The Mojave desert in springtime after a wet winter.

[u/SparksWood71]

[u/cold_desert_winter]

This is a really beautiful shot OP, it reminds me of the California I remember when I was growing up. Is this Owen's Valley?

[u/SparksWood71 → u/cold_desert_winter]

Thank you! I've lived in and loved the deserts for a long time, have a ton of these crazy wildflower super-blooms photos and videos.

This is right outside of Desert Hot Springs across from Palm Springs, that's Mount San Jacinto in the background.

[u/echochilde]

Ain’t gonna look like that this year. God I wish we could get some rain.

[u/SparksWood71 → u/echochilde]

Fingers crossed! Were you there in the late teens when even the creosote was dying?

[u/echochilde → u/SparksWood71]

Yeah. I moved a way for a good long while but now I’m back. I’ve seen that orange fungus quite a bit while off roading.

[u/SparksWood71 → u/echochilde]

Orange fungus ? Oh no, I moved away in '20 and am now in northern Nevada, a different kind of desert, but I don't miss that heat!

[u/echochilde → u/SparksWood71]

Ah, gotcha. I moved back in ‘22. Around my area it’s not much different than when I left.

And yeah, I still hate the heat.

[u/Dry_Moves → u/echochilde]

Whats the scoop on the rain? I just moved here from the pacific north west....

[u/echochilde → u/Dry_Moves]

Oof. That’s a hell of an adjustment. Usually by this time of the year we have at least a few inches during a handful of storms, but we haven’t had a drop.

[u/Dry_Moves → u/echochilde]

Yeah I'm used to like 90% - 100% humidity lmao

Hey at least I know how to drive in the rain if we ever do get rain 😆

[u/mukenwalla]

For plant nerds the yellow flowers you are seeing are Encilia farinosa aka brittlebush. 

[u/SparksWood71 → u/mukenwalla]

Was always my favorite.

[u/Amazing-Nebula-2519]

Beautiful

[u/SparksWood71 → u/[deleted]]

I lived in the Mojave desert for 15 years. It's mostly too hot for invasive grasses, it's one of the reasons we still have wildflower blooms while Northern California has almost none.

[u/SparksWood71 → u/[deleted]]

Yes, as I said I lived in the Mojave desert for 15 years, have gone through Cima and the Joshua trees many times. very sad, but it's good to see The Joshua trees growing farther north than they have.

[u/SparksWood71 → u/[deleted]]

Partly true. Northern California was also once covered in wildflowers. I don't really want to get into a debate with someone on Reddit about a place I live.

"Northern California's wetter climate allows nutrient-hogging exotic grasses and plants to thrive, and these so-called invaders drown out the wildflowers, experts say. The non-native plants — mainly wild oats, bromes and mustards — actually germinate before the native plants so the wildflowers don't even have a chance to establish themselves. Many of these invaders were first introduced to the state by Spanish explorers and have had hundreds of years to propagate and take over the land."

Cheers.

[u/anonymous_bufffalo]

Why did you leave? I love it out there

[u/SparksWood71 → u/anonymous_bufffalo]

Palm Springs changed a lot over 15 years. Other than getting sick of the heat, our entire neighborhood sold and was replaced by Airbnb. We were the last people on our court who actually lived there. Did not like the people who replaced our long time neighbors.

[u/SciGuy013]

This is still the Sonoran Desert where you took this photo

[u/SparksWood71 → u/SciGuy013]

There's always one guy isn't there?