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Our last trip out was amazing! Yes, it may have gotten cold. Yes, it was windy, but we saw astounding fields of wild flowers, impeccable petroglyphs and even a rare plant or two. Can you spot the rare cactus? I almost tripped over it. It was well camouflaged. This is Sclerocactus polyancistrus, Mojave fish hook cactus. But I think the artists of this petroglyph had seen the cactus before! Do you see a resemblance?I love the wide open spaces of the desert, we hardly saw any people for days.And the fields of shockingly yellow wildflowers was a good bonus!

Amazing Things

The Colorado Desert of California has already given us a bounty of rare blooms and plants this year!

Fairy Duster, Calliandra eriophylla, rare plant rank 2.3, a beautiful little shrub. This ones stamens aren't fully open.

Mentzelia puberula, Argus Blazing star, rare plant rank 2.2. Last documented in this area in 1941!

This is a rare find-a Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) in California! This was last spotted overhead by plane in 1984!

This Saguaro is at least 100 years old, probably older. Look how tall it is and how many arms it has!

Plants and Petroglyphs Desert Trip

Petroglyphs by Bud Walley, Google Earth

There is still time to get in on this truly unique and exciting treasure Hunt! Not only will we be looking for rare plants but we will be looking for Petroglyphs as well! This trip will be just north of Barstow, so it's not far from the LA area. We will be meeting Friday March 25th and ending the night of Sunday, March 27th (there is also the possibility of meeting us Saturday morning, if you can't join us Friday). Please RSVP to treasurehunt@cnps.org for a full itinerary.

The rare Mentzelia tridentata, Three toothed Blazing Star, rare plant rank 1B.3

We will be searching for the Blazing star pictured above, as well as the Barstow Woolly sunflower, the rare desert springparsley and others. It should be amazing trips for experts and novices alike!

Trips, Trips and More Trips

The Jacumba Mountians, Imperial County

RSVP to treasurehunt@cnps.org for more details. Space limited on some trips. If you can't come for the whole trip arrangements may be made.


Monday-Wednesday, March 7-9th: Eastern Imperial County: Alogodone Dunes and environs. Camp on the dunes, go on a night hike and look for rare plants to boot. We're hoping to find weird and wild rare plants with true desert experts.

Friday, March 11th: Coachella Valley Preserve- Meet 9 am in the Preserve Parking Lot in Thousand Palms.


Friday-Sunday, March 18-20th: Joint Trip with Habitatworks: Exploring south of Joshua Tree near the Chuckwalla Mtns, Red Cloud Canyon, and Orocopia Mtns to hunt for Coues’ Cassia, California snakebush, Ditaxis serrata var. californica, Matelea parvifolia, Ayenia compacta, Lavendar Sage, Astragalus insularis var. harwoodii and Castela emoryi. Space limited.

Friday-Monday, March 25-28th: “Plants and Petroglyphs”- Desert Survivors Club trip
Combing Black Mountain, Cuddeback Lake, Golden Valley Wilderness area, Red Mountain to find Indian petroglyphs and rare plants such as Mentzelia tridentata, Eriophyllum mohavense, Cymopterus deserticola, Mimulus mohavensis, Eschscholzia minutiflora var. twissellmannii. Space limited.

Friday-Sunday, April 1-3rd: Soda Mountains proposed wilderness area with the California Wilderness Coalition- Come explore undiscovered country!

Friday-Sunday, April 8- 10th: Desert Survivors Club Trip 2- Surveying in the Solar Energy Study Areas: Chuckwalla Valley and Iron Mtns. RSVP required, space limited.


Week of April 11th-Surveying near Ridgecrest and collecting for the Creosote Ring Wildflower Show


Week of April 18th- Collecting for RSABG Wildflower Show and surveying for Penstemon albomarginatus.


Saturday, April 30th: Sierra Club Joint Trip to Juniper Flats and the Ord Mountains in the Northern San Bernardino Mountains Foothills. Come explore the border of the mountains and the desert. We may find Cushenbury buckwheat and other limestone endemics.