May 5, 2023
3:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Because we’d arrived so late at Kelso Dunes, rather than going up to Mid-hills today, I thought we’d be better off trying to find a lava flow area to look for Chuckwalla nearer to Kelbaker Road. Turns out there is a fantastic place literally right next to the road – a spot where some rocky cliffs meet the desert and where, in 2011, we did a night-time walk to look for scorpions and herps. Today, we parked at that spot, and then crossed the road to explore some dark-colored volcanic rock formations.
Before all of us had even made it across the street, a small Chuckwalla had been sighted by some of my students. In the students’ rush to try and see it, the lizard retreated under some rocks, and then out of sight.
Fortunately, another, larger, lizard was spotted almost immediately, a bit farther back from the road, and everyone was able to get a good look. What a magnificent lizard! Very dark in color, matching the rocks at this site. We were able to watch it wander slowly over the rocks, giving us time to get some excellent photos! Loved it! This was one of my favorite sightings of the trip.
I also saw some new vegetation at this Creosote-dominated site, including Soft Prairie Clover, Fremont’s Pincushion, and Desert Tobacco. Gorgeous California Barrel Cactus grew amongst the rocks, and I had my first close-up look at Sacred Datura. I’d seen this plant along Kelbaker Road: green leaves much darker than most other desert vegetation, and gorgeous, large bell-shaped white flowers. I assume this is the plant that is sometimes used as a hallucinogen, and it’s quite lovely. I saw a few Apricot Mallow, but not as many as I remember seeing last year. I also saw what I think was a Convergent Lady Beetle on Brownplume Wirelettuce. While we were here, I also caught a glimpse of an Orange Sulphur: a small butterfly – the size of cabbage white or smaller – that was bright orange with black lateral margins on wings.
One of my students spotted a Common Side-blotched Lizard on one of the rocks on the desert floor, and I was able to watch it for several minutes. I wasn’t able to see the blotch, but the other characteristics are good for Side-blotched (rather than Brush-tailed Lizard).
My other favorite sighting here was a gorgeous Costa’s Hummingbird, spotted by some students across a small wash from where everyone else was looking for Chuckwalla. The bird was perched in a bare tree near the road, and I was able to view it for several minutes, and get some decent photos. So pretty, and I was glad to see a male, and be certain of the ID, after having seen a couple of female birds at literal arms’ length at Zzyzx, and not being able to identify them.
On our way back to the car, we stopped to look at some modern “pictographs” that had been painted on the rock faces, apparently back in the 1960s.
Species List
Convergent Lady Beetle (Hippodamia convergens), Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura), Common Side-blotched Lizard (Uta stansburiana), Costa’s Hummingbird (Calypte costae), Common Chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater), Soft Prairie Clover (Dalea mollissima), Devil’s Spineflower (Chorizanthe rigida), Fremont’s Pincushion (Chaenactis fremontii), Brownplume Wirelettuce (Stephanomeria pauciflora), California Barrel Cactus (Ferocactus cylindraceus), Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa), Sacred Datura (Datura wrightii), Browneyes (Chylismia claviformis), Anderson Thornbush (Lycium andersonii), Thickleaf Groundcherry (Physalis crassifolia), Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa), Desert Tobacco (Nicotiana obtusifolia), Burrobush (Ambrosia dumosa), Apricot Mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua), Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata), Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme)
Let me know what you think!