view
Spring flowers of 2003 near Gorman.

Part 3. Southern California

East from the Sierra, Great Basin desert enters California in Mono Lake area. It's the world of sagebrush flats, dry mountains, and abandoned mining towns.
lake
Sunset, Mono Lake
bodie
Bodie ghost town,
Mono Lake area.
hare
Black-tailed jackrabbit,
Mono Lake
lake
Sunrise, Mono Lake.
lake
Black Smoker-like formations
around geothermal vents, Mono Lake
Mono Lake itself is a huge volcanic caldera, surrounded by cinder cones, lava flows, and weird rock formations. In summer and fall, its saline waters turn into a crustacean soup, attracting hundreds of thousands of gulls, grebes, and phalaropes. pine
World's oldest trees - pines
Pinus longaeva, Inyo Nat. Forest
salt
Dry bottom of Death
Valley.
sage
Sagebrush, Death Valley.
sand
Sand Dunes, Death Valley.
From Telescope Peak, you can see Mount Whitney and Death Valley, the lowest point of the continent, at the same time.
canyon
Mosaic Canyon, Death
Valley.
dv
Spring flowers in Death Valley.
dv
Titus Canyon,
Death Valley.
dv
Mozaic Canyon,
Death Valley.
dv
Death Valley from Dante's View.
view
View of the eastern escarpment
from the bottom of Death Valley.
Death Valley is the largest National park in California. Its centerpiece is a deep rift valley, the world of dry desert lakes and spectacular canyons. In addition to being a geologist's paradise, it contains some unique flora and fauna, even endemic fishes in tiny salt springs. view
Artist's Palette,
Death Valley.
yucca yucca yucca yucca
Joshua tree(Yucca brevifolia), World's largest yucca, forms large forests in desert mountains of Southern California.
oriole
Hooded oriole
(Icterus cucullatus),
Colorado Desert.
Southern California is mostly occupied by Mojave desert. It is famous for rare, but spectacular wildflower displays, and for weird forests of cacti and yuccas in desert mountains. Fall colors are also beautiful here, but nobody pays any attention to them. Mountain ranges to the southwest, from Los Angeles area to the Mexican border, are famous for fantastic views and highly diverse flora. Southwestern corner of California also has more species of bats and reptiles than other parts of the state. quail
Gambell's quail
(Callipepla gambelii),
Mojave Desert.
cacti
Teddybear cholla (Opuntia
bigelovii
), Joshua Tree Nat. Park

yucca
Sunset in Joshua tree forest,
Joshua Tree National Park

yucca
Joshua Tree (Yucca
brevifolia
) and view of
San Jasinto Mountains,
Joshua Tree Nat. Park
yucca
California poppy
(Escholtzia californica), California Poppy
Preserve, Mojave.

In San Jasinto Mountains, you can ski within a mile from hot desert.

cacti
Snake cholla (O. serpentina),
Joshua Tree Nat. Park

bird
Poorwill (Phalaenoptilus
nuttallii
), Joshua Tree Nat. Park

cactus cactus cactus
Common cacti of Southern California, left to right: claret cup cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus), devil cholla (Opuntia parishii), beavertail cactus (O. basilaris). Guadalupe Canyon.
view
Fall colors in Sierra foothills
near Lone Pine.
What makes the desert mountains of Southern California so interesting is the unusual habitat diversity. Each slope is influenced by elevation, sun, winter rain, and coastal fog in its own way. As a result, San Bernandino National Forest near Los Angeles has more species of flowering plants than any other forest in the United States. view
California brittlebrush (Encelia
californica
), San Bernardino Mts.
plant
Ocotillo (Foucuieria
splendens
),Anza-Borrego
lizard
Granite spiny lizard (Scleroporus orcutti),
male in breeding colors,
Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Preserve.
pine
Coulter's pine (Pinus coulteri) has the
heaviest cones of all conifers in the World.
Mount Palomar State Park.
yucca
Chaparral yucca (Y.
whippleyi
), Mojave.
view
Oasis with California Fan Palms
(Washingtonia filifera),
Coachella Valley Preserve.
Valleys and mountains within at least 100 miles of Los Angeles are heavily influenced by its smog and hordes of weekend tourists, but there are still many little-known and relatively pristine places in this area.

bird
California quail (Calipepla californica), Los Padres National Forest.

view
Granary (collective cash of acorns)
made by a family of acorn woodpeckers
(Melanerpes formicivorus), Mt. Pinos.
view
Spring flowers of 2003 near Gorman.

Part 4: The Central Valley.
Back to Part 2

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