Page 5 - magazine Spring 2011-1_Neat

When visitors come to the Mojave Desert they sometimes by Chelise Simmons

think it is only a dry, barren waste land. But for those of us Desert Globe Mallow is a small shrub with furry
who call the Mojave Desert home, it is a wonderland of silvery-gray leaves and bright orange cup shaped flowers.
plants, insects and animals, some of which only survive
here in the Mojave Desert.

Red Rock Canyon is one of the most beautiful places in the
Mojave Desert. In the spring, it explodes with splashes of
bright yellow, orange, white, and hot pink to mention a

few. The spring bloom is a much anticipated event and the
visitor center receives hundreds of calls from anxious
flower enthusiasts as early as February. “Are there any
wild flowers out yet?” the caller would ask. Some seasons
are more brilliant than others, but once the weather starts to

warm up, the wildflowers start to peek out.

The best way to see wildflowers at Red Rock Canyon is to Desert Marigold resembles a small sunflower

go hiking along the Moenkopi trail that starts at the picnic on tall stems.
tables outside the Visitor Center. It is an The true role of flowers is to survive and
easy trail over rocky limestone. If hiking is reproduce. They assure reproduction by using
not in your plans, you can still enjoy the their bright colors and strong scents to attract
blossoms by driving around the loop. Either pollinators who spread pollen between flowers

way, bring a lunch and take your time to allowing the plant to reproduce. Some flowers
drink in all that Mother Nature has to offer.
have markings which serve as guides for
Desert Paint Brush with it luminous red tips and pollinators. These guides act as a runway that
the lovely Desert Globe Mallow are two leads the pollinator to the nectar.

representations of the Caroteniods pigment.
Wildflowers are also an important source of food
for other Mojave Desert dwellers. The
Desert
Globe endangered Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii),
Mallow
an herbivore, prefer eating Desert Globe Mallow
and cactus flowers compared to other grasses or
herbs. This vegetation provides most of the
Desert
Paint water the tortoise needs to survive.
Bursh (continued on page 6)
Caroteniods reflect light and, when mixed in different
proportions, produce flowers of orange, red or yellow.
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