Twentynine Palms, April 2022

This week I took an impromptu trip to Twentynine Palms, a desert town near Joshua Tree National Park. I took a few hours each day to observe and photograph the life in and around the AirBnB my friend arranged. I brought along my Fujifilm XT4, an 80mm f2.8 macro lens, and an adapted Nikon 50mm f1.4.

GEOLOGY & WEATHER
The ground in this area was sandy and rocky. I understand that this area was once below the ocean, so presumably the substrate is pretty salty. There were lots of different kinds of rock on the ground, many of them smoothed and pitted by years and years of strong wind. The nearby mountains were darkly colored compared to the white dune sands. Temperatures peaked around 85°F during the day and dropped to the high 50s at night. Wind picked up after sunset. Moon was full or nearly full.

PLANTS
When I pulled over on the dirt road to the property to take some pictures of wild Datura, I was surprised by what looked like cucumber leaves and little pumpkins: Coyote Melon! I wasn't aware of any xerophytic cucumbers. I picked up a melon (surprisingly light) and the seeds inside shook like a maraca. The AirBnB property itself had a lovely little desert garden. Saltcedar, cholla, opuntia, ferocactus, ocotillo, oleander, fan palms, and plenty of local creosote. The main event was a specimen of Parkinsonia in full bloom...

INSECTS
Bees, wasps, flies, ladybugs, ants, grasshoppers, and other pollinators began to appear around the Parkinsonia in late morning. Plenty of common honeybees. I had never seen Centris or Xylocopa up close before, so it was pretty exciting to get to photograph them. Compared to the common honeybee, oil-diggers fly faster and spend less time at each flower they visit. There were also fewer of them-- only half a dozen at any given time, compared to probly two dozen honeybees. I'm pretty sure the same male Valley Carpenter bee returned day after day. The cholla attracted lots of a small red bug I've yet to key out. Indoors there were plenty of greenbottle flies and antlions. I mistook the latter for a dragonfly. We got a visit from a white-lined sphinx moth who politely landed on the kitchen ceiling. I remembered this species from my childhood trips to the desert. I cupped it in my hands and released it outside.

REPTILES -
Lizards appeared in the afternoon heat to compete for territory around the tree. Looked like they were doing cute little pushup contests. Two large adults won out-- one with a regrown tail, another with a slightly darker pattern on its back. When I noticed the lizards climbing the tree, I figured they were going to eat the bees and flies-- but no, they were munching on the Parkinsonia buds and flowers! Little vegetarians dudes! Also, away from the Parkinsonia I saw one side-splotched lizard with lovely periwinkle scales on its back. I was on the lookout for horned lizards as well, but didn't find any.

MAMMALS
During the day there were a few ground squirrels around. I noticed them climbing up into a large creosote a few times. I wonder if the name "round-tailed" is a joke about the size of the males' testicles (they were round indeed, and cumbersome, I imagine). The AirBnB had a sign on the wall reminding us to close the sliding door to keep out the local kangaroo mice-- I only ever saw one or two in the light of the full moon. Cute little guys :') We also saw a few coyotes outside the property, but I wasn't able to photograph them.

BIRDS
There was a mourning dove nest in the awning by the hot tub, well-guarded from predators and wind. The parents were around for most of the day, visiting nearby powerlines or perching on the roof. Warblers hung out in the creosote bush and on the Parkinsonia throughout the day. Crows circled overhead occasionally-- at one point I counted seven in the air at once. I saw a blackheaded grosbeak jumping and picking at twigs beneath the largest creosote on the property-- not sure if this was nesting behavior or what. There were also a few very small + cute birds who were too skittish to photograph :( Late afternoon belonged to a Western Kingbird who perched for a while on the saltcedar. It seemed to and take swipes at bugs around the Parkinsonia for a while in the late afternoon. In the evening a yellow-headed blackbird hopped around on the ground for a bit and retreated to the nearby saltcedar bush when I tried to get close enough to take a picture. A group of three or four swifts zoomed by on their hunt just after sunset. As we left the AirBnB at the end of our trip, we saw a large bird of prey perch on a powerline pole, but too briefly to get a good picture. Not sure what it was, just that it was HUGE with stout legs and dark brown in color-- maybe a golden eagle??? Whatever it was, it stopped me in my tracks.

CONCLUSION
I mostly take photos of plants, but I think this trip really gave me the chance to catch the birding bug. I know they say the desert is anything but sparse, but it still surprised me to see so much diversity and activity in this little patch of desert. It was lovely spending several days getting to know this little oasis and the life it supports :~)

Posted on April 19, 2022 07:26 PM by gendereuphorbia