At the end of March, 2008, I signed up for a two-day field trip organized by the Joshua Tree Institute and led by Park botanist Tasha LaDoux and her husband Jim Andre, Director of the Sweeney Granite Mountains Desert Research Center in the East Mojave National Preserve. The flora was spectacular, the weather was glorious and the trip leaders had a vast knowledge of desert plants.

California tickseed
Coreopsis californica var. californica
Asteraceae

Arizona lupine
Lupinus arizonicus
Fabaceae

Chuparosa
Justicia californica
Acanthaceae
[Named for James Justice, 1698-1763]

Brittle spineflower
Chorizanthe brevicornu
Polygonaceae

Cheesebush
Hymenoclea salsola
Chenopodiaceae

Coulter's lupine
Lupinus sparsiflorus
Fabaceae

Cushion cryptantha
Cryptantha circumscissa
Boraginaceae

Daisy desertstar
Monoptilon bellidiforme
Asteraceae

Desert alyssum
Lepidium fremontii var. fremontii
Brassicaceae
[Named for John Charles Frémont, 1813-1890]

Desert bluebells
Phacelia campanularia var. vasiformis
Hydrophyllaceae

Desert dandelion
Malacothrix glabrata
Asteraceae

Desert pale gilia
Aliciella hutchinsifolia
Polemoniaceae
[Named for Alice Eastwood, 1859-1953]

Desert twining snapdragon
Antirrhinum filipes
Scrophulariaceae

Mojave aster
Xylorhiza tortifolia var. tortifolia
Asteraceae

Palmer's beadpod
Lesquerella tenella
Brassicaceae

Parish's viguiera
Viguiera parishii
Asteraceae

Desert rock pea
Lotus rigidus
Fabaceae

Narrow-leaved forget-me-not
Cryptantha angustifolia
Boraginaceae

Beavertail cactus
Opuntia basilaris
Cactaceae