This area has many Joshua Trees that are recovering after the area
was swept by a fire. I have included a bit of interesting
information about these very unique plants.
(For more information, visit the Joshua Tree National Park web site
at (visit link)
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Joshua tree
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Asparagales
Family: Agavaceae
Genus: Yucca
Species: Y. brevifolia
Binomial name
Yucca brevifolia
Schott ex Torr.
The Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) is a monocotyledonous tree
native to southwestern North America, in the states of California,
Arizona, Utah and Nevada. Confined mostly to the Mojave Desert
between 400-1,800 m (2,000-6,000 feet), they thrive in the open
grasslands of Queen Valley and Lost Horse Valley in Joshua Tree
National Park.
Joshua trees can grow from seed or from an underground rhizome
of another Joshua tree. They are slow growers; new seedlings may
reach a height of 10-20 cm in their first few years, then only grow
about 10 cm per year thereafter. The trunk of a Joshua tree is made
of thousands of small fibers and lacks annual growth rings, making
it difficult to determine the tree's age. This tree is not very
sturdy because of its shallow root area and top-heavy branch
system, but if it survives the rigors of the desert it can live to
two hundred years of age. The tallest trees reach about 15 m
tall.
The Cahuilla Native Americans who have lived in the southwestern
United States for generations still identify with this plant as a
valuable resource and call it “hunuvat chiy’a” or “humwichawa”.
Their ancestors used the leaves of Y. brevifolia to weave sandals
and baskets in addition to harvesting the seeds and flower buds for
nutritious meals.
The name Joshua tree was given by a band of Mormons who crossed
the Mojave Desert in the mid-19th century. The tree's unique shape
reminded them of a Biblical story in which Joshua reaches his hands
up to the sky. Ranchers and miners who were contemporary with the
Mormon immigrants also took advantage of the Y. brevifolia using
the trunks and branches as fencing and for fuel for ore processing
steam engines.
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The original contents include:
• Pirate Gold
• Good Time Token
• Sega Center Token
• Some other Token
• Ink Pen key chain from the Geocacher “Wanderer 7”
• Rubber Spikey Critter
• Teddy Gear Magnet
And for the first person to locate this cache; a small FTF
coin.
I hope you enjoy your visit to this area and the search for the
cache.
Kodiak Dave
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog
it's too dark to read." -Groucho Marx
