The Desets of California in a changing climate: Highs and lows

We are dirty and tanned. Our feet have new callouses and pain from all the the hiking we've been doing. Corwyn we've decided needs a new pair of runners as his toes are pinching and Vera needs nightly foot and leg massages. But overall we have had an amazing time. Read Chris' post if you'd like to know more about the itinerary and details of our campsites & adventures from his perspective. What I want to talk about is about the life of the desert--the huge diversity we've experienced and the wonder and sadness that comes with it. A small bit of elevation change here makes a huge difference in what is here on the land due to temperature and moisture variations so I have divided this post into highs and lows. Highs There are two deserts that we have traversed in California- The Colorado (Which may be a subset of the Sonoran desert) and the Mojave Deserts. The Mojave desert is the higher altitude of the two deserts. The temperatures are cooler and there is snow in many areas in the winter. However, it is extremely varied. Some parts receive 2 inches of rain per year, others 6. Joshua Tree National Park has both deserts but the Mojave is where you find the Joshua trees. When we moved into this desert and started walking I was astounded. Even though we missed the early bloom of all the annual flowers there was still much blooming--cactus blooms of deep purple and reds, wildflowers of a wide variety and yuccas. My personal favourite was the Nolina. I spotted a number that just looked like another type of green yucca but in the Hidden Valley near where we camped our 3rd night it was this secluded little valley that was a bit cooler and I found a few in bloom. It had a huge flower stalk like a tall yucca but the whole stalk was glowing a golden glow in the setting sun. When I finally approached it it was just humming with bees and moths. A small flycatcher was also there nipping in and out catching moths then sitting on a nearby rock to eat them before heading in again. It was neat to see this ecocsystem stemming from one plant. Indigenous people from what I read also prized and ate/eat the flower stalk as well.

Parry's Nolina in bloom in Hidden Valley, Joshua Tree National Park

My favourite cactus in bloom. Corwyn has a good eye for variety and for spotting wildlife. He was keen on cacti and could spot a new species and variations in chollas as well as others. Here he is next to a big barrel cactus as well as some of the beautiful blooms I adored of some of the beavertail prickly pears and my favourite the big red Mojave Mound Cactus.

When I mentioned the diversity to the park ranger on the walk we went on she said "Yes, Joshua Tree National Park has the greatest biodiversity in all of California." It certainly does. We saw many of the 40 different lizard types including the large Chuckwalla which Corwyn spotted first and exclaimed "There goes an iguana!" I enjoyed the kit fox I spotted and got up early (5am) to find it sitting on a rock in the same area the next morning as well. We had a coyote walk through our campsite. An amazing place but one a delicate position as so many species are endemic and only live in the Mojave. The Joshua trees need a specific moth to pollinate and a specific amount of moisture and elevation. Climate models indicate that if we continue on track for a 2C warming on average that 90% of the current Joshua trees will perish. A sad fate for the icon that has made it the 8th most popular National Park in the USA. I hope our society can pull off a shift that will keep the warming lower. Maybe in a best case at this point we can save half instead.... Lows The lowland areas around the Mojave are the Colorado desert are starkly different but still special. Most places are not barren but the hotter temperatures with periodic flooding in Summer makes it a land of smaller shrubs like the miles and miles of colonies of creosote bushes (which are apparently the longest lived species on earth? One colony was estimated at > 11 000 years. They aren't pretty and as we decended into them the temperatures climbed as the elevation dropped. My spirits generally dropped as well. The barrenness makes you realize how crucial water is to life and there are places with dead yuccas where you wonder if this is an effect of recent droughts or? There are some endemic species that only occur here as well though. One is the only native palm-- the California Fan Palm. You may think of California and think of palm trees but most of these are palms from other places like Morroco. The California fan palm only lives in the Colorado desert but ironically 'must have its feet in water.' It can only occur where there is flowing water or a high water table--a true Oasis. In Anzo-Borrego we hiked to one and it was a beauitiful spot of green. It had a river that flowed over it. At the edge of Joshua Tree NP we went to another that was a sadder tale. A beautiful oasis near the town of 29 palms--named so due to an Indigenous people, the Serrano were said to have originated here. In their first year 29 boys were born and the creator had instructed them that for every boy they were to plant a palm. Thus 29 palms. It was a major hub for different groups to come to and trade and stay. However, the growing town has tapped into the water table that no water has bubbled to the surface since the 1940s and now the park pipes water from town to supply some water to the oasis and the dying palms. It left me feeling sad as we headed out again through the hotter part of the desert wondering what will be the future for these lands in the next 50 or 100 years. As we gaze at all the fountains and water elements in Las Vegas the use of water and the how starkly different this built landscape is with its air conditioned indoor landscapes revive us from penetrating glare of the sun for a bit yet shield us from the reality of the desert climate I wonder. What is next?

A healthy fan palm oasis and one that is dying with town nearby in 29 palms