Natural History Wanderings

DesertUSA reports

I-15, between Glendale and Mesquite: on my way back from Death Valley last weekend, I made a couple side trips. First, got off at the Carp/Elgin exit and took the frontage road north of the freeway, heading east – WOW! To the north is an amazing display of mostly yellow (Suncups? Desert Marigold?), with plenty of dune primrose mixed in, plus a few others

Continuing east, the road then turns north and becomes a dirt/gravel road that is well-maintained and suitable for all vehicles. I went another 12 miles or so (approximate!) to ‘The Summit’ (as it’s called on my map, at EL 3737′). Just over the summit, there’s some room to pull over on the right (east) and get out and explore. This side of the road has a nice variety of flowers, especially in washes, but sometimes the terraces above washes have nice surprises too.

And if you like cactus flowers, they’re just getting started (I’ve been here before, great for cactus blooms!). I’d bet this area is good for a couple more weeks, may be getting even better over the next week or so. The same goes for my 2nd side trip to the Gold Butte / Whitney Pockets area, getting off at the I-15 170/Riverside exit south of Mesquite and taking the Gold Butte Rd (another well-maintained 2WD/low clearance road) to Whitney Pockets (about 25 miles?). Didn’t spend much time here either, but another nice, healthy variety of flowers if you get out and explore – (again, hike up a wash and see what you can find!). If it’s becoming dried out by the time you get there, no worries, just continue on the main road (staying left) and head for the higher elevations. There’s a couple turnoffs on the left on the way to Whitney Pass that should be nice for a few weeks.

See photos at  http://www.desertusa.com/wildflo/nv.html#ixzz3X0rbhHny