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Hwy 79 East of Lake Henshaw
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Goldfields (Lasthenia californica) near Lake Henshaw.
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Little Surprise Canyon
Acanthaceae: Carlowrightia arizonica (Arizona Carlowrightia)
Coyote Creek
Fouquieriaceae: Fouquieria splendens ssp. spendens (Ocotillo)
Fabaceae: Prosopis glandulosa ssp. torreyana (Honey Mesquite)
Division Charophyta (Stoneworts)
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Submersed colonies of the freshwater alga Chara. This division is called "stoneworts" because the branched thallus is often encrusted with lime (calcium and magnesium carbonates). Because of their calcareous encrustation, members of the division Charophyta are often preserved in the fossil record. Paleotologists can readily recognize exinct relatives of Chara from strata as early as the Devonian Period, over 300 million years ago.
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Close-up view of the fruiting branches of Chara showing the easily recognizable sex organs. Although microscopic, the sex organs can be readily identified by their shape and color. The sperm-bearing antheridia are bright orange, while the egg-bearing oogonium is green with a distinctive crown of cells. This is an excellent alga for studying life cycles in general biology and botany classes.
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Desert spider beetle (Cysteodemus armatus), a curious beetle with a small head and inflated abdomen resembling a spider. In some individuals the pitted back is much lighter.
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Borrego Palm Canyon
Ephedraceae: Ephedra aspera (Boundary Ephedra)
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