The Living Desert is located in Indian Wells against the background of the Santa Rosa Mountains. One of the mountains is the Eisenhower and there is a trail from the Living Desert that loops through the base of this mountain. Anyone who wants to hike it will have to wait a month as it is under repair due to the recent rains.
After Linda and I arrived at the park we thought we would take a guided tour and were sitting on a bench. We were interrupted by a chitter in the bush behind us. I started looking and found this small fellow preening. After viewing the bird we decided to strike off on our own and these are our photos.
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| Hummingbird with a case of morning bed head |
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Hummingbird preening - I have never seen this before!
There were many sculptures and examples of how the Locals (Chahuilla tribe) lived and foraged in the area. Most of the indigenous plants are labeled and there are some native animals that roam naturally through the park. They also have caged areas for birds and animals that aren't able to be returned to the wild. It was hard to witness their incarceration but some would say it is better than death. We saw a green heron sitting in the trees adjacent to an aviary trying to talk to the guys inside. Maybe he was trying to arrange a prison break.
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American Goldfinch I wondered why they were in such large numbers and realized they were being fed |
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Screwbean Mesquite
These pods are shaped like a screw and full of seed |
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| Desert Marigold |
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Baja Fairy Duster
Looks very similar to a Bottlebrush |
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| Plants with mountains in background |
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| Yellow-winged Cacique |
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Mexican Cholla
Nice shot with the sun highlighting the needles |
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| Another mix of vegetation |
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Pond reflections
Smoke tree [Smokethorn (Psorothamnus spinosus)] and reeds |
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| There is even a miniature railroad depicting the history of rail in the Coachella Valley |
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