Desert photos

Live Oak and Milky Way, rocks and stars, Joshua Tree National Park at night.
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, California
Image ID: 28424  

Hardened mud playa and sand dunes, dawn, Mesquite dunes.
Location: Stovepipe Wells, Death Valley National Park, California
Image ID: 28679  

Arch Rock in Joshua Tree National Park. A natural stone arch in the White Tank area of Joshua Tree N.P.
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, California
Image ID: 26748  

Joshua tree at sunrise. Joshua trees are found in the Mojave desert region of Joshua Tree National Park.
Species: Joshua tree, Yucca brevifolia
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, California
Image ID: 20139  

Ocotillo ablaze with springtime flowers. Ocotillo is a dramatic succulent, often confused with cactus, that is common throughout the desert regions of American southwest.
Species: Ocotillo, Fouquieria splendens
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, California
Image ID: 09161  

Spring Wildflowers Bloom in an Colorful Bouquet in Anza Borrego Desert State Park. Dune evening primrose (white) is mixed with sand verbena (purple) near Henderson Canyon Road, Spring 2024. Just before sunrise with flowers in shade.
Species: Dune evening primrose, Sand verbena, Oenothera deltoides, Abronia villosa
Location: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, California
Image ID: 40272  

Spring Wildflowers Bloom in an Colorful Bouquet in Anza Borrego Desert State Park. Dune evening primrose (white) is mixed with sand verbena (purple) near Henderson Canyon Road, Spring 2024.
Species: Dune evening primrose, Oenothera deltoides
Location: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, California
Image ID: 40298  

Spring Wildflowers Bloom in an Colorful Bouquet in Anza Borrego Desert State Park. Dune evening primrose (white) is mixed with sand verbena (purple) near Henderson Canyon Road, Spring 2024.
Species: Sand verbena, Abronia villosa
Location: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, California
Image ID: 40299  

Desert Lily Blooming in Anza Borrego Desert State Park. While the Desert Lily is typically an uncommon or rare flower, in Spring 2024 it was present in enormous numbers. 2024 was the Year of the Desert Lily.
Species: Desert Lily, Hesperocallis undulata
Location: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, California
Image ID: 40295  

Dune Evening Primrose with Dew Drops, Anza Borrego Desert State Park.
Species: Dune evening primrose, Oenothera deltoides
Location: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, California
Image ID: 40297  

Lonely road, Death Valley.
Location: Badwater, Death Valley National Park, California
Image ID: 25252  

Salt polygons. After winter flooding, the salt on the Badwater Basin playa dries into geometric polygonal shapes.
Location: Badwater, Death Valley National Park, California
Image ID: 25254  

A river of salt flows across Death Valley, toward the lowest point in the United States at Badwater.
Location: Badwater, Death Valley National Park, California
Image ID: 25260  

West Side Road cuts across the Badwater Basin.
Location: Badwater, Death Valley National Park, California
Image ID: 25261  

Salt polygons. After winter flooding, the salt on the Badwater Basin playa dries into geometric polygonal shapes.
Location: Badwater, Death Valley National Park, California
Image ID: 25262  

Eureka Valley Dune Evening Primrose. A federally endangered plant, Oenothera californica eurekensis is a perennial herb that produces white flowers from April to June. These flowers turn red as they age. The Eureka Dunes evening-primrose is found only in the southern portion of Eureka Valley Sand Dunes system in Indigo County, California.
Species: Eureka valley dune evening primrose, Oenothera californica eurekensis, Oenothera deltoides
Location: Eureka Dunes, Death Valley National Park, California
Image ID: 25267  

Eureka Dunes. The Eureka Valley Sand Dunes are California's tallest sand dunes, and one of the tallest in the United States. Rising 680' above the floor of the Eureka Valley, the Eureka sand dunes are home to several endangered species, as well as "singing sand" that makes strange sounds when it shifts. Located in the remote northern portion of Death Valley National Park, the Eureka Dunes see very few visitors.
Location: Eureka Dunes, Death Valley National Park, California
Image ID: 25274  

Eureka Valley Dune Evening Primrose. A federally endangered plant, Oenothera californica eurekensis is a perennial herb that produces white flowers from April to June. These flowers turn red as they age. The Eureka Dunes evening-primrose is found only in the southern portion of Eureka Valley Sand Dunes system in Indigo County, California.
Species: Eureka valley dune evening primrose, Oenothera californica eurekensis, Oenothera deltoides
Location: Eureka Dunes, Death Valley National Park, California
Image ID: 25343  

Brittlebush, ocotillo and various cacti and wildflowers color the sides of Glorietta Canyon. Heavy winter rains led to a historic springtime bloom in 2005, carpeting the entire desert in vegetation and color for months.
Species: Brittlebush, Encelia farinosa, Fouquieria splendens
Location: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, California
Image ID: 10896  

Barrel cactus, brittlebush and wildflowers color the sides of Glorietta Canyon. Heavy winter rains led to a historic springtime bloom in 2005, carpeting the entire desert in vegetation and color for months.
Species: Red barrel cactus, Encelia farinosa, Ferocactus cylindraceus
Location: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, California
Image ID: 10899  

Barrel cactus, Glorietta Canyon. Heavy winter rains led to a historic springtime bloom in 2005, carpeting the entire desert in vegetation and color for months.
Species: Red barrel cactus, Ferocactus cylindraceus
Location: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, California
Image ID: 10906  

Lupine color the sides of the Borrego Valley in spring. Heavy winter rains led to a historic springtime bloom in 2005, carpeting the entire desert in vegetation and color for months.
Species: Arizona lupine, Lupinus arizonicus
Location: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, California
Image ID: 10969  

Desert agave, also known as the Century Plant, blooms in spring in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Desert agave is the only agave species to be found on the rocky slopes and flats bordering the Coachella Valley. It occurs over a wide range of elevations from 500 to over 4,000. It is called century plant in reference to the amount of time it takes it to bloom. This can be anywhere from 5 to 20 years. They send up towering flower stalks that can approach 15 feet in height. Sending up this tremendous display attracts a variety of pollinators including bats, hummingbirds, bees, moths and other insects and nectar-eating birds.
Species: Desert agave, Agave deserti
Image ID: 11550  

Zabriskie Point, sunrise. Manly Beacon rises in the center of an eroded, curiously banded area of sedimentary rock, with the Panamint Mountains visible in the distance.
Location: Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California
Image ID: 15585  

Red barrel cactus, Glorietta Canyon, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.
Species: Red barrel cactus, Ferocactus cylindraceus
Location: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, California
Image ID: 24302  

Red barrel flower bloom, cactus detail, spines and flower on top of the cactus, Glorietta Canyon, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.
Species: Red barrel cactus, Ferocactus cylindraceus
Location: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, California
Image ID: 24303  

Eroded hillsides near Zabriskie Point and Gower Wash.
Location: Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California
Image ID: 25255  

Sunrise at Zabriskie Point, Manly Beacon is lit by the morning sun while dark clouds lie on the horizon.
Location: Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California
Image ID: 25256  

Footprints in the sand, Eureka Dunes. The Eureka Valley Sand Dunes are California's tallest sand dunes, and one of the tallest in the United States. Rising 680' above the floor of the Eureka Valley, the Eureka sand dunes are home to several endangered species, as well as "singing sand" that makes strange sounds when it shifts. Located in the remote northern portion of Death Valley National Park, the Eureka Dunes see very few visitors.
Location: Eureka Dunes, Death Valley National Park, California
Image ID: 25271