Thursday, March 3, 2016

Death Valley National Park, CA

The Super Bloom occuring in Death Valley National Park right now was underway when we visited in February. Woo hoo! If you are into desert wildflowers, check out Desert USA for updates. Here's just a few of the blooms we admired...

Desert Sunflower (Geraea canescens)


How could we not take multiple pictures with this spectacular flower - the definite show stopper?




Don't pass up smelling Desert Sunflower (Desert Gold)...it's enchanting!


Brown-eyed Evening Primrose (Camissonia clavaeformis)


Mohave Desert Star (Monoptilon bellioides)


Purple Mat (Nama demissum)


Caltha-leaf Phacelia (Phacelia calthifolia)


Gravel Ghost (Atrichoseris platyphylla)


Panamint Cryptantha (Cryptantha angustifolia)


The scale and grandeur of the scenery is humbling, inspiring and tends to provoke many thoughts difficult to articulate. Truly. The beauty of each small flower, each small piece is made that much grander by its place in the vast landscape.



Charcoal Kilns- wow, what a treat to see! These are some big, impressive ovens.



Death Valley is quite a mix of climates due to its lowest elevation (-279') and its highest point at Telescope Peak (11,331').  Climb a bit higher and you find cooler temperatures and snow in February.




Here we are happy atop Wildrose Peak (9,064') with the Sierra Nevadas in the background.


We opted out of Telescope Peak due to the snow and inappropriate gear, but you can see it in the background. Next time!



Thank you volcanoes for depositing such an array of minerals and ash to provide us with such a paint pot of color.




Our final bloom to end our exploration of Death Valley - the quintessential desert plant: Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata).


Next up: Mojave National Preserve

9 comments:

  1. A desert spring is a beautiful thing! SO Happy to see it through your post. I never seem to there at this time of year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We were so grateful to be there then, Sondra! What luck!:)

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. Thanks! It's easy when the scenery is so stunning.

      Delete
  3. Hello Friends, how wonderful to see a desert seem to spring to life! It looks like you had a great trip. I look forward to hearing about it during our next visit.-Beth

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes Beth! We can't wait to see you and chat plants and share time with you. Let's get this figured out asap. Much love!

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Yes it was!! I know you are seeing some beautiful things too on all your adventures. :)

      Delete

We love to hear from our readers! Please share your thoughts.