End of the Season

The desert season is winding down and I thought it might be nice to have a little recap of what we've done. Since the middle of February there have been 22 Treasure Hunts in the desert. So far over 100 survey forms have been submitted (with hopefully more to come in) and an estimated 900 volunteer hours have been logged! Thank you, thank you to all those volunteers and organizations that contributed their time and talents to making this season a success!

Things will start back up again in the fall, make some space on your calendars!

Here is one of the 50 different rare plant species we've found this year.

Erigeron parishii, Parish's flebane, rank 1B.1 Listed as a threatened plant.Below: The Kingston Range in the Eastern Mojave.

See you in the fall!

Not To Be Missed

The Rare Plant Treasure Hunts in the desert will be winding down soon, but we still have a couple more trips. This weekend Duncan Bell is taking volunteers into the Southern Mojave and for Memorial day weekend we are planning a trip to the Desert Mountains of the Eastern Mojave.

Penstemon utahensis, a rare gem

We were just in the Eastern Mojave and it is beautiful in the high elevations right now (and the weather is pretty good too). Come join us as we explore the Kingston and Clark Mtns and Maybe the Avawatz Mtns and Ivanpah valley area. We will be looking for three types of Penstemon, a wild onion and several cacti among other things.

You must RSVP for these trips so email us at treasurehunt@cnps.org to hold your spot. You can come for all or part of the trip. According to demand the end of May hunt will go from Friday the 27th to Sunday the 29th or Saturday the 28th to Monday the 30th.

What the Desert Holds-Part II

Another amazing trip out to the desert. This time we went to the Eastern Mojave and found rare plants and animals. Check out the photos taken by intern Duncan Bell. Arctomecon merrriamii, White Bear Poppy-one of my favorite.
the rare Allium nevandense (Nevada onion)
Baby bobcat, I didn't actually get to see this little guy, Duncan climbed the top of the mountain and spotted him.

April Rare Finds

Phacelia nashiana, Charlotte's phacelia, rank 1B.2-An electric blue flower, beautiful. To bad it's being over run with weeds (see the Crane's bill's fruit stuck to the plant).

A beautiful canyon in the western Mohave that will be highly impacted by Wind Power development.

Eriophyllum mohavense, Barstow woolly sunflower, rank 1B.2, a very, very small plant, see the scale below. Those taller flowers are only about 6 inches high.

Coryphantha alversonii, Foxtail cactus, rank 4.3, A darling little cactus. This is the first time I've seen it in full bloom. Love it!

What the Desert Holds

So much to blog about, so little time...
The desert holds so many amazing things and I am constantly suprised. Every trip has something unexpected, like snakes! What is it with rattlesnakes this year?? I saw zero last year and this year I've already seen four, specifically three in one day last week! One (a Mohave green, Crotalus scutulatus) was just hanging out on the road. The others (perhaps Southwestern speckled rattlesnakes, Crotalus mitchellii pyrrhus) were in some kind of combat near another road.

Mojave May Trips!

Mark your calendars and RSVP your spot now! Contact treasurehunt@cnps.org.

Saturday, May 7th Daytrip to Johnson Valley to search for Cymopterus multinervatus, (Purplenerve springparsley, see below) and Mimulus mohavensis, and more.

Friday to Sunday, May 13-15th Silurian Hills, Valjean Hills and Avawatz Mountains- North of Mojave Preserve, To look for Desert Bear Poppy (Arctomecon merriamii, see below), Androstephium breviflorum, Mojave Milkweed (Asclepias nyctaginifolia), Camissonia boothii and Purplenerve springparsley (Cymopterus multinervatus, see above). Join us Friday morning/night or Saturday morning for this camping trip.

Saturday and Sunday, May 21-22nd Trip lead by Duncan Bell, 2010 Grand Prize winner of the Rare Plant Treasure Hunt to the Eastern San Bernardino Mtns.

Friday to Sunday, May 27-29th Trip to Kingston and Clark Mtns and the Ivanpah Valley -to look for Mojave milkweed (Asclepias nyctaginifolia) and many others. Overnight camping trip, come Friday afternoon or Saturday morning.

More Trips

We have a few more trips on the horizon we'd like you to join. These are mostly mid-week trips, so not everyone will be able to join, but if it's your spring break, you're retired or you have time off then awesome! On Friday, April 15th Come see the Maturango Museum Wildflowershow in conjunction with the CNPS Creosote Ring subchapter, then survey with us nearby. We will most likely be going to the El Paso and Rand Mountains. Celebrate California Native Plant Week with a trip: Tuesday-Wednesday, April 19th-20th we will be surveying for Penstemon albomarginatus, the very rare White margin Penstemon among other plants along Route 66! This will be an overnight camping trip. Thursday, April 21st- Collecting for the Rancho Santa Ana Botanica Garden Wildflower Show from Yermo down to the Newberry, Rodman and Ord Mountains, just east and southeast of Barstow. This should be a lot of fun! And on Saturday, April 30th we are having a joint trip with the Sierra Club to the Juniper Flats/Ord Mountains area outside of Victorville. Join us! RSVP to treasurehunt@cnps.org for details. Above: Eriophyllum wallacei, Woolly daisy. Not rare but a relative of the rare Barstow woolly daisy.