More photos of our trip to Baja, post Hurricane Jimena (Sep 24-Oct 8, 2009). In the first part are photos from our time spent around the Mulegé river and valley..
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Jimena's Legacy - continued
We were able to take a walk around Cerro Equipalito, which is the hill with the windsock at the Serenidad airstrip. The shrubs were all in fine form with lots of leaves. There were many small annual wildflowers just taking off.
This area is very interesting because it has both desert scrub and closer to the water, sand dunes with desert scrub as well as a few plants that mainly occur in beach sand dunes.
This is the view looking west from up on Cerro Equipalito (Mulegé by Serenidad airstrip) Nov 2008.
Here's an endemic tree found on Equipalito and other rocky areas around Mulegé and Bahía Concepción. White Palo Adán (Fouquieria burragei). Flowers can be totally white or pale pink.
This is a similar view but from Oct 2009.
View of the Faro (lighthouse) from Equipalito. The lomboy (Jatropha cinerea) and Sweet Mangrove (Maytenus phyllanthoides) were very green.
We tried to find other sights among the rubble left by the hurricane and flood. These are two shots from the Mulegé river.
View of the Orchard Park and the hills behind. Foreground plants are Amaranth (Amaranthus watsonii).
Near Colonia Ranchito in the Mulegé valley. A field of mostly Watson Amaranth (Amaranthus watsonii).
Don Chano´s Park with all the weedy annuals taking over, including Amaranthus watsonii and Blue Panicgrass (Panicum antidotale).
About 6 km out in the Mulegé valley.
We stopped just off the "main" road in a gravelly arroyo to check out the plants about 6 km from the highway (via the Ice House road). The Lomboy (Jatropha cinerea) were spectacular as were the Palo Blancos (Lysiloma candidum), Mesquite (Prosopis articulata) and Palo Verdes (Parkinsonia microphylla).
The cardons (Pachycereus pringlei) were practically bursting at the ribs. This was one of the first places we came across where the Desert Starvines (Brandegea bigelovii) were covering the ground and climbing up into shrubs and trees.
More Desert Starvines (Brandegea bigelovii) climbing across the ground and on the right, up into a Lomboy.
Lots of annual grasses along the arroyo banks.
A mesquite with a mass of debris. The highest debris is a cholla branch about 9 ft up.
Also, the dreaded Buffel Grass (Cenchrus ciliare), a pesky exotic.
Hidden among the grasses we also found a few surprises, including this tiny Purplemat (Nama coulteri).
Below (left) are the longest Coyote melon (Cucurbita cordata) vines we´ve ever seen. They were at least twice the length of our car, making them just under 30 ft! Lots of flowers and melons.
On the right is an old female flower with the young fruit developing below.
Coyote Melon/Calabacilla de Coyote (Cucurbita cordata), a peninsular endemic.
Calabacilla de Coyote, Calabacilla amarga (Cucurbita cordata).
Unfortunately, we didn´t go much south of Mulegé. However, we did get out to Bahía Concepción and as far as Los Cocos.
Dunes just south of the Mulegé Pemex gas station.
The El Gallito Dunes just south of Mulegé.
Heading towards Tiburón grade.
Looking back at Mulegé from Tiburón grade.
View of Bahía Concepción from the Tiburón grade.
Approaching El Mezquital bridge.
View just north of turn off to Villas de Mulegé.
The following set of photos were taken mostly near Playa Punta Arena. The first two are views from Punta Sueños.
By the time we took these photos near the end of our trip, there were decidedly more plants in bloom, especially in and around the arroyos and washes.
Mouth of Bahía Concepción.
Concepción peninsula.
Along road out to Playa Punta Arena.
Playa Punta Arena area. Elephant tree/Copalquín (Bursera hindsiana) is the tree on the left.
Foreground shrubs are Sweetbush (Bebbia juncea var. juncea). They have small, yellow flowers.
Flowers and fruit of Sweetbush.
Arroyo on road to Punta Arena. Large tree is a Palo Blanco (Lysiloma candidum).
While this isn't the exact same photo location as the photo on the right, it was taken just 20 yds away from that area, a year ago.
Disturbed soil near arroyo colonized by Amaranth (Amaranthus watsonii).
Passionflower (Passiflora palmeri).
Wild pea (Tephrosia palmeri).
Flower and young bean pod of Tephrosia palmeri.
Valley behind Playa Posada Concepción.
Mangroves and hills behind Playa Los Cocos.
Here are some additional photos, a mix from various areas.
The new highway leading to San Francisco de la Sierra.
Roadside near Volcán las Tres Vírgenes.
More Devil´s Claw, Punta Chivato.
Tea bush or Malva rosa, (Melochia tomentosa).
Cerro Rojo, from Colonia Loma Azul (Mulegé).
Cerro Rojo, from Colonia Loma Azul (Mulegé).
View north of Mulegé.
View of the Mulegé River from Cerro Equipalito.
Field south of Mulegé Pemex gas station.
Field south of Mulegé Pemex gas station.
The El Gallito dunes, south of Mulegé.
Punta Concepción.
Playa Santispac.
Playa Posada Concepción.
Playa Los Cocos.
Galloping cactus / Sour Pitahaya / Pitahaya agria (Stenocereus gummosus). The flowers are almost ready to open.
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