It may take a while to finish the posts from Joshua Tree National Park. I don't know why I am so unmotivated to post on my poor, neglected blog lately. Forgive me?
So this will be the plants, trees, and cactus post from the Park. The Joshua Trees in the park are gargantuan! I am sure they used to be this big outside the park at one time. I think quite a large number of the bigger trees in this area were chopped down for fuel. I will never get tired of these trees. I am particularly fond of the trees with the rock formations as a backdrop. You can click on the photos for a larger view. I had so many photos to include, that I didn't want to make them too big.
Sally and I drove to the cholla cactus garden. These are all Teddy Bear Cholla, or opuntia bigelovii, which are a little different from the cholla that grows near our house. The cholla near our house are probably silver cholla (opuntia echinocarpa). The Teddy bear cholla looked like they are getting ready to bloom, and I hope I can go back to the park to see that! I have never seen a blooming cholla before. This close up shows the old fruit and the new buds. If you want to read more about cholla varieties, I got my information from this link here.
We also drove to where the ocotillo patch is. These were some of the biggest ocotillo I have ever seen! Awesome. I took a photo with Sally standing next to one, for scale. They look really green, since we had some good rain over the winter. I think they are also getting ready to bloom. I am hoping to drag my husband to the park sometime soon, so he can see how awesome it is.
7 comments:
i love it when you post about the plants where you live. they must be the strangest, most beautiful things i have never seen before.
what a good idea of putting sally in front of the ocotillo. i get a good idea of how enormous it is. it looks like a giant seaweed growing on land.
more please!
:-)
Glad you're feeling better, Karine! These photos (and the ones in previous posts) are beautiful.
Wowzer! We have nothing similar.
Beautiful.
Beautiful pics, Karine...what an incredible place that is. How inspiring!
In your last post, that rock formation was incredible...looked like an elephant!
Hi Karine!
Just popping by to say hello and to wish you a great weekend!
:) Melissa
A few weeks back we visited the Joshua Tree National park for hiking and camping. I personally liked the 49 PALMS OASIS trail - easy, beautiful and very relaxing. About a 3 miles round trip, the oasis and the fan palm trees are truly wonderful. I did not take more strenuous and exciting trails since tourist facilities of the park are limited. I have written more details about the trip here.
The Barker Dam Loop, Black Rock Campground and the Cottonwood Campground are also nice places to visit. I wanted to visit the Lost Palms Oasis Trail … next time. Following this article to get the experience of other enthusiasts.
I loved seeing your pictures of the Joshua tree, and the ocatillo. Talk about ginormous! I was sorry to hear you were under-the-weather for so long. Hopefully, all is well now.
I like your 'Terra' painting... and am looking forward to seeing more! I'd love to see the Joshua trees during my lifetime. They are magnificent, whether they are blooming or not!
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