Mojave National Preserve - Plants

Driving through the valleys of Mojave National Preserve, you'll see mile after mile of creosote bush, the Preserve's most common plant. Further exploration reveals a rich diversity of plant life, including about 757 different species. Perhaps the most unusual plant to be found in the Preserve is the white fir that grows in small, isolated populations in the New York and Clark Mountains.

Plant survival in the desert depends on how efficiently plants can control drought stresses. Adaptation strategies fall into several broad groups. Most annual plants escape the drought periods by completing their life cycles quickly during the short winter and spring rainy season, before the desert becomes dry and inhospitable. These are the grasses and wild flowers that carpet the desert with soft color in favorable years. Drought resistant species include shrubs, which often drop their leaves during dry periods, and cactus, whose leaves are reduced to a spine. The fleshy stem of the cactus stores water, while the spiny leaves actually provide shade to protect the stem sections. A third group of plants simply grows around springs and seeps where there is an ample supply of water. This riparian vegetation is an important resource to animals, especially migratory birds.