Ok, I did tell slappy I'd throw a few things out for discussion. I figured I'd start out with a plant that facinates me now that I know about it.

The Algodones Dunes Sunflower.


Summary of this plant:

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Algodones Dunes sunflower (Helianthus niveus ssp. tephrodes) is one of the most attractive plants found in the dune system and is known in California only from these dunes. This silver-leafed member of the sunflower, or aster, family inhabits primarily the interior portions of the dunes at the bases along the sides of large dunes. Extremely tolerant of moving sand, it grows rapidly to avoid being buried. The Algodones Dunes sunflower produces clusters of large, bright yellow daisy-like flower heads from March to May, and again from October to January. The Algodones Dunes sunflower is recognized as endangered under CESA and is regarded as a species of concern by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

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I thought about just collecting a lot of information about the plant and posting it in one big article. But figured it would be more fun to get everyone in on it. I'll try to add more info every now and then or maybe just links to pages with more info. But I'd love to see everyone else jumping in with their own stories and findings about the various dune plants and animals.

If the plant or animal you want to talk about dosen't have it's own thread yet - start one up with it's name as the subject. That's all I'll ask to try and keep things organized!

BTW - the information above about the Dunes Sunflower came from an article reprinted on the ASA website. To those of you who don't like the ASA, sorry for using them as my first official reference - but I knew the link off the top of my head so I figured it was a good start. Plus I wanted to post a photo of it and the ASA site was the only one I knew I had permission to link to So here's the source:

http://www.americansandassociation.org/gol...pmvarticle.html

[This message has been edited by jhitesma (edited 03-28-2002).]

[This message has been edited by jhitesma (edited 03-28-2002).]

Oh yeah - why does this plant facinate me? Easy I can't belive I never noticed it before!

I found out about it when that article first appeared on the GOL website over 2 years ago - after the CBD lawsuit was filed but before many duners knew about it. It listed a number of plants and animals that could potientially be used to shut down the dunes.

At the time I was brand new to the dunes and had only used my truck to get around in them, severely limiting my explorations and enjoyment of the area. It was difficult to get around in a truck or on foot, it was hot, and it was barren. But sandrails looked like fun....

I did some searching on the net and found GPS coordinates to all sorts of great hidden places in the dunes. By golly they weren't just barren land there's STUFF out there, I've got to find it! I bought a GPS but still my truck limited me from reaching any of the points. I saved up some cash and bought a beat up sandrail. Then before I even got it dunable the lawsuit was settled. I was locked out of almost all of the places I had hoped to explore just as I was about to be able to reach them.

But I continued digging for more info on the dunes. And I found more and more about the plants and animals. I started looking for them - and man...some of them are darn hard to find - not even the endangered ones! Once I started to learn about the plants and animals in the dunes they started to look different and no longer just blended together. And suddenly things I never noticed jumped out at me.

The Dunes Sunflower the first time I saw it was one of those moments that changes you.

It was right in a spot I had been many times. A spot that had been "abused" as some would say many times over. A spot where a plant that is threatened by OHV use could not possibly thrive. But there it was. I only noticed it because we had stopped and I was taking in the area as I normally do. But this time that yellow and black against the sand jumped out at me.

I thought - wow. I found an endangered plant pretty easily I must be really lucky! Then as I looked up I starting noticing more things. I suddenly noticed that the dunes sunflower was everywhere. All around me. I counted more than a dozen groupings within a few dozen yards of where I was parked.

Suddenly the plant didn't seem quite as rare anymore. Since that day I see it all the time in the dunes. It's not very hard to find and it is out there. You just have to look for it.

That day opened my eyes. And it was a good enough experience I'd love to be able to help others feel it as well. Hope this starts us off on the right foot.

It's a beautiful plant, my wife and I always have our eyes out for it this time of year. We do find lots of them and take time to stop and admire them (we're avid gardeners and enjoy spotting flowers of all kinds).

We're heading into a very nice time of the year to enjoy the scenery in Glamis. Watch for large, prolific patches of small purple flowers (not PMV) to start blooming all over the flatter areas (mostly around the Gecko side). I don't know what they are called, but they certainly don't appear to be endangered.

Thanks for the info on that beautiful flower. As a new duner I didn't realize that such beauty existed out in the sand. Is there a web site where I could find more flowers?

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We're heading into a very nice time of the year to enjoy the scenery in Glamis. Watch for large, prolific patches of small purple flowers (not PMV) to start blooming all over the flatter areas (mostly around the Gecko side). I don't know what they are called, but they certainly don't appear to be endangered.[/B]

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Boy you said a mouthful. Especially when it rains god there is so many flowers. Those purple ones your talking about are at superstition too. They are awesome. And very plentiful.

PatKake there are a number of sites with good information about the plants and animals of the dunes. Hopefully within a few weeks this will be one of them as well

The article I linked to above is one starting point that explains a number of plants.

Another great resource is:
http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ww0704.htm

And DesertUSA also has a number of good pages with information about the dunes and the wildlife in them. It's kind of spread throughout the site though so you'll have to explore a bit at www.desertusa.com

I'm still organizing a few more links about the dunes sunflower here so check back often!

Look at this Slappy, Jason allready doing one heck of a job!
Keep it up

Robio,
Those little purple flowers are the desert sand verbenia. Last year at this time, (the end of the season), there was a continous trail of them on both side of the highway all the way along the bombing area. absolutely beautiful..
Robbie

Robbie -- Thanks, we were wondering what to call them. Yes, they were particularly plentiful last season. Quite a pleasant scene. We had to stop in the middle of a huge field of them and just take them in.