Joshua Tree National Park, California
As the joshua trees watch, the sun rises in the east, chasing the earlier rising crescent moon across the sky. Another day begins in the Mojave desert.
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Joshua Tree National Park, California
During the winter months when the Sierra Nevada range is snowy and cold, California rock climbers come to Joshua Tree to practice their skills.
Tags: California Hidden Valley Joshua Tree Joshua Tree National Park Mohave Mojave Mojave Desert USA United States desert landscape national park outdoor park
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Joshua Tree National Park, California
A scene in the Mojave desert in southern California. A Joshua tree holds place of honor in the center, while a creosote bush grows on the left.
The word Mojave is a Spanish form of the native Mojave tribe's name for themselves, Hamakhaave, which means "beside the water".
Tags: California Joshua Tree Joshua Tree National Park Mohave Mojave Mojave Desert USA United States Yucca brevifolia creosote desert landscape national park outdoor park plant
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Keys View, Joshua Tree National Park, California
A Joshua Tree stands in a dusting of snow in a high area in the Joshua Tree National Park. This snow is good for Joshua Trees. In fact they don't bloom unless there's a winter freeze. This is going to be problematic as the average temperatures increase in the years to come.
Back in the day, before humans showed up on this continent, the giant Shasta ground sloth helped Joshua Tree disperse their seeds. We know this because the leaves, fruits, and seeds of the Joshua Tree have been found in ground sloth dung in caves. But the ground sloths were hunted to extinction during the great megafauna extinctions over 10,000 years ago. So the Joshua Tree is now handicapped when it comes to moving to more climatically acceptable areas. By the end of the 21st century researchers estimate that much of Joshua Tree National Park will not be suitable for Joshua Trees.
My prediction is that we humans will give the Joshua Tree a hand by establishing it in new areas, becoming very light handed gardeners.
Tags: California Joshua Tree Joshua Tree National Park Keys View Mohave Mojave Mojave Desert USA United States Yucca brevifolia desert landscape mountain mountainside national park outdoor park plant snow
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Joshua Tree National Park, California
In acknowledgement of Halloween, I present a rather spooky looking Joshua Tree silhouetted against a quarter moon. Sorry, no broomstick riding witches transiting the moon were available. Joshua Trees are tall, spikey members of the yucca family. These arborescent (not-really-a-tree, maybe an evil spirit?) plants are native to the Mojave Desert of the southwestern United States. Their name came from their vaguely skeletal shape that reminded the spooked Mormon settlers of the Biblical story where Joshua lifted his hands to the sky in fright. Or maybe that was in prayer. Frankly, either could have been the case with these plants.
Tags: California Joshua Tree Joshua Tree National Park USA United States Yucca brevifolia landscape moon national park outdoor park plant silhouette
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