Desert photos

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Eureka Dunes. The Eureka Dunes are California's tallest sand dunes, and one of the tallest in the United States. Rising 680' above the floor of the Eureka Valley, the Eureka sand dunes are home to several endangered species, as well as "singing sand" that makes strange sounds when it shifts, Death Valley National Park
Arid and barren mud flats, dried mud, with the tall Eureka Dunes in the distance, Eureka Valley, Death Valley National Park, California
Dune primrose (white) and sand verbena (purple) bloom in spring in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, mixing in a rich display of desert color. Anza Borrego Desert State Park, Abronia villosa, Oenothera deltoides, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, California
Sand verbena carpets sand dunes and washes in Anza Borrego Desert State Park. Sand verbena blooms throughout the Colorado Desert following rainy winters, Abronia villosa, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, California
Desert Lily blooms in the sandy soils of the Colorado Desert. It is fragrant and its flowers are similar to cultivated Easter lilies, Hesperocallis undulata, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, California
Salt polygons. After winter flooding, the salt on the Badwater Basin playa dries into geometric polygonal shapes, Death Valley National Park, California
Sunrise at Zabriskie Point, Manly Beacon is lit by the morning sun while dark clouds lie on the horizon, Death Valley National Park, California
Arch Rock and star trails, impending dawn, Joshua Tree National Park, California
Sand verbena carpets sand dunes and washes in Anza Borrego Desert State Park. Sand verbena blooms throughout the Colorado Desert following rainy winters, Abronia villosa, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, California
Sand verbena blooms in spring in Anza Borrego Desert State Park. Sand verbena blooms throughout the Colorado Desert following rainy winters, Abronia villosa, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, California
Sand verbena blooms in spring in Anza Borrego Desert State Park. Sand verbena blooms throughout the Colorado Desert following rainy winters, Abronia villosa, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, California
Brown-eyed primrose blooms in spring in the Colorado Desert following heavy winter rains. Anza Borrego Desert State Park, Camissonia claviformis, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, California
Hardened mud playa and sand dunes, dawn, Mesquite dunes, Stovepipe Wells, Death Valley National Park, California
Wind turbines, rise above the flat floor of the San Gorgonio Pass near Palm Springs, with snow covered Mount San Jacinto in the background, provide electricity to Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley
Barrel cactus, Glorietta Canyon. Heavy winter rains led to a historic springtime bloom in 2005, carpeting the entire desert in vegetation and color for months, Ferocactus cylindraceus, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, California
Dune primrose (white) and sand verbena (purple) bloom in spring in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, mixing in a rich display of desert color. Anza Borrego Desert State Park, Abronia villosa, Oenothera deltoides, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, California
Red barrel cactus detail, spines on top of the cactus, Glorietta Canyon, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Ferocactus cylindraceus, Borrego Springs, California
Eureka Sand Dunes, infrared black and white. The Eureka Dunes are California's tallest sand dunes, and one of the tallest in the United States. Rising 680' above the floor of the Eureka Valley, the Eureka sand dunes are home to several endangered species, as well as "singing sand" that makes strange sounds when it shifts, Death Valley National Park
Teddy-Bear cholla cactus. This species is covered with dense spines and pieces easily detach and painfully attach to the skin of distracted passers-by, Opuntia bigelovii, Joshua Tree National Park, California
Brittlebush, ocotillo and various cacti and wildflowers color the sides of Glorietta Canyon. Heavy winter rains led to a historic springtime bloom in 2005, carpeting the entire desert in vegetation and color for months, Encelia farinosa, Fouquieria splendens, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, California
Sunrise on the Racetrack Playa. The sliding rocks, or sailing stones, move across the mud flats of the Racetrack Playa, leaving trails behind in the mud. The explanation for their movement is not known with certainty, but many believe wind pushes the rocks over wet and perhaps icy mud in winter, Death Valley National Park, California
A sliding rock of the Racetrack Playa. The sliding rocks, or sailing stones, move across the mud flats of the Racetrack Playa, leaving trails behind in the mud. The explanation for their movement is not known with certainty, but many believe wind pushes the rocks over wet and perhaps icy mud in winter, Death Valley National Park, California
Racetrack sailing stone and star trails. A sliding rock of the Racetrack Playa. The sliding rocks, or sailing stones, move across the mud flats of the Racetrack Playa, leaving trails behind in the mud. The explanation for their movement is not known with certainty, but many believe wind pushes the rocks over wet and perhaps icy mud in winter, Death Valley National Park, California
Joshua trees and star trails, moonlit night. The Joshua Tree is a species of yucca common in the lower Colorado desert and upper Mojave desert ecosystems, Yucca brevifolia, Joshua Tree National Park
Mesquite Dunes sunrise, dawn, clouds and morning sky, sand dunes, Stovepipe Wells, Death Valley National Park, California
Mesquite Dunes sunrise, dawn, clouds and morning sky, sand dunes, Stovepipe Wells, Death Valley National Park, California
Mesquite Dunes sunrise, Death Valley, Stovepipe Wells, Death Valley National Park, California
Wind turbines, rise above the flat floor of the San Gorgonio Pass near Palm Springs, with snow covered Mount San Jacinto in the background, provide electricity to Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley
Parry's Nolina, or Giant Nolina, a flowering plant native to southern California and Arizona founds in deserts and mountains to 6200'. It can reach 6' in height with its flowering inflorescence reaching 12', Nolina parryi, Joshua Tree National Park
Desert iguana, one of the most common lizards of the Sonoran and Mojave deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, Dipsosaurus dorsalis, Joshua Tree National Park, California