High Desert Memories - A Hometown Journal Commemorating Ridgecrest California
 
Page Four
The Desert in Bloom
 
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The Living Desert
 
 
Driving into the mountains or around the desert floor during the wildflower blooming season one sees many many attractive almost pastoral scenes.  You slow down and start to take it in and then you spy something red in all that yellow and brown.  It sparks your interest so you stop your car and get out to see what it is.   You walk over and you find a beavertail cactus in the early stages of bloom.  It is really a very beautiful plant when in bloom.  Then you start to notice some of the other flora and fauna.  You go back to your car and get out that new digital camera you bought just for such purposes.  Now starts an adventure you hadn't anticipated.  This really is the living desert!!!  In other circles folks, this would be called "stopping to smell the roses!!" 
 
 
Here's that Beavertail cactus you saw initially which started you out on this exploration.  Looking at  it above one could compare it to a floral arrangement made by a florist complete with baby's breath.
 
 
As you proceed on your walk you come across more and more varieties of plants and blooms that you couldn't see from the road.  They are tucked in between the bushes and spread out low on the desert floor.
 
 
You continue your sojourn and still more varieties of wildflowers present themselves.  After an hour and a half you grow tired and you have to move on but wish you could spend the whole day here.

It's been both enjoyable and educational.  Now you have come to understand a little better what is meant by the term  "The Living Desert".
 
 
Those yellow bushes are covered with flowers shaped like daisies!!
 
 
There are other bushes that have flowers that look like bells!!!
 
 
Watch it!!!  There are some thorny things out there!!
 
 
As you drive away you think "I must return here again next year at this time and do that again."  Maybe you will or maybe you won't but you have the memory and the pictures of this day to keep forever. 

The day you stopped to smell the Wildflowers !!!
 
Here's a small gallery of pictures taken in 9 mile canyon this year.  These were
taken by Bill McBride on April 8th 2005.  The bloom is sure in full tilt right now. 
  This was sent in by two people on the same day.  Linda Clark and Patrick Harrison
  East side of the Carrizo Plain of the Temblor range about 50 miles east of Bakersfield.     2005
 
 
   The following pictures were taken by Jim Porteus on March 22, 2005.  The title says Chuckwalla.  I don't  know where that is but the flowers are definitely in bloom there.