What I love about home (Del's California Photos)

[DelWhicker]

Since all the cool kids are showing off their photos, I thought I'd throw some of mine into the mix.

In Willowlover's thread "What do you love about home", I practically gushed about California's diverse landscapes, flora and fauna. So out of that, I decided to show just what I love about California. I hope to do it justice and most importantly, I hope you all enjoy them.

I kept the compression low on these photos, so the file sizes can and will range from 200k to 600k, hence the thumbnails. Apologies to the slower connection Kittens.

Enjoy.

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These were taken in Joshua Tree National Park.


- You'll only find Joshua Trees at a certain elevation (3000-6000 feet) throughout the Mojave Desert.


- These rock mounds are found throughout the high desert in the park.


- There's a rock climber there...do you see him?


- Ocotillo plants look dead for most of the year until it rains. It's found in the low desert (Colorado Desert) section of the park where temperatures can get to be 115 degrees F or more.

[Emms]

Oh wow, Del! Those photos are so excellent! I've never seen anything like those trees before in my life. they are very lovely!

And look at you makin' all with the photo thead WOOT!

[SJ]

Great pics.

[oneyedchicklet]

So we've brought another photographer into the mix. Most excellent pics Del. Bring on some more please.

HUGS
Barb

[justin]

Those pictures are great.

The area does look barren, but still with lot's of interesting plant life.

I'd never seen a Joshua tree before this.

[tarebear]

fantastic pictures del! thanks for that picture tour through the park... i definitely liked the joshua tree picture 'cause i haven't seen anything quite like it!

i will definitely look out for more of your pictures!

great job del!

[DelWhicker]

Emms: Yeah, here's me getting my butt kicked by BbCode. Glad you enjoyed the pics!

SJ: Thanks. I promise more pics with a bit more life later on...

Barb: Thanks! Like I said...all the cool kids are doing it, so here I am. There's more to come, but it's hard to decide which ones to post and even harder to refrain from posting them all!

Justin: Thanks! I was a bit nervous about posting the desert picks first, mostly because on the surface, they do look so devoid of life. But I wanted to start off at one extreme end of the spectrum, if only to show the diversity.

Cecile: Glad you liked the pics. Joshua Trees are certainly unique. I think that's why I like them so much.

Joshua Tree Nat'l Park is probably one of the lesser visited places in the national park system, which is a actually a shame. On the surface, it looks like a dead barren landscape, but that couldn't be further from the truth. It's literally teeming with life...plants, animals, reptiles and insects. Ok, there not the cute cuddly things you find in, say, a forest, but there is an abundance of life there. There's no where else that, with just a little bit of rain, something that looks so dead can come back to life with a burst of color. Kinda like life. [/sappy]

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Enjoy.


Joshua Tree National Park 2.


- Hedgehog Cactus in bloom.


- Desert Mallow in bloom.


- Beavertail Cactus in early bloom, before the flowers open.



- Sunset reflected.


- Desert Sunset, early August. Perfect way to end the day.

[tarebear]

On the surface, it looks like a dead barren landscape, but that couldn't be further from the truth. It's literally teeming with life...plants, animals, reptiles and insects. Ok, there not the cute cuddly things you find in, say, a forest, but there is an abundance of life there. There's no where else that, with just a little bit of rain, something that looks so dead can come back to life with a burst of color. Kinda like life. [/sappy]

i can totally agree with that! we don't have any deserts where i live but i get enough dose of desert life through NGC and i would absolutely have to agree with you on that.... it's so amazing to see how plants and animals alike have adapted themselves to cater to the whim of the sun and the rain... and i don't think you're sappy at all!

great new pictures, del! i love cactus! we have several here in the garden.... in different sizes, textures and shapes they're really low maintenance too (probably the best thing i love about them )

i love sunsets and your sunset pictures are fabulous!



i'm excited to see more of your pictures!

[SJ]

Wonderful pics.

[oneyedchicklet]

Del, absolutely beautiful. The sunset pictures are really breath taking. Unfortunately, I have to drive 90 minutes to get good sunset pictures from the beach....or as we in NJ say "down the shore"

Thanks for sharing them.

HUGS
Barb

[Emms]

Those are some lovely pics, Del. I just love the two with the sunset... so beautiful. *dreamy sigh*