Above are the charcoal kilns along Wild Rose Canyon Road on the way up to Mahogany Flats campground on the west side of Death Valley National Park. Mahogany Flats is located in a pinyon pine and juniper woodland looking down into Death Valley from its elevation of 8,200'. The campground is situated near the road that leads up to Telescope Peak, which at 11.409' is the highest point in Death Valley. This was my second visit to Mahogany Flats, the first being when I accompanied my daughter's 6th grade class on a several-days long camping trip to Death Valley. On the day part of the group including me visited Mahogany Flats (while the rest remained in the 100-degree heat of the valley floor, the kids were feverishly packing their water bottles with snow to take back to the others, and I experienced my discovery of pine nuts.

Desert mariposa lily
Calochortus kennedyi var. munzii
Liliaceae
[Named for William Ledlie Kennedy, c. 1827-1887, and Philip Alexander Munz, 1892-1974]

Prince's plume
Stanleya pinnata var. pinnata
Brassicaceae
[Named for Edward Smith-Stanley, 1775-1851]

Mojave mound cactus
Echinocereus triglochidiatus
Cactaceae

Longspine horsebrush
Tetradymia axillaris var. longispina
Asteraceae

Desert beardtongue
Penstemon fructiciformis var. fructiciformis
Scrophulariaceae

Northern desert monkeyflower
Mimulus bigelovii var. cuspidatus
Scrophulariaceae
[Named for John Milton Bigelow, 1804-1878

Blackbrush
Coleogyne ramosissima
Rosaceae

Sand blazing star Mentzelia involucrata Loasaceae [Named for Christian Mentzel, 1622-1701]

Desert trumpet
Eriogonum inflatum
Polygonaceae

Acton encelia
Encelia actoni
Asteraceae
[Named for Christoph Entzelt, 1517-1583]