Ansel's Spring Walk About

April 2005

For a first-time visitor the desert may appear bleak and drab. Viewed from the road, the desert only hints at its vitality. Closer examination reveals a fascinating variety of plants and animals. A rich cultural history and surreal geologic features add to the attraction of this place.

Click on any image below to enlarge

This is the Hemingway Buttress Area

The park encompasses some of the most interesting geologic features found in California’s desert areas. Exposed granite monoliths and rugged canyons testify to the tectonic and erosional forces that shaped this land. Washes, playas, alluvial fans, bajadas, desert varnish, igneous and metamorphic rocks interact to form a pattern of stark beauty and ever changing complexity

Two deserts, two large ecosystems whose characteristics are determined primarily by elevation, come together at Joshua Tree National Park. Below 3,000 feet, the Colorado Desert encompasses the eastern part of the park and features natural gardens of creosote bush, ocotillo, and cholla cactus. The higher, moister, and slightly cooler Mojave Desert is the special habitat of the Joshua tree. In addition to Joshua tree forests, the western part of the park also includes some of the most interesting geologic displays found in California’s deserts. Five fan palm oases also dot the park, indicating those few areas where water occurs naturally and wildlife abounds.

While Joshua Tree is viewed as a world-class rock climbing spot, some associated problems have arisen.  People have created a network of trails to and from formations, trampling vegetation in the more popular areas.  Nesting birds are disturbed.  Archeological sites can be damaged.  Climber groups are working with park staff to find a balance between climbing and resource protection.

This is an area called Hidden Valley.  The opening to this valley was originally blasted through the sold rock.

The large granite rocks around Hidden Valley act as giant water collectors.  Rainfall runs off through cracks in the rock and collects around the base.  The soil itself is composed of weathered granite and the texture and depth of the soil controls how much water is stored.  Plants growing nearer to the rocks will have greater access to moisture and protection from the drying winds.

In the early 1900'sranchers needing water for their stock searched for ways to supplement natural water sources. They dug wells, improved springs and expanded natural catch basins in drainages of canyons and rock formations by building small dams.

This area began as a natural tank, a catch basin for rainfall and runoff.  It was expanded into a dam by the Barker & Shay Cattle Co., and still later enlarged by Bill keys, owner of the Desert Queen Ranch.  At its maximum it encompasses about 20 acres.

From Keys View one can see in two mountain peaks.  On the left is Mount San Jacinto and on the right is Mount San Gorgonio.

The Tree of Life

Known as the park namesake, the Joshua tree, Yucca brevifolia, is a giant member of the lily family. Like the California fan palm, Washingtonia filifera, the Joshua tree is a monocot, in the subgroup of flowering plants that also includes grasses and orchids. Don’t confuse the Joshua tree with the Mojave yucca, Yucca schidigera. This close relative can be distinguished by its longer, wider leaves and fibrous threads curling along leaf margins. Both types of yuccas can be seen growing together in the park. The Joshua tree provides a good indicator that you are in the Mojave Desert, but you may also find it growing next to a saguaro cactus in the Sonoran Desert in western Arizona or mixed with pines in the San Bernardino Mountains.

And now for the Flowers of the Desert