This is a scene from Red Rock Canyon near Las Vegas, Nevada. This habitat is completely different from the Blackland Prairie and riparian forest area where I live. It was beautiful, even in winter. When we arrived, I announced that I was going off down the trail, and I was not coming back until I saw something fly or crawl.

I’m not sure which of these trails I actually followed, but my guess is that it was probably the “easy” one. We arrived late in the afternoon, and had precious little time to explore.

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I am completely unfamiliar with the flora of this region, which is why it was so thrilling to walk among the varied plant life. I do not have a good guess for the identity of this shrub, but it looks like it may be a favorite hiding place for a desert-dwelling creature.

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I’ve got my field guide out, National Audubon Society’s Field Guide to the Southwestern States. ¹ I feel pretty safe in saying that this cactus is a Buckhorn Cholla (Opuntia acanthocarpa). They were scattered around the area, and I’ll bet that they provide pretty good cover for animals small enough to hide beneath the thorny stems.

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Now this cactus looked familiar. This is probably a species of Prickly-Pear, though I cannot tell which kind. It looks like part of the cactus is doing well, part is struggling. Not even cacti have it easy in the desert.

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Here is another cactus that I thought was interesting. It was so densely covered in spines that it almost looked furry.

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This photo features a young Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia) in the right-hand foreground. The Joshua Tree was given its name by Mormon settlers traveling through the Mojave Desert, because the plant reminded them of a bible story about Joshua and his habit of reaching toward the sky while praying.²

It seemed I had barely started down the trail when I heard my niece wondering aloud in the distance about when I was ever coming back. It reminded me of the time that I stopped at a rest area and spotted a Northern Flicker and her young. I thought I had only lingered 30 minutes, but later learned that I was actually watching the flicker family for an hour and a half. Wups.

My intention to return only after finding a flying or crawling creature was technically satisfied. As I turned to trudge back to the car and my half-frozen family, I saw and heard a small group of grey and black birds fly by. No, I have no idea what species they were and certainly didn’t get a picture!

I have to say that until my visit to Red Rock Canyon, I did not understand what people meant when they described the desert as “beautiful.” Truly, it was breathtaking, and I wanted nothing more than to sit and look and drink it all in. I’m told that the area is awash in pink blooms in the spring…as if it could be any more beautiful!