Bonnie Rannald's Photo-Explorations in focus with nature. : Purple Mat

Sunday, March 6, 2016

2016 Death Valley Wildflowers, Badwater Road

Highlights of Super Bloom from the Lower Elevations

What better time for a nature photographer to be in a national park than during a rare super bloom of wildflowers. Thus was my experience during February 2016 when I traveled to Death Valley National Park to photograph the 20 species of desert wildflowers in different stages of bloom. An El Niño weather pattern has been bringing more rain and snow to the American West. When the rains come more evenly spaced during the winter and spring, flower seeds that have been lying dormant for years will spring to life. This rare occurrence of multiple flowers blooming at around the same time in Death Valley has been coined a “Super Bloom”.

In my first blog post "2016 Death Valley Wildflower Super Bloom", I highlighted the locations where the flowers were growing in the largest numbers. On Part 2 of 3, I will focus on some of my favorite individual flowers that caught my attention.

The first wildflowers to bloom were in the southern part of Death Valley, where the elevation is lowest, 279 feet (85 m) below sea level and the temperatures are warmer. Along the Badwater Road and as far as the eyes could see were fields of Desert Gold.

The Desert Gold (Geraea canescens) is an annual that grows on a tall, branching stalk and is commonly known as the Desert Sunflower. The flowers can last from February to May with sufficient rainfall.

Mixed in with the Desert Gold was the more subtle crème color of Brown-eyed Evening Primrose (Camissonia claviformis).

Brown-eyed Evening Primrose (Camissonia claviformis) is an annual white to pink flower with dark brown center and stigma that hangs out beyond the petals. It blooms in early spring, however at this early date in February, many of the Brown-eyed Evening Primrose flowers had already begun to bolt.

Purple Notchleaf Phacelia flowers were showing well on the west side of Badwater Road.

This purple to lavender annual desert flower has several different names. In the Borage family, it is also known as wild heliotrope.

It is also known as Scorpionweed due to the flower growing in a curl that resembles a scorpion’s tail. As beautiful as the Purple Notchleaf Phacelia is, it is best enjoyed from a safe distance because physical contact may result in a rash or contact dermatitis. So far, I have not developed any skin problems while photographing this flower.

To really enjoy the wildflowers one must take a walk along a wash and look closely at all the different types of flowers. However, as the park rangers remind us, please be careful not to step on any of the plants.

While I was busy focusing on a nice group of purple Phacelia, I just happened to notice one of the more subtle flowers in Death Valley, the small white blooms of Gravel Ghost!

The Gravel Ghost (Atrichoseris platyphylla) is in the dandelion family and for such a small flower; it has the most wonderful fragrance of cinnamon vanilla spice. It is also known as the Parachute Plant because the flowers seem to float in the breeze.

An accent of purple at ground level catches my eye and the Purple Mat (Nama demissum) is growing well on the east side of Badwater Road.

Purple Mat is also known as a "Belly flower" because you must get down on your belly to enjoy its beauty.
Many desert plants have developed unique adaptations to exist in such extreme environments and keeping a low profile helps to prevent the Purple Mat from drying out in the hot sun.

This concludes Part 2 of my Death Valley Super Bloom post where I have highlighted a few of the flowers in the southern part of the Park. On Part 3, I will focus on the flowers that I found in the higher elevations. So follow my Blog and check back to see what's blooming.

What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been. I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences.

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

"Reflecting Nature's Artistry"

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http://www.bonnierannald.com/

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Monday, June 9, 2014

Wildflowers Along Gabbs Valley Range

Part II, What's Blooming on Rabbit Springs Road

Part two on my discoveries of wildflowers along the Gabbs Valley Range takes me back to Rabbit Springs Road from the side trip to Benton Spring. While driving a short distance, to my disappointment I began to notice that this area appeared very dry. Most of the moisture from any clouds just happens to become stalled over the Gabbs--Reese River area; however weather patterns in this portion of the Great Basin Desert can be quite unpredictable and also fickle.

I was beginning to fear that the lack of moisture was not going to allow for many wildflowers on this trip. As I was driving higher up and to the north on Rabbit Springs Road, I saw my first indication with a few small white petals of Spreading Phlox. This plant can grow to become so dense that the tiny flowers completely cover the leaves. Spreading Phlox mounds rarely grow higher than 4 inches above the ground. Maybe my luck was about to change and I would find more flowers as I drove up higher.

While walking around the area of the Spreading Phlox, my eyes were drawn to something red against the green needles of a pinyon pine. A closer look found just the one Desert Paintbrush, but what a striking scene it made with the pine needles. The Desert or Indian Paintbrush has brilliantly colored, torch-like flower spikes that range from electric pint to scarlet red. Growing on sagebrush slopes, the Paintbrush adapts by hooking its roots to the roots of a host plant.

The Pinyon Pine is a low, bushy evergreen that can reach a height of 15 to 35 feet, (4.6-10.7 m) and has adapted well in the high desert soil. Producing the edible pine nuts, the seeds are still collected by Native Americans for both cultural and economic purposes.

Gaining higher altitude, around 7,000 feet (2133.6 m) were a nice grouping of Silvery Lupines accenting the road-side with their deep blue-violet blooms. A member of the pea family, Lupines are found in rocky soils at 7,000 to 10,000 feet (2,134--3,048 m) elevation. A note of caution--the genus Lupins and especially the seeds are toxic to humans and animals if ingested.

Mixed in with the Silvery Lupines was an occasional Dwarf Lupine.

After reaching the higher altitudes more varieties of wildflowers were coming in view. The lavender flowers of a Crescent Milk-vetch were just starting to bloom. Preferring sandy or gravelly soils, this interesting plant is also known as Locoweed and comes with a word of caution as it is toxic to both humans and animals. When ingested, a disorder known as locoism will result. Locoism occurs chiefly among sheep, horses and cattle and is characterized by weakness, impaired vision, paralysis and irregular behavior.

Just as I was driving past, I noticed the tall, deep purple blossoms of a Subalpine Larkspur. The showy flower grows along shady, subalpine streams and meadow edges so I was curious as to why it was on the bank of this rocky dirt road. This plant too comes with a warning and contains toxins if eaten which can be fatal to both humans and animals.

My drive had now taken me to the mountain pass and it was time to turn around.

The interesting aspect of outdoor photography along a trail is that everything looks different on the trip back. The lavender trumpet flowers of Purple Mat were blooming off to the side. Purple Mat has been known to carpet the desert floor with ample rain.

A little further on, the white Desert Pincushions were just starting to bloom. These small multiple flowerheads accent the slopes, hillsides and shrublands in many areas of the Great Basin Desert.

The last group of wildflowers to my delight was a bunch of Spreading Fleabane nestled against rust colored sandstone rocks. The small daisy-like blossoms are short-lived, so this was a very exciting finale for a day of wildflower photos.