Date: 2/27/08
Contact: C. Doug Nielsen
Phone: (702) 486-5127, ext. 3500

LATE WINTER RAINS BRING LIFE TO THE DESERT

Spring rains bring life and life begins with the color green. Green plants bring out the insects, and insects bring out the lizards and it continues up through the food chain. Due to several heavy rainstorms that have passed through Southern Nevada recently, this spring should prove promising for the wildflowers in the Mojave Desert. We may even be lucky enough to see flowers that haven’t appeared in a long time. We may also get to see the animals that are attracted to them.

Pat Cummings, game biologist for the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW), said fall and winter rains are beneficial for a number of plants, including smaller annual plants like grasses and forbs, the favorite food plants of upland birds and small mammals. Insects, important to birds like quail as well as lizards, also increase in numbers with the rains. “Quail need to consume a large amount of seeds and insects to put on body weight, which is important for a successful egg hatch,” said Cummings. Spring and summer rains, on the other hand, benefit the larger, perennial plants, which are fodder for large herbivores, like bighorn sheep and mule deer.

“Bighorn lambs, which are dropped in March, need to grow quickly. They are dependent on their mothers’ milk, which in turn is dependent on the ewes’ ability to forage,” he added.

Desert shrubs also provide shady cover for small animals when temperatures become hot. The peak blooming times for the desert plants is February through April, so expect animals to be easier to see during this time. Plants at the lower elevations bloom first and the bloom progresses up in elevation but not necessarily from south to north. However, blooms are seen earlier on south-facing slopes where it is warmer. Areas of bloom will be patchy, reflecting the areas most affected by rainfall and providing gathering places for the animals that forage on them.

The yellow daisy-like blooms of brittlebush and desert marigold are some of the first to appear, followed quickly by the bright orange desert globemallow. Globemallow is the favorite plant of the desert tortoise, so it makes sense that tortoises come out of their burrows just about the time the globemallow starts growing in the spring. No wonder the desert tortoise is the Mojave stand-in for the groundhog.

Watching the greening of the desert is literally seeing life being breathed into the landscape. The green starts as a barely perceptible tint, with newly germinated seedlings popping their heads above ground. Greening increases from spots to a contiguous carpet, then darkens as the vegetation thickens. Wildflowers dot the greenery in abstract patterns. Some brightly-colored flowers like globemallow, penstemons, and indigo bushes will last well into summer. The scene is further punctuated by brilliant cactus flowers that show in April or May. It’s no wonder the Mojave is often called the “painted desert.”

Living in the desert means gaining a new appreciation for the tiniest hint of color amidst a muted landscape. When we become adapted to the resources that the desert holds, the oases of spring wildflowers can pleasantly overwhelm us. Our local wildlife, too, will be overwhelmed with the abundance choices of browse and cover to enjoy throughout the season.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) protects, restores and manages fish and wildlife, and promotes fishing, hunting, and boating safety. NDOW’s wildlife and habitat conservation efforts are primarily funded by sportsmen’s license and conservation fees and a federal surcharge on hunting and fishing gear. Support wildlife and habitat conservation in Nevada by purchasing a hunting, fishing, or combination license. For more information, visit www.ndow.org.