Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park encompasses two distinct desert ecosystems, the Mojave and the Colorado deserts. The park was initially created as a National Monument in 1936, elevated to a National Park in 1994. The higher, slightly cooler, and wetter Mojave Desert is the special habitat of the Joshua tree, a native of Southwestern North America.

Desert vegetation, often appearing to have succumbed to this hot sometimes unrelentingly dry environment, lies dormant, awaiting the rainfall and moderate weather that will trigger its growth, painting the park with colors.

Source: National Park Service