Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California is at the convergence of the Mojave and the Colorado desert ecosystems. The Colorado Desert is a portion of the larger Sonoran Desert and occupies the lower elevation southerly portion of the park. The Mojave desert occupies the northern upper reaches of the park.
Two of the most striking features of the Mojave Desert are the pillow shaped rock formations and the strange looking plants that surround them. This tortured landscape is sculpted by strong winds and occasional torrents of rain. The odd rock formations are the result of heat and pressure over thousands of years transforming sedimentary rock into an entirely new kind of rock called gneiss.
The park's namesake is the strange looking Joshua Tree, Yucca Brevifolia. It is a member of the Agave family that typically grows in the Mojave Desert. Legend has it that Mormon pioneers named the tree after the biblical figure Joshua, seeing the limbs of the tree as arms outstretched in supplication.
Water is a scarce resource in the Mojave and Colorado desert. In the early 1900's cattle ranchers, needing a natural water source, built a catch basin in this high desert to capture rainfall and runoff. Later, a dam was built by the Barker and Shay Cattle Company to expand the catch basin. Because of insufficient rainfall in the area, cattle ranching was a short lived enterprise. Today, Barker Reservoir in Joshua National Park, California is a quiet oasis, providing water and shelter for desert animals and migrating birds.
The many gneiss formations in Joshua Tree National Park attract rock climbers from all over the world. This high desert climbing mecca is famous for its traditional crack, slab, and steep face climbing.
Pinto Basin in the southern part of the park is where the Colorado and Mojave deserts meet. This area, surrounded by nearby mountains, is hotter than the upper reaches of the park. Absent are the Joshua Tree and the pillow shaped gneiss rock formations. Instead are vast expanses of Cholla, Ocotillo, Creosote, Burrobrush and a variety of cacti.
The Teddy Bear Cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii), is a cactus species native to the Sonoran Desert of Northwestern Mexico and to the Colorado Desert of Southern California. It can also be found in the Mojave Desert of Arizona and Nevada. An unusual stand of Cholla exists in Pinto Basin. Pinto Basin is a large expanse of alluvial fans covered by Creosote Bush and Burro Bush. It also contains an unusual 10 acre patch of Teddy Bear Cholla known as the Cholla Cactus Garden.
Also in Pinto Basin is a large collection of dead looking plants, known as the Ocotillo Patch. The Ocotillo Cactus (Fouquieria splendens), which is not a true cactus, is native to the Sonoran and Colorado Deserts. Also called coachwhip, candlewood, and desert coral, the Ocotillo can grow up to 33 feet tall. For most of its life the Ocotillo appears to be a large collection of dead sticks. When rainfall comes, the spiny stems are quickly covered with small leaves, which may remain for weeks or even months. Soon after the leaves come, the stems of the plant grow a bright crimson flower.
Two of the most striking features of the Mojave Desert are the pillow shaped rock formations and the strange looking plants that surround them. This tortured landscape is sculpted by strong winds and occasional torrents of rain. The odd rock formations are the result of heat and pressure over thousands of years transforming sedimentary rock into an entirely new kind of rock called gneiss.
The park's namesake is the strange looking Joshua Tree, Yucca Brevifolia. It is a member of the Agave family that typically grows in the Mojave Desert. Legend has it that Mormon pioneers named the tree after the biblical figure Joshua, seeing the limbs of the tree as arms outstretched in supplication.
Water is a scarce resource in the Mojave and Colorado desert. In the early 1900's cattle ranchers, needing a natural water source, built a catch basin in this high desert to capture rainfall and runoff. Later, a dam was built by the Barker and Shay Cattle Company to expand the catch basin. Because of insufficient rainfall in the area, cattle ranching was a short lived enterprise. Today, Barker Reservoir in Joshua National Park, California is a quiet oasis, providing water and shelter for desert animals and migrating birds.
The many gneiss formations in Joshua Tree National Park attract rock climbers from all over the world. This high desert climbing mecca is famous for its traditional crack, slab, and steep face climbing.
Pinto Basin in the southern part of the park is where the Colorado and Mojave deserts meet. This area, surrounded by nearby mountains, is hotter than the upper reaches of the park. Absent are the Joshua Tree and the pillow shaped gneiss rock formations. Instead are vast expanses of Cholla, Ocotillo, Creosote, Burrobrush and a variety of cacti.
The Teddy Bear Cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii), is a cactus species native to the Sonoran Desert of Northwestern Mexico and to the Colorado Desert of Southern California. It can also be found in the Mojave Desert of Arizona and Nevada. An unusual stand of Cholla exists in Pinto Basin. Pinto Basin is a large expanse of alluvial fans covered by Creosote Bush and Burro Bush. It also contains an unusual 10 acre patch of Teddy Bear Cholla known as the Cholla Cactus Garden.
Also in Pinto Basin is a large collection of dead looking plants, known as the Ocotillo Patch. The Ocotillo Cactus (Fouquieria splendens), which is not a true cactus, is native to the Sonoran and Colorado Deserts. Also called coachwhip, candlewood, and desert coral, the Ocotillo can grow up to 33 feet tall. For most of its life the Ocotillo appears to be a large collection of dead sticks. When rainfall comes, the spiny stems are quickly covered with small leaves, which may remain for weeks or even months. Soon after the leaves come, the stems of the plant grow a bright crimson flower.
This gallery contains some of my favorite Joshua Tree National Park images that are available as downloads and fine art prints. To view the gallery, click here or on the photo collage above. When you are in the gallery, click on a thumbnail to enlarge an image. To navigate the images click on the arrows. To see the captions click on the (i) symbol.
Check out my Joshua Tree National Park images on Getty Images, Istockphoto and Fine Art America
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