The Painted Canyon

Painted Canyon National Park is located in Billings, North Dakota, near the town of Medora. It is part of the Badlands of North Dakota. On a recent trip driving out to the west coast, I stopped by and took some photos.

  

A view of the canyon.

A viewing deck in the park.

"Yucca brevifolia" The Joshua Tree

 

Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California is home to some very awesome and unique rock formations and wildlife, however the most famous residents of this park in the Mojave Desert are the trees....Joshua Trees (Yucca brevifolia).

These amazing plants are native to the South Western United States but are not considered widely common outside of the park. They grow very fast for a desert plant, growing up to 3 inches a year.

These trees are pollinated entirely by the Yucca Moth, who lays her eggs inside of the trees flowers. These trees don't have a "normal" tree trunk as their trunks are made up of stringy fibers. This causes them to not have "growth rings" like other trees do, making it very hard to determine an individual Joshua Tree's age, however, some believe that they can live up to 1,000 years.

Cylindropuntia bigelovii: "Teddy bear" Cholla

The Teddy bear Cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii) is a species of cactus native to the American Southwest and the Northern parts of Mexico. The name "teddy bear" comes from its very soft appearance but it is covered with extremely sharp spines, so the name is quite decieving. These plants can stand up to 5 feet tall and in May and June produce small fruits and flowers. These photos were taken in Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California.

Meerkats!

Meerkats (Suricata suricatta) are small mammels (members of the mongoose family) native to the Kalahari Desert and South Africa. They primarily eat insects but will also consume small reptiles, plants, and eggs. They live in large groups - up to 50 members - and live in "Meerkat Cities" which are complex chains of tunnels that they dig. Another cool thing about these guys is that they are completely immune to the very powerful venom of the scorpions in the Kalahari Desert.....unlike people.