(Nestled among the Little San Bernardino Mountains, the desert oasis at Big Morongo Canyon is one of the 10 largest cottonwood and willow habitats in California.)You're probably getting tired of reading about my hikes here in California, but every once in a while I end up going somewhere new that is a complete surprise and wonderful discovery.
(Western Scrub-Jay was among the many different birds we saw.)
What a nice surprise. Unlike many other desert oasis or preserves, Big Morongo has no natural palm trees (there are some that were planted by ranchers who lived there prior to 1968 when it was purchased by The Nature Conservancy), but stands of old cottonwoods and willows that grow along its wetlands. The preserve is also well maintained and has several trails, including the completely accessible Marsh Trail, Desert Willow, Yucca Ridge, West Canyon and Mesquite trails that we took all or parts of.
The other surprise were the number of birds (it is a habitat for more than 200 migrating and breeding birds) as well as the large number of species of wildflowers still blooming; especially fields of Apricot Mallow, Brittlebush and Desert Pincushion. Due to its higher elevation than places in the Coachella Valley, the temperatures and moisture probably make spring just a bit later here.
(Lots of Hedgehog Cactus was in bloom.)To see all the pictures I took today, go here.
2 comments:
your hiking horizons are constantly broadening --- what lovely flora and fauna you discovered --- I love that bird with the loooong tail
I'm not at all tired of your hiking stories and pictures! It's great you keep discovering new places, and that you continue to share them with your faithful readers. A
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