Flora & Fauna

The resilient life in arid conditions.

Changes in Flora and Fauna with Elevation

Playa:

The sediments that make up a desert playa are fine alluvial sediments and slow-draining clay rich soil. High sodium & alkalinity in the sediment make it difficult for plant roots to pull up water. Most of the flora that makes up this region are halophytes also known as salt plants. They can tolerate these salty conditions in their succulent leaves, diluting the salt, or deciduous leaves, excreting salt.

Alkali Scrub:

Alkali scrub is found just around the margins of a playa and has slightly less sodium content in its soil with poor drainage.

Shrublands

Transition zone between uplands and scrublands and flora tends to grow in spots of higher nutrients.

Uplands

The three different types of uplands are formed based on fluctuating temperatures and elevation. Many species of flora have to endure high winds, shallow, destabilized soils, and deep snows for long periods of time.

Wetlands (riparian zones)

These riparian zones are not very common. They are drainage systems that have rich soils and a hot spot for biodiversity. Three examples of wetlands that we visited on our trip were the Amargosa River, Saratoga Springs, and Tecopa Springs.

Sand Dunes

Consist of very fine grained sand sediments with very low nutrients.

Birds Seen

-Townsend's Solitaire

-American Coots

-White Throated Swifts

- American Robins

-American Crows

-Gila Woodpeckers

-House Finches

-House Sparrows

-Red Tailed Hawks

-Great Tailed Grackles

-Say’s Phoebes

Mammals Seen

-Big Horned Sheep

-Ringtail

- Signs of Coyote (scat)

-Signs of Grey or Kit Fox (scat and tracks)

Fish/ Reptiles/ Amphibians Seen

-Saratoga springs pupfish

A small number of predatory mammals call the Mojave Desert home, including bobcats, ringtails, kit foxes, gray foxes, and coyotes. The Kit Fox, Vulpes macrotis arsipus, is the smallest member of the canine family found in the Mojave Desert. They typically live in the open plains of the desert, creosote bush salt flats, or in the sand dunes. They have a special adaptation of thick fur along the sides of the paws that act as “sand shoes” to keep them from sinking in. Kit foxes are predators and are almost entirely carnivorous. Active at night, they prey on kangaroo rats, black tailed jackrabbits, desert cottontails, small birds, reptiles, and insects.

Allenrolfea occidentalis (common name: Iodine bush). Named after the English botanist Robert Allen Rolfe, A. occidentalis has many unique properties to allow it to grow in harsh desert conditions. You can find this plant in sandy, salty, alkaline soils. A. occidentalis seeds have been used as a food source by indigenous communities for milenia. Not knowing that the seeds were the desired part of the plant, I tasted one of the leaf knobs, which turned out to have a salty and quite unpleasant taste. This image was taken in Death Valley national park.

Gutierrezia sarothrae (common name: Broom snakeweed). G. sarothrae is a bush common to the western half of North America –ranging from Southwestern Canada to Northern Mexico. In high quantities, the plant is toxic to livestock due to the presence of saponins (triterpene glycoside). Despite being toxic to livestock, G. sarothrae has been used by indigenous groups for medicinal purposes.

Yucca schidigera (common name: Spanish dagger). Y. schidigera is an evergreen native to California, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, and Baja California. Distribution of the plant is heavily dependent on regular fires, which allow new sprouts to grow. Extracts from the plant are added to animal feeds and some herbal medications.Consumption of the plant's extracts have been shown to decrease blood cholesterol in both Humans and Chickens.

Panamint catseye found near Saratoga Springs: Johnstonella angustifolia (common name: Panamint catseye). J. angustifolia is a species of wildflower with a native range spreading from California to Texas. During its annual bloom, stems display inflorescences along a hook-shaped stem.

Opuntia phaeacantha (common name: Desert prickly-pear). O. phaeacantha is one of many prickly pear cactus species. Ranging from the southwestern United States to northern Mexico, O. phaeacantha is enjoyed as a food source by humans and desert organisms. Due to prickly-pears' propensity for hybridizing with other like-species, there are over 200 species of the cactus.

Cylindropuntia ramosissima (common name: branched pencil cholla). C. ramosissima is a deumbent cactus native to the Sonoran and Mojave deserts. Like many other species of cactus, C. ramosissima provides habitat for species of moths such as the Sphinx moth.

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