Cactus Monday- Borrego Palm Canyon Nature Trail

Anza Borrego Desert State Park, San Diego County, CA

The hike:

     from the visitor center: 5.5 miles round trip, 600 ft elevation gain (no fee to park at visitor center)

     from Borrego Palm Campgrond: 3 miles round trip, 600 ft elevation gain ( there is $8.00 day use fee to enter campground )

This is the most popular trail probably in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, and is also good for beginners because the ascent is very gradual, and the trail is well maintained. Though some parts of the trail would require some boulder hopping, because of the big rocks that litter the ground. Most parts of the trails are rocky, but very manageable. 

Desert Nature Trail, Visitor Center

The peak visitation to this park is during winter and spring when the temperature is cooler. In the summer, because of the intense desert heat, the trail is more isolated. Though at other times of the year, the hike here can be drab for some, because there is nothing but sun-blasted vegetation. But during spring, March and April, this park can turn into a rainbow of colors.

Blooming Beavertail and Brittlebush

Cactus Monday: Baja and Old World Succulent Gardens @ Wild Animal Park

Perhaps, for a lot of people visiting San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park, the first thing that comes to mind is either the Lion's Camp

or the Journey into Africa tour aboard tour vehicles that were inspired by the legendary trains of Africa to get a glimpse of the diversity in Africa.

However,Wild Animal Park is more than just a more naturalistic animal exhibits and wildlife refuge, within the park are also several botanical gardens. One of these gardens is the Baja and Old World Succulent Gardens. 

Elephant, Barrel and Saguaro Cactus

The Baja and Old World Succulent Gardens present a wide variety of succulents, more than 200 species of succulents are represented in these two connecting gardens. The Baja Garden focuses on the desert plants found in the desert of Baja California, Mexico. The Baja Garden has more than 200 bojums,

Boojum Bending From Its Weight

which is the largest collection of boojums outside of their natural habitat in Baja, Mexico. Boojums can reach a height of up to 60 ft and can live up to about 250 years old. 

Birds Perched on Spiny Branches of Boojum

Boojum is a tree like succulent with a water-storing trunk with tiny leaves. They can reach heights of 50 to 60 ft and live up to 250 years old. Another towering cactus in this Succulent Garden is the Saguaro Cactus.

Saguaro Cactus

This amazing cactus is the state flower of Arizona. It has a creamy white 3-inch wide flowers with yellow centers that boom May and June. This cactus is a familiar sight in cartoons, movies, and paintings. 

Then, there are some other succulents that I do not know the name :(

( ? ) 

( ? )

Other succulents here are the agaves, aloe and yucca.

Aloe Vera

Aloe has long been used for medicinal purposes, such as purgatives, skin care, sunburn and burns. For skin remedy however, be sure always it is aloe vera and not one of the aloes that is toxic. 

Agave( on the left with tall flower spikes) Amidst Cacti and Yuccas

One of the best known uses of agave is the production of tequila, which is made from the fermented and distilled juices produced by agave just before it flowers. The agave blooms only once in its lifetime, between 7 and 20 years. After it flowers, the main plant then dies, but it produce shoots that will take over to maturity. Perhaps, knowing that it takes 7 to 20 years for agave to bloom and dies thereafter, we can understand why tequila can be expensive.

More Succulents

For more of Cactus Monday, please visit Teri's Painted Daisies. 

Cactus Monday: Ocotillo and Beavertail Cactus

Ocotillo, Anza Borrego Desert State Park, San Diego County, CA

Ocotillo ( pronounced as oh-ko-tee-oh) is a unique desert plant of the Southwest and Northern Mexico. It is also known as coachwhip andvine cactus, but though it may often be referred in print as a cactus because of its other common name, it is actually really not a member of cactus family.

Dwarfed By Ocotillo

Ocotillo is a woody shrub which is usually 5 cm at the base and may grow to a height of 10 meters. 

A Woody Shrub

Notice that ocotillo branches heavily at the base, but above that, ocotillo seldom branches out further. The branches are pole like and the bright red flowers appear during spring and summer. 

Ocotillo Bright Red Flower

 The flowers of ocotillo are pollinated by hummingbirds and/or carpenter bees. Ocotillo loses its leaves in dry periods, and actually at other times of the year may simply look brown. However, just within 48 hours after a rain, the leaves re-appear! 

Towering Ocotillos

Ocotillo, Survivors of Heat and Drought

Ocotillos survive extreme heat and drought in the desert by losing its leaves so that it conserves moisture. Its stems are covered with a thick water resistant cuticle.

Ocotillo in Badlands

Ocotillo Surviving the Badlands

( you can click on the image to enlarge and see the ocotillo, which I encircled )

The presence of ocotillo in badlands suggest how much they can survive an area with extreme drought that other plants, even cactus, are not even seen in the badlands. 

Barrel Cactus, Brittlebush and Ocotillo

However, since this post is my entry for Cactus Monday, and ocotillo is not really a cactus despite being commonly referred to as a cactus, perhaps being seen only in the desert, I am adding here pictures of beavertail cactus blooms.

