Horned Lizards are easy to catch

Just 2.5 months ago I journeyed from Vermont blizzards to begin work at the USGS in Henderson, NV. Most of our field time has been spent in and around Barstow, CA conducting vegetation surveys in the Mojave desert in order to assess desert tortoise habitat. During long field days my mind sometimes wanders and I find myself thinking about the incredible adaptations needed for the plants and animals to survive this windy, hot, generally inhospitable environment. Somehow though the plants that are able to survive here are some of the more interesting and beautiful that I’ve ever seen. I only wish that we were more adapted to life in the desert. If only, like tortoises, we could go without water for up to two years! Instead were foolishly out and about during the hottest part of the day (curse conventional work hours!), slathered in sunscreen, dripping with sweat, blasted by wind. There are also so many plants with spines, stickers, and sharp edges that immediately burrow deep into your socks the very moment you step out of the vehicle, or find their way straight into your pocket. Yet there are daily consolations. Like stumbling upon an abandoned stone house with a beautifully made fireplace (complete with owls nest in the chimmney), or discovering a new species in your plot, or picking up another extremely cool rock for the mantle at home (which is already overflowing with treasures). There are the days when you catch not one but two Horned Lizards (which are actually quite easy to get), or climb to the top of a mountain just because you can.

Cheers,

Nora

Last of the annuals bloom near "Hamburger Point", one of the better camping spots in the area