Leighton Photography & Imaging

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  • The Joshua tree, symbol of the Mojave desert, reaches out into the blue early April sky. One reason it is believed that this iconic yucca is losing habitat, and declining in numbers is in the fossil record of the recent extinction (in geological years) of the Shasta ground sloth, one of the giant sloths that went the way of the mammoths and other American megafauna. Fossilized scat shows the remains of the seeds, leaves and pulp of joshua trees... and was possibly in a loose symbiotic relationship with it as to provide food in return for seed propagation.
    Joshua Tree
  • Probably the most famous Southwest American yucca, the Joshua tree has been a symbol of various religions and cultures for thousands of years. This one was photographed inside of Joshua Tree National Park in southern California, although I've seen them growing in great abundance in both Southern Nevada and Northwestern Arizona.
    Joshua Tree
  • The Joshua tree is the king of the Mojave desert. Reaching upward to 30'-40' tall, it is also losing habitat quickly. Luckily a few healthy and dense pockets still exist in Southern California such as these in the Joshua Tree National Park.
    Joshua Tree
  • Considered to be one of the desert's oldest living plants, a mature Joshua tree is believed to be between 150-300 years old, and one specimen that reached a height of a whopping 60 feet was believed to have been about 1000 years old! This much younger one was photographed in Southern California's Mojave Desert.
    Joshua Tree
  • These ripe fruits of the Joshua tree range in size from 2-4 inches, and are clustered on the tall flower "spikes" that can be from 12-60 inches from the center of the rosette where new leaves form. These were photographed from below with a nice morning golden light in the Mojave Desert in Southern California.
    Fruit of the Joshua Tree
  • There are a couple places in the American Southwest where you can see the Joshua tree in large numbers. This one was photographed in Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California.
    Joshua Tree
  • Early morning photograph of a native Mojave yucca in its natural habitat on a cool spring morning in Mojave Desert in Southern California. These are often found growing among the Mojave's iconic Joshua trees - another member of the same genus.
    Mojave Yucca
  • Photographed slightly from above, this Mojave yucca in the Mojave desert was historically a very important resource for the Native Americans who lived here. The tough yet pliable fibers in the leaves (needles) after beating them to break them apart were braided together to make rope, sandals, and woven together to make cloth.
    Mojave Yucca
  • This Mojave yucca is about to burst into an amazing bouquet of flowers in Joshua Tree National Park in the late morning sunlight of gorgeous April day.
    Mojave Yucca
  • Closeup of the flowers of the Mojave yucca in the late afternoon golden light in Southern California. These flowers are pollinated at night by the Yucca moth (Tegeticula yuccasella), a species that depends on this plant for its survival. Not only will the moth  gather pollen, but she will lay her eggs in the ovaries of the flowers, and the larvae will feed directly on the developing fruit of the flowers, leaving some of the seeds to mature for the next generation of yucca plants.
    Mojave Yucca Flowers
  • A Mojave yucca in Southern California's Mojave desert shows already blossomed, flowers, closed flowers, and new buds late in the afternoon.
    Mojave Yucca
  • A yucca is silhouetted against a blinding hot sunset in the Mojave Desert near Twentynine Palms, in Southern California.
    Sunset in the Mojave Desert
  • Sometimes referred to as beargrass, this native desert species is actually a member of the lily family, even though it has a striking resemblnce at first to members of the yucca family. Found primarily in the Mojave Desert of Southern California, it is also found in limited numbers in Arizona's Sornoran Desert. Unusual for plants that grow in very dry, arid locations, the Bigelow's nolina is one one of the very few evergreen plants that grows in it's habitat. This group of flowering nolinas were photographed in Califonia's Joshua Tree National Park in the early spring morning sunlight.
    Bigelow's Nolina