BOULDER FIELDS OF THE BAJA CALIFORNIA DESERT

In some of the central parts of the Vizcaino Desert are large boulder fields where granite rocks have weathered and the boulders have been transported into the canyons by violent floods following hurricane-force storms. Such areas provide a diversity of habitats for plants and animals because of variations in soil depth and the shading effects of the boulders.

Part of a boulder field that borders a dry river bed (shown below). The dominant plants here are elephant tree (Pachycormus discolor) (centre left) and cardon cactus.

View of the dry river bed photographed from the top of the boulders in the image above. This river bed is lined by Californian fan palms, with an endemic Mexican blue palm growing in the river bed.

Part of the boulder field showing the base of a cardon cactus and two flowering shrubs that are partly protected by the shade of the boulders - the red flowered fairy duster (centre right) and the blue flowered nightshade (foreground).

Flowers of fairy duster (Calliandra californica)

Flowers of nightshade, or mariola (Solanum hindsianum), a common desert shrub that grows to 1-3 metres tall and has grey, hair-covered leaves.

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