Joshua trees are large trees related to
Yuccas. They basically resemble a very tall, branching yucca, which can reach 20+ feet tall. They are
erratically shaped and have from one to around 20 branches each with a yucca-like
rosette at the end. Below the living leaves dead ones collect, much like a
palm tree. They are extremely sharp and make
joshua trees very
inhospitable to large mammals, although some birds may nest in them. Joshua trees flower at night and are
pollinated only by one species of
moth, which in turn can eat only nectar from joshua tree flowers. These strange trees were named by
Mormon settlers because their upwardly bent branches reminded them of Joshua praying to God. They are only found in the
Mojave desert, mostly in California, and at altitudes of around 3000-5000 feet. These trees are abundant around
Lancaster, CA, and also in
Joshua Tree National Park in the little san bernadino mountains north of palm springs. The latter is also filled with large rocks, deep canyons, and various desert wildlife, and is an excellent place to stay in the spring or fall (it is too cold in the winter and hot in the summer to be comforable) I reccomend visiting the area during a full moon. the high plateaus are bathed in silver light and the joshua trees eerily rise out of the ground and seem to be staring up at the moon. If you're lucky, there will also be some lightning from a far off storm in the background. Anyone who experiences this scene will never think of the desert as 'dead' again.
The grace of these trees and the desert environment was accredited in the U2 album The Joshua Tree