Mojave Light Musing

I've been in kind of a black and white mood of late.  Without all the distractions of color, one can see shapes and form a little more clearly.  At least to me, that is true... Another view of my magical landscape.

(Shot with an iPhone; processed using Instagram. Copyright Diana Shay Diehl) Today's photo is one of my absolute favorite plants on Earth - the Joshua tree, aka Yucca brevifolia. A Joshua tree can live for hundreds of years - some species even thousands. It's not really a tree per se. It is "tree-like" in habit. In order to bloom, they must have a winter freeze. That puzzles me because I can remember many very cold winters (I live at about 3800-3900 ft. above sea level with a huge forest of Joshua trees I pass on the way home....) with freezing temps but will yield no blooms the following spring. Apparently that coincides with adequate rainfall as well - and, even then, they won't bloom every year. When they do, those of us who call this desert home can get pretty darned excited.  Joshua trees are also home to the yucca moth - a rather small, day-flying moth with tiny spines covering its wings. In real life, this particular Joshua tree is HUGE. Have any of you pa...

  (Shot with a Canon 30d. Copyright Diana Shay Diehl) Today's photo came from my quick morning walk with Toby before making my way to work.....even within the charred remains of wild fires, one can find beauty. This remnant came from a most beautiful and thick stand of joshua trees within a 5-10 minute walk from my house. Broke my heart when the 2006 Acoma Hills fire ripped through and devoured all that pristine acreage along the hillside. Considering how close my friends and neighbors, who lived just over the ridge, came to losing everything - all that burned flora was a minor issue. Lives and homes were spared - thank God and a multitude of quickly working firefighters......