The rains are here in the desert which is a welcome sight for someone who is from the Midwest. You can tell when it is going to rain because the creosote bushes begin to smell good. Hopefully with the rain the grasses that are on our target list will begin to grow, and we might actually get to collect seeds. But for now we have been scouting out different areas such as Araviapa Canyon, Turkey Creek, Bonitia Creek, and Sandraw to name a few. Being here is a great opportunity to learn new plant species, and make some new friends. The transition from riparian areas to desert is abrupt to say the least, especially in the canyons. But if you go higher up in elevation it should come as no surprise that the plant communities change. Looking out across the landscape one can see the different patches of plant communities.

All we can do for now is just wait for more rain, because with rain comes seeds. But there are some amazing plant communities and species out here. To name a few: Schott’s yucca, Parry’s Agave, Devils claw and many others. I can’t imagine what it was like for the first people to do plant inventories out here, but I hope that they were just as awe inspired as I am now.