.

Joshua Tree Day Trip

One of the highlights of our time together is getting out on the desert to look for wildflowers, and Joshua Tree National Park is a prime destination. Here the Mojave and Colorado Deserts converge. My folks and I checked the Wildflower Viewing link on the Joshua Tree National Park web site, and learned that the best blooms were near the West Entrance (WE) Station. We packed our lunch bag, cameras, binoculars, maps, and flower guides into the car, and headed up highway 62 toward the park. The day was overcast and slightly cool.

Joshua trees with few blossoms

We stopped at the Joshua Tree Visitor Center on Park Boulevard, just off Highway 62 near Joshua Tree, for maps and recommendations from the park service staff. The Visitor Center was teaming with like-minded people, all eager to see beautiful flowers! Our tip was correct – the West Entrance of Joshua Tree NP had the best blooms!

A good showing of yellow Desert Asters

Mohave Aster

Apricot Mallow

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We didn’t see the mass displays of some years, but we found a scattering of blooms representing many different flower types. This was a happy surprise, and we added many new flowers to our plant list—Paper bag Bush, Mojave Aster, Indigo Bush, and Desert Pincushion to name a few.

Joshua Trees suffering from lack of water, but still producing new sprouts

Still, the plants are suffering from the extended drought. The Joshua Trees had few blooms, and the blooms they had were small compared to previous years. Some of the Joshua Trees were slumped over from lack of water, with their arms draped to the ground. We were intrigued with the conservation strategies plants use–few blossoms, miniature plants and blossoms, or even no blossoms (the usually faithful Brittle Bush had no blossoms yet).
 

Keys View of the Indio Hills and Coachella Valley

From Keys View, at 5,185 feet elevation in the San Bernardino mountain range, we could see Interstate 10, the San Andreas fault, and the communities of Palm Springs, Cathedral City, and Palm Desert. Mount San Jacinto in the distance was snow topped from the recent storm. The hills were very dry, but I love seeing that sweep of land and sky. Toward the south, we had a fairly clear view of the Salton Sea (toward Anza-Borrego Desert Park). This got us thinking about a return trip to Anza-Borrego - maybe next year!

Desert rat

Cholla skeleton

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We strolled through the Cholla Cactus Garden. Chollas are very appealing - they look almost soft in the desert light; in reality their strategy is to drop their pups, which hitch a ride on any unsuspecting person or animal that gets too close! The Chollas were close to blooming. A little desert rat scurried boldly among the Cholla pups, and lizards stretched out on the rocks.

Exploring the Cholla Cactus Garden

We had a great day together, exploring the desert floor, snapping pictures, and catching up on family news and history.
 

Joshua Tree National Park

My folks and I spent a day exploring Joshua Tree National Park, another favorite spot on our annual Southern California desert tour (see the report from 2012). We visited during the week, so missed the weekend crowds; but did encounter a short delay for the Pinto Basin Road Renovation project, and were not able to stop at the Cholla Cactus Garden. The weather was beautiful and warm, and a brisk breeze kept the vistas clear and the temperature comfortable.

Bajada at the Southern Entrance

On Interstate 10, we noted that the Palo Verde trees were blooming yellow (they rely on the chlorophyll in their trunks for photosynthesis), and the Ocotillo were blooming red (few had leaves on their stems, indicating the dry conditions). We entered the Park through the Southern entrance, stopping at the Bajada Nature Trail for the quarter mile loop (wheel chair accessible). We learned that a bajada is an alluvial fan or wash at the base of a mountain. Everything in this area was dry, dry, dry. Many plants and trees looked nearly dead, indicating they have fallen back to survival mode.

Very dry Ironwood tree on the Bajada Nature Trail

We stopped at the Cottonwood Visitor Center to pick up several maps. Here at the higher elevation, the plants looked much healthier. We saw lots of Mohave Yucca (Yucca schidigera), well past the blossom stage and into seed production; and identified Jojoba, Datura, Chuparosa, Creosote, and Cholla cactus. We headed toward Hidden Valley, on a tip from an article by David Danelski in the Press Enterprise, about Joshua Trees blooming like crazy this year. He reported several theories, one of which is that drought stressed trees are putting all their energy into seed production to ensure survival. We were too late to see the blooms, but could see that almost every branch of every Joshua Tree had sported them.
 

Joshua Trees of the Mohave Desert

We stopped at Jumbo Rocks and Hidden Valley to walk the desert floor and climb on the fabulous rock formations. Many rock climbers train and climb in this area. We identified scrubby Juniper trees, Mojave Mound cactus, Barrel Cactus, Bladder Pod, Jojoba, Desert Trumpet, Mormon Tea (with multiple flowers at the joints), as well as Joshua Trees and Yucca. We saw lots of mistletoe, lizards, and even evidence of tent caterpillars.

Rock climbing at Jumbo Rocks

My folks and I ended our day at the Rib Company in Twentynine Palms, with tasty half racks and all the fixings.

Mojave Mound cactus	Cactus
Lichen colonies	Joshua Tree seed pods

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Joshua Tree National Park

My folks and I spent a day at Joshua Tree National Park exploring and looking for wildflowers in bloom after the recent rains. The day was beautiful, clear, and a perfect temperature. Our online research (http://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/blooms.htm) directed us to the washes south of the Cottonwood Visitor Center for the best flower viewing, so we entered the park from the south and drove north. Especially prominent were purple fields of Salvia columbariae (Chia), and combinations of blue and purple Phacelia distans (Wild heliotrope) and P. campunularia (Desert Canterbury bells). We also saw our first Mentzelia involucrate (Sand Blazing Star), which shimmers like bridal satin in the sun and is difficult to capture in a photo.

Fields of Chia - contrasting with the sage greens and sand.

Discovering Blazing Star shimmering in the sun.

Patches of blue and purple flowers.

North of the visitor center we hiked out on the desert floor to view Fouquieria splendens (Ocotillo) and the Yucca brevifolia (Joshua Tree) up close. Some of the Joshua Trees were just starting to blossom. This section of the park is at a higher elevation, and the blooms were not as developed as in the south.

Ocotillo

Joshua Tree, with blooms in the upper branches.

At the end of the day, we reviewed our discoveries and compared notes at The Rib Company, near the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, over barbecue ribs and all the fixings. With less seasonal rain, and being earlier in the season, we saw fewer mass bloomings that in previous years, but we still added many new flowers to our lists, and saw a good representation of blooms in smaller quantities. The desert remains an amazing ecosystem – hostile and harsh, yet full of fragile beauty.

Chia	Blazing Star
Joshua Tree	Canterbury Bells and

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