Spring in the desert-It's no place for sissies

Last Monday, I went hiking with my friends on the north shore of Lake Mead. It is an awesome place, some would describe it as desolate. For those who appreciate the hardy plants and animals who survive here, we love the renewal that spring brings. The first thing we saw was an incredible display of the endangered Bear Paw Poppy, the plants thrive only in gypsum-rich soils. Technically, they are Arctomecon califonica.

Besides the fact that they are rare, their existence has held the land hungry developers in the Las Vegas Valley at bay. Expansion here has created many problems, not the least of which is congestion, a shortage of teachers, medical help and poor air quality. The BLM is protecting this innocuous little plant and slowing down development, so hooray for the Bear Paw Poppy.



Many of the plants are very small, like Sun Cups and Phacelia or desert primrose (the purple flower). Each is a little treasure when we find it and identify it. Very tiny flowers are called belly flowers, you have to lay down on your belly to see and appreciate them. Yellow seems to be a predominant color in desert plants. I think it makes them more attractive to pollinators, like bees. Once I was in Death Valley and saw a whole field of yellow, purple and white flowers. It inspired me to go home and create a flower bed in those colors.

These spectacular beauties are called Sun Rays. They will often grow in distrurbed soils along the road. I think the infrequent rain helps them thrive because it washes off the roads and gives the plants a little more water. It's pretty dry here so I have so much admiration for these tough plants that are so showy.

This is where we stopped for lunch, it's called Rogers Spring. It was a welcome break because there are bathrooms. It's a thermal hot spring and home to many unusual fish and turtles. There is an unusual amoeba that lives in these waters, a sign warns prospective swimmers that it can cause death if it enters your nose or ears. That's one of the reasons the desert is no place for sissies. This area is a haven to many birds including migratory birds so it's a favorite stop for the people who love birding. Rogers spring is a part of a national wildlife refuge. The stream that runs off of this 30 foot pond waters the many species of plants that surround the area. I love going to the desert, it brings peace to my soul.

P.S. For all my blogger friends who are waiting for the Costa Rica pictures, I'm still working on editing them, I took over 700 pictures.