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| On the way to Bahía Asunción from Vizcaíno |
Looking north towards an inlet of Laguna Ojo de Liebre and its salt flats.
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Salt flat.
This is one of the inlets extending southward from Laguna Ojo de Liebre. The road crosses the pond. |
Salt foam blowing across the road looked like snow, from a distance. Mounds below the road were jiggling in the heavy winds. |
Core area of the Vizcaíno Desert Biosphere Reserve, about 60 km from the town of Vizcaíno.
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Desert scrub with this large, low and spreading Pachycormus discolor (Elephant tree). |
Scrub included: Encelia, Trixis, Ambrosia, Asclepias and many other shrubs and annuals. |
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San Roque |
This was our destination on the first day´s outing. We stopped to look at the church, but as expected, Debra soon had her nose in the bushes.
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A tiny annual disappears against the pebbly background soil.
Photo: Copyright © 2010 D. & J. Trotter
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In the lower two-thirds of this photo, plus about 10 feet to either side and behind this position, we counted at least 35 different plant species.
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Many looked liked masses of indistinguishable dried twigs, but surprisingly, many had incon-spicuous (and not so inconpicuous) blooms.
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Windswept sea bluffs on north side of San Roque. |
Coastal bluff
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A closer look at Eriogonum pondii
Photo: Copyright © 2010 D. & J. Trotter |
What is this shrub?
Photo: Copyright © 2010 D. & J. Trotter
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San Hipólito
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Vista northeast across Vizcaíno Desert |
Looking northeastward at Bahia San Hipólito
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Stark hills near San Hipolito. Wonderful colors... |
...and very sparse, very gray vegetation. |
Discussing names & uses of plants with a local.
Photo: Copyright © 2010 D. & J. Trotter |
Looking at endemic cacti.
Photo: Copyright © 2010 D. & J. Trotter
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Interesting jumbled rock formations. |
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Near Punta Chorro |
Long stretch of beach and bluff |
Bluff above the beach
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Desert scrub and sand dune scrub meet.
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Arroyo running between dunes and desert scrub.
Many plants occur in both; a few don't cross over.
Photo: Copyright © 2010 D. & J. Trotter |
A great deal of moisture can be found below the surface of sand dunes, supporting a wide variety of plant species. Plants stabilize dunes and provide habitat for wildlife.
Photo: Copyright © 2010 D. & J. Trotter |
Vehicles damage plants, destabilize dunes and can affect many animal species who may nest, hunt or forage in this special habitat.
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Around town
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Blowhole |
Looking towards town from the blowhole |
Looking northward along coast. Typical plants here include: Frankenia, Lycium, Euphorbia misera, Atriplex, Encelia. |
Dune field on bluff. Lots of gray plants here! But a number of annuals were still in bloom, including Chaenactis, Camissonia & Mesembryanthemum. |
Browsing burros |
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