Alamogordo, NM Sept. 30, 2008 This was the first wildflower I identified on this trip. It is a perfect example of a desert plant. The wooly, white hairs scatter sunlight to help keep the plant from getting sunburned and losing too much water.
Las Cruces, NM Oct. 4, 2008 This is a close-up of the male flowers of the Tumbleweed. This non-native plant has become a pest in many parts of the western US. The dried plants break off and blow in the wind, spreading their gazillion seeds as they tumble across the desert. Tumbleweeds can grow quite large and cause problems when they pile up along fence rows or near culverts. A few years ago, a woman was trapped in her house when hundreds of tumbleweeds piled up against her doors!
This is a view of the west side of the Organ Mountains. We drove on Baylor Canyon Road to get to Dripping Springs Natural Area.
