Natural History Wanderings

DesertUSA reports

Wildflower bloom in Death Valley continues to move uphill. On Tuesday, we drove CA 190 east and uphill of Furnace Creek, and found a spectacular bloom of Beavertail Cactus around Mile Marker 119, above the exit of Twenty Mule Team Canyon. Dozens of cacti are in full bloom in the boulder-strewn wash just north of the highway. Downhill around Mile Marker 118, there are huge bushes of blooming Rock Nettle in the channel of Furnace Creek Wash, alongside some large mounds of Velvet Turtleback.

So far this season, I have cataloged 60 species of wildflowers, including 30 species alone in one day last week along the southern Greenwater Valley down to Ashford Mills. The valley floor may be burning out, but the park is still blooming big!

See photos at Death Valley Wildflower Report – DesertUSA.