Jesus Trees?
The Yucca brevifolia, more commonly known as the Joshua Tree or Yucca Palm, is deceptively sharp and resembles something Dr. Seuss would illustrate. These wacky, massive yuccas are scattered across the sandy landscape, asymmetrically lurching and pitching their long bristled armed. Looking out onto a field of fifty or so of these completely unchoreographed dancers moving any which way they can in the vicious high desert winds can’t help but make observers smile in wonder of these peculiar alien trees. According to episode #002 of the Desert Oracle Radio Show (which I highly recommend listening to whether or not a trip to the high desert is on your horizon) the Mormons saw these trees and named them after the biblical character Joshua. The tree looked to the settlers like they were reaching their arms up in prayer. Others say it was guiding them Westward.
“We are in the high desert, which is a description of our upper altitude Mojave, with its iconic Joshua Tree—a tall and often sinister Yucca plant. Mormon pioneers gazing upon these...armed monstrosities saw the obvious resemblance to the famed old testament character called Joshua. Joshua is ‘Yeshua’ in Hebrew...which is also the name of Jesus. Which when written in Greek and mispronounced by Western Europeans for a thousand odd years, developed its modern pronunciation via the King James Bible. So Joshua Trees are technically Jesus Trees. ”
The trunk of Joshua Trees is a fibrous material instead of a ring like structure. To determine the age of these monocots scientists divide their height by an estimate of growth per year. Since this is not as concrete as counting tree rings it is more difficult to accurately tell the age of these trees. Some are believed to be over a thousand years old. One of the reasons these trees are so abundant in the high desert is because they grow in higher altitudes in specific parts of the dessert—namely the Mojave. True to their desert form where all life forms hate you and want you to go away, the Joshua Tree blooms apparently smell terrible. I didn’t get close enough to one to check.
Joshua trees growing straight upwards have never bloomed. They only begin to develop branches after their blooms lose their flowers and new leaves begin to take their place.
Cholla Cacti
Cholla Skeleton
The porous wood of the Cholla interior makes these cacti able to withstand extreme high desert winds and droughts. Geometrically, the skeleton allows both “torsion and axial stiffness.” The well known saguaro cactus with the classic two armed structure grow all over the Mojave, and their skeletons are called ribs. These ribs were used often used to build roofs and other structures when Native Americans roamed the Mojave and other desert landscapes.
These photos were taken in the Cholla Cactus Garden, off of Pinto Basin Road, near the point where the Colorado and Mojave Deserts meet. Although they look soft from afar, and are often colloquially called teddy bear cacti, the spines are covered in overlapping barbs, which is hard to pull out of the skin once it sticks in. The segmented structure of their pillars allows for easy detachments of ‘burrs,’ which can latch onto animals—or people—passing by. New plants grow from these detached seed pods.
Below is a photo of a segment of the nearly ten acres garden glowing in the sun. I think the Little San Bernardino Mountains can be seen in the distance.
Cholla Cactus Garden, March 2022
Seeds from the Cholla cacti are usually infertile, which is why they rely on the segments that fall to the ground or latch onto anything that gets close enough. New plants begin growing from these detached stems rather than the seeds.
Pencil Cholla
These spines can get up to 2 inches long, and the cactus itself resembles a shrub. Pencil Chollas can also grow up to five feet. Thankfully, these are not barbed because I got one stuck in my leg while taking these photos.
Pencil Cholla Bloom, Before Flowering
Diamond Pattern of Pencil Cholla
Juniper tree in front of rock pillar
“Many of the rocks in Joshua Tree National Park have been subjected to chemical and physical weathering. Chemical weathering generally occurs inside the rock and includes chemical changes, such as those that happen as water interacts with the mineral grains. The water itself and anything that is dissolved in it can cause a chemical reaction that changes the minerals.”
Behind The Scenes!
While taking these I was camping in Joshua Tree National Park with my brother, Tommy, and his girlfriend Danielle. While I wasn’t out shooting I spent a lot of time running around and scrambling on some of the iconic weird rock formations. The texture of the rocks was so course and grippy that it was easy to freely climb in many areas that would be impossible for me in Western North Carolina where I’m from. I did lose my camera bag and regular shoes a few times after venturing a little too far away from my landmark rock or juniper tree. Although each area of the park is unique in its own way, everything definitely starts looking very eerily similar after a few trips around the same set of shrubs and rock piles.
The weather was super nice for camping, hovering around the mid to late fifties during the day and high thirties at night. The wind was brutal when the sun started coming up and stayed brutal pretty much all day. After making breakfast we took a trip down to sunny Palm Springs for a day trip and reprieve from the blasts of wind. A few highlights of the surprisingly charming valley town include the Moorten Botanical Garden, Harvest Dispensary, and the Michael Weems Art Gallery.
The voice of the Desert narrates the Desert Oracle Radio Show, dedicated entirely to the mysterious—at many times menacing—Mojave Desert. If you’re ever planning on a visit to the Mojave give this a listen. Or just listen to it because it’s wildly funny and slightly absurd.
As always, all of the photos from the park are available for print in limited custom sizes in a variety of formats! Feel free to connect with me on instagram or via my email, perpetualpresentphotos@gmail.com, for inquiries about printed works!
