National Park Service

The desert is an unlikely home for a tree, yet in the Mojave Desert of the US southwest, you will find a strange and sharply unique tree, straight from another planet, the Joshua Tree (Yucca Brevifolia). Joshua Tree National Park, located two hours east of Los Angeles, is the perfect destination to appreciate these exceptional trees while they are still here. Due to a variety of factors, which naturally includes a rapidly changing climate, the long-term survival of the Joshua Tree is in jeopardy. By the end of the current century, we could see the range of these majestic trees reduced by 90%, ironically this might include the Joshua Tree National Park itself 1. ...

Big Berried Manzanita (NPS) On the morning of Thanksgiving 2020, my roommate and I eagerly made our way up Condor Gulch trail to marvel at the rock formations this under-appreciated park was known for. And as the sun rose and the morning chill subsided, we took a break to remove some layers, when we realized we were in the presence of a tree neither of us had ever seen before. ...