Field Trip February 1: Identifying Winter Flora in the Morongo Valley Canyons Transition Zone
[No more registration spots available!]
Sign up for this fun and educational field trip with desert botanist Melanie Davis, in the canyonlands of Morongo Valley.
Join our CNPS Mojave Desert board member botanist Melanie Davis for a field trip through beautiful Bureau of Land Management property (via a private entrance) and the Sand to Snow National Monument north of Highway 62, 10 am to 1 pm on Saturday, February 1, 2025. During this half day event, Melanie will show insider tips for identifying species during the non-flowering winter season and talk about the local plant community composition. President Arch McCulloch will also be on hand for guidance.
This particular area is a transition zone between the Mojave and Colorado Deserts, the transverse and peninsular mountain ranges, and the coastal plain. (The peninsular range is a group of mountain ranges that stretch nearly 1,000 miles from Southern California to the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.)
You will see plants such as Jujube (Pseudoziziphus parryi), lip fern (Myriopteris parryi), white sage (Salvia apiana), desert tea (Ephedra californica), desert scrub oak (Quercus cornelius-mulleri), dudleya (Dudleya saxosa), and many others!
This hike is about 2 miles total and tracks along a gradual incline (200 feet) with some scree and loose rocks, and with many stops along the way. Wear sturdy shoes or boots. We will send you info on the exact location, driving directions, and parking when we receive your RSVP. (Note, cellular connectivity is variable to non-existent in this area).
Pack a lunch, bring your water, and a hat.
There is no charge for this event.
RSVP now as there are only 15 spots available.
About Your Guide
Melanie Davis is a field botanist for the Center for Conservation Biology at UCR-Palm Desert. Her main professional interest is ecology, with an emphasis on botany and what plants can tell us about desert ecosystems and the changes within them. The area that holds her greatest interest is plant ecology and rare, endemic desert plants. From a young age botany was her entry point into being a naturalist.