A World Of Color

I initially expected the desert to be brown... and initially, I was right.

My flight into Las Vegas and the various drives to Death Valley and Cima Dome revealed various shades of grey, brown, and black as I watched dead and dying plants roll past my window, covering the equally bland rocks and soil. Even the town buildings seemed devoid of color, with once-fresh paint bleached by the sun into a dusty pale color. And yet, just as life seemed determined to persist, so did its colors.

On a minute scale, the desert is filled with color. Costa's hummingbirds are rife with iridescent purples and greens, while the Side-splotch lizards have their bright oranges and blues. I count myself lucky to have seen a blooming Strawberry Cactus, with reddish-pink petals surrounding bright yellow stigmas and stamens. All these colors, and yet all three individuals are smaller than my hand.

And with those three species alone, I saw the rainbow of color the desert has to offer.

Posted on March 14, 2022 07:04 PM by annalizcade