Beavertail Cactus in Bloom

Beavertail cactus has blooms of varying colors, the two most common I saw are yellow and magenta. 

The blooms usually are observed from March to June. Beveartail cactus is a smaller prickly pear cactus, you can find out more about prickly cactus and the busy bees in my June 17 post here. 

I will be leaving you with an interesting rock formation at Joshua Tree National Park, 

Skull Rock, Joshua Tree National Park, CA

Just as interesting as the plants in the desert, so are the rocks which are weathered into various shapes in the forms.

For more of cactus Monday, please visit Teri's Painted Daisies.

Cactus Monday- Cactus Loop Trail, Anza Borrego

Cactus Loop Trail, Anza Borrego Desert State Park

Last Cactus Monday, I shared Borrego Palm Canyon Nature Trail at Anza Borrego Desert State Park. For this Cactus Monday, I am sharing another trail from Anza Borrego, the Cactus Loop Trail. This is an easy 1 mile trail with only 200 ft elevation gain. The tallest in the background is ocotillo, and you can see some agave, barrel cactus and the majority in this trail are the cholla cactus. 

Very Tall Ocotillo

In The Midst of the Cholla Cactus

The cholla cactus in this trail are teddy bear cholla, similar to the cholla cactus at Joshua Tree National Park that I featured 2 Cactus Monday ago. The trail can be combined with adjacent Yaqui Well Trail and Bill Kenyon Trail for a total of 3.5 miles. 

Barrel and Cholla Cactus

More Cholla, Barrel Cactus and Ocotillo 

( with my younger brother in the picture )

Notice the pictures are so brown? I accidentally have not changed the white balance of my camera, i was shooting with a shade mode when it was sunny, as a result making the images look more suntanned when the desert is already tanned by itself.

The changes in the desert? If it was as brown as above images in the month of May, look at how they were in the month of March, just two months earlier!

Anza Borrego Wildflowers

And below, may be the driest part of Anza Borrego, The Badlands at Font's Point. 

Happy Cactus Monday, everyone!

For more of Cactus Monday posts, please visit Teri's Painted Daisies.

Cactus Monday- Desert Wilderness @ Joshua Tree National Park

It's Cactus Monday, and I am moving from redwood trees to cactus. For today's post, I will be sharing a natural desert landscape scenery in Southeastern California. 

Cholla Cactus Garden Nature Trail

The Cholla Cactus Garden Nature trail is one of the attractions in Joshua Tree National Park. The trail has massive grove of cholla cactus.

Teddybear Cholla, Joshua Tree National Park, CA

Because of its papery sheaths and well barbed spines, the cactus look soft from a distance, thus the common name "teddy bear". 

Cholla Cactus Garden Nature Trail, Joshua Tree National Park

The segments of teddybear cholla are easily detached from the plant and the detached segments form new plants by rooting and growing. Because of their spines, the loose segments can easily stick to passing animals. The animals then transport the fallen segment far from the mother plant. Thus, its other common name, "jumping cholla". 

The teddybear cholla or the jumping cholla can grow from 3 ft to 5 ft tall. The lower branches often fall off and the older spines turn black with age, thus the vertical and the dark appearance of the lower trunk. Strong spines are also believed to be cacti's protection and defense mechanism against hungry and thirsty animals who would want their internal water.  

Bunny Among the Chollas

Most leafy plants cool themselves off during the day by opening their pores, however, the pores of cacti open only at night. Without transpirational cooling mechanism during the day, the cactus adapt to desert heat by internal mechanisms. Teddy bear cholla for instance can withdstand an air temperature of 138 degrees Fahnrenheit, when other leaves will cook with that kind of heat. The well barbed spines are believed to help them protect from sunlight,  providing the plants shade to protect the chlorphyll from being bleached and their DNA from being damaged by the intense heat. 

  Teddybear Cholla, Cholla Cactus Garden Nature Trail

The chollas in the above picture look like glowing in the sun because of the yellow color of the younger spines, plus, I took that above shot using the "shade" option in the white balance, giving the look some bronze glow. Though the summer in this desert is very hot, but we usually come here during winter where the temperature is from 30s-60s F. During the cooler season (late fall to early spring), visitation to this park peaks, especially during spring when the desert wildflowers bloom. 

Here are some more pictures from Joshua Tree National Park, in San Bernardino County, California.

Barker Dam, Joshua Tree National Park

Hikers @ Skull Rock Trail

Layers of Mountains from Keys View

Joshua Trees @ Hidden Valley, Sunset

The Joshua trees are the largest of the yucca family, grows naturally only in the Mojave desert and nowhere else in the world. The Joshua tree and the other members of yuccas are part of the lily family. Here are some more pictures of Joshua Trees at sunset. 

A happy Cactus Monday, everyone.

For more of Cactus Monday posts, please visit Teri's Painted Daisies.