In the desert first impressions are almost always deceiving, which contributes to a general lack of appreciation and understanding. Before moving to the Mojave Desert, I lived in Tucson, which is located in the Sonoran Desert. One morning I was shocked to see the Catalina Mountains, normally rendered in shades of brown, brightly colored, as if a yellow blanket had been placed around its feet. I later discovered that this phenomenon only occurs every ten years or so when a small desert plant emerges from the rocks and blooms. Botanists call these plants “ephemeral” because they are short-lived—waiting out periods of unfavorable conditions in the form of seeds and then bursting forth when the conditions allow. After a week or two the mountain side returned to its normal color; however, this powerful experience remains a vivid memory and continues to occupy my thoughts.
There are approximately 250 ephemeral plants in the Mojave Desert, and over one third are considered “endemic,” meaning they are found in only one location on the planet. I was also shocked to learn that the plentiful and homely creosote bushes, which are regularly scraped from the desert floor to make way for development, can live to be over 12,000 years old. Biologist Frank Vasek at the University of California, Riverside, recently dated a creosote bush at 11,700 years old. Imagine a scraggly looking, waist high bush beginning its life when mammoths roamed the lands. The blackbrush also thrives throughout the Mojave Desert at elevations between 2,000 and 5,000 feet and can live for up to 15,000 years. The image here shows an isolated hedgehog cactus wedged in the gap of a fractured rock—it only takes a crack for life to take hold. The unassuming Mojave Desert will continue to surprise if you are willing to slow down and wait for her to reveal her secrets.