Mohave Desert Flora and Fauna

Wherein Moominmama further explores the flora, fauna and surprises of the Mohave Desert... Having moved north from Joshua Tree National Park, Moominmama is still in the Mohave desert, still seeing Joshua trees, yucca and cactus. But the creosote bushes are less common, replaced by sagebrush and rabbit brush as I move to a higher elevation in the Mohave National Preserve. The rhyolitic rocks and tuff (compressed ash) at Hole in the Wall are still sculpted by erosion but very differently from the monzogranite of Joshua Tree, which looks nothing like the granite of the Northeast! Monzogranite is sand-colored, rough to the touch and erodes into a pebbly sand. Contrary to expectation, these deserts are far from desolate. Moominmama has enjoyed climbing through these rocks (the hole in the wall!) and catching glimpses of jackrabbits in the valleys. Their enormous ears are used not just for hearing but to help cool their bodies in the heat. Not that there's been much heat here late...