| The Cactus Patch |
| THE NEWSLETTER OF THE BAKERSFIELD CACTUS & SUCCULENT SOCIETY |
| Volume 3 June 2000 Number 6 |
| Cima/New York Mountains Field Trip May 13, 2000 |
| Six of us (Bill and Lynn McDonald, Maynard Moe, Linda Cooley,
Stephen Cooley, and myself) managed an early start and a late finish to tour the Cima/New York Mountain area (now
part of the Mojave National Preserve) in one day. The cacti were blooming (except the barrels and a couple of Opuntias) and we managed to see a dozen or so including Devil's cactus (Opuntia parishii), Escobaria and Echinocereus species. We also saw wonderful wild-flowers including salvias, an orange Mariposa lily, paint brush, penstemons and wild four o'clocks. We stopped at the Cima P.O. and store and after a picnic lunch in a wash we drove to a campground with junipers and pinons. We then drove through creosote bush sighting a pair of golden eagles and made a last stop just south of the Granite mountains where the boulders are spectacular. The weather was great and we regretted not staying longer. Bruce J. Hargreaves |
For those of you who were not able to go along to the New York
Mountains May 13, you missed a spectacular day trip. Six of us met at Maynard & Linda's to begin our drive.
First stop was Kramer Junction for breakfast. We then continued east on Hwy. 15 to Cima Road, where we turned south,
where we entered the Mojave National Preserve. Having never seen (imagine!) the desert in bloom, I found it to be awesome. The Joshua tree "forest" had finished blooming and the fruits were attractive and plentiful. We stopped frequently along the lightly traveled roadway to meander out into the desert landscape where we found several cacti and many blooming wildflowers. Some flowers so small I would not have noticed, had it not been for the sharp botanical eyes of Stephen, Bruce, Maynard & Linda!! We stopped at the Cima Store & Post Office before driving into the New York Mts. and more plantlife viewing. Our lunch stop was in Cedar Canyon where we picnicked in the shade of a Desert Willow. After some weeks of strong desert winds, we were treated to only breezes, clear skies with miles of visibility, and comfortably warm temperatures. It would have been a perfect weekend after all for camping at the MidHills Campground. My only disappointment was not seeing more birdlife -- having imagined hummingbirds at those tall Penstemon. This was a wonderful day and we should plan for another trip next spring. Lynn McDonald |
| Succulents We Saw At The New York Mts. | |
|
= in flower! |
|
Duddleya (2 species) |  Granite Mountains Wash photo by Linda Cooley |
|
Echinocereus engelmanii | |
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Echinocereus triglochidiatus | |
|
Escobaria vivipara var. alversonii | |
|
Escobaria vivipara var. desertiiii | |
| Ferocactus cylindraceus var. lecontii | ||
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Opuntia acanthocarpa | |
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Opuntia basilaris | |
| Opuntia chlorotica | ||
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Opuntia echinocarpa | |
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Opuntia erinacea | |
| Opuntia parishii | ||
| Opuntia ramosissima | ||
| Yucca brevifolia | ||
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Yucca schidigera |
| Photographs by Linda Cooley (click on the image to see a larger picture) |
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| A perfectly staged Ferocactus | Echinocereus engelmannii | Ferocactus cylindraceus var. lecontei | |
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| Maynard Moe looks around | Maynard Moe and Bruce Hargreaves lunch under a desert willow |
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