Cholla Cactus at Sunset, Joshua Tree national park
The Cholla cactus is a dastardly plant that thrives in deserts across North America. This cactus has adapted to several different arid elevations and locales throughout North America and ranges from one to 15 feet tall, depending on the species. Some live in mountain forests and others in dry, rocky flats or slopes.
While there are more than 20 species of cholla in the Opuntia genus, the more infamous species is the Teddy Bear Cholla, or Jumping Cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii), which can be found in Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and California.
The cactus’ short, fuzzy branches were thought to resemble cute little Teddy Bear arms from a distance. Upon closer inspection, the plant is more like the Teddy Bear of Death. Those fuzzy arms are actually covered with a thick coat of spines that seem to have a magical ability for sticking to everything.
Named after the peculiar twisted Joshua Trees, this national park is one of America’s greatest natural playgrounds, where two desert ecosystems collide. From hiking some of the country’s most scenic trails and seeing the unique flora and fauna, to exploring unique desert museums and seeing the spectacular sunsets and starry night skies, there are many reasons why Joshua Tree National Park should go straight to the top of your bucket list.
Joshua Tree National Park is made up of two distinct desert ecosystems spanning across 3,000 kilometers. The lower Colorado Desert is set at 3,000-feet below sea level and is filled with creosote bushes, while the higher Mojave Desert is where you’ll find the iconic Joshua Trees. These gnarly trees are a type of Yucca and were named by Mormons in the 1850s who saw the twisted branches as the arms of Joshua pointing towards the promised lands.
Exploring the stunning landscapes of Joshua Tree is an incredible experience by day, but it gets even more spectacular in the morning and evening. The sunrises and sunsets here are unmatched, illuminating the desert in all shades of red, pink, blue and purple. It’s the perfect time to capture the spiky silhouettes of the Joshua Trees against the mesmerizing skies.
This winter of 2022 was colder than normal, and we enjoyed much needed rain and snowfall during a rare storm. We headed out with the thought to capture the magic of the sun setting in the park, with the iconic Joshua Trees in our foreground.
We drove to a spot we hoped would give us both the light we wanted along with the view. But man, it was cold and windy. Setting up my tripod I was worred about the wind -- would it blow me over? Would I get so much dust on my lens whatever photos I took would be useless? Would my fingers freeze before i could click the shutter?
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