Death Valley Regional Plants

According to the Smithsonian Guides to Natural America, Far West Edition, there are over one thousand kinds of flowering plants that make Death Valley National Park their home, including desert holly, mesquite, ferns, lilies, and orchids. When we come visit here in the autumn or spring after significant rains, we may well see millions of flowers in all the valleys. April is a lovely time to witness this national park in full bloom and color, and along with these flowers come millions of butterflies … so thick in places that we must slow our vehicle considerably to avoid injuring them as the flitter back and forth across the paved roadway. Death Valley and environs are full of life, contrary to the alarming nomenclature that has unfortunately stuck with the region (well, unfortunate in that it portrays a skewed image, but fortunate in that it provides plenty of revenue for the government as people flock to see this feared realm firsthand).