Mojave Desert - Code: Ne2C

The Mojave Desert is a small habitat found in the transitional zone between the Sonoran Desert and the Great Basin. Often considered a high desert, the majority of this habitat is found between 2000 and 6000ft (600-1800m) in elevation, though this desert also encompasses Death Valley which is the lowest spot on the planet (-282 ft/-86m). The Mojave is also the driest of the deserts, only receiving 2-6 inches (50-150mm) of precipitation, mostly in the form of winter rain and snow. The area experiences an extreme range of temperatures with summer highs upwards of 110°F (43°C) and winter lows as cold as 10°F (-12°C). Winter and Spring in this area is also famously windy, with strong dusty gales persisting much of the time. 
The Mojave Desert is almost entirely devoid of trees. The most iconic and prominent plants on the landscape are Joshua Trees (Yucca brevifolia and Yucca jaegeriana) which are not typical woody trees, but tall branching yuccas. Joshua Trees can reach heights of 50 ft (15m) and are immediately recognizable. Commonly seen in movies and on television, Joshua Trees are a sure indicator that the scene was filmed in the Mojave Desert. 
Aside from Joshua Trees, the Mojave Desert has a low and sparse shrub layer that is open enough to move through easily. At the lower elevations, this layer is dominated by Creosote (Larrea tridentata) and White Bursage (Ambrosia dumosa) along with hop-sage (Grayia spinosa), winter fat (Krascheninnikovia lanata), and saltbrush (Atriplex spp.). Most of these species will continue into higher elevations where cheesebrush (Hymenoclea salsola), rabbitbrush (Ericameria spp.), Mormon-tea (Ephedra spp.) and especially Blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) are co-dominant or dominant. The cacti in this desert do not have the diversity of form and species seen in warmer deserts but Teddybear Cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii.) and pricklypear (Opuntia spp.) are common near rocky outcroppings. In the foothills and upper elevational limits, this habitat can form dense brushy patches that are structurally like chaparral and are prone to fire. Despite the structural difference, floral and faunal composition remains nearly identical.
The Mojave Desert has the most climactic variability of the North American deserts with long periods of extreme drought interspersed with rare wet years where precipitation can be up to five times that of a typical year. These wet years create intense pulses of vegetation and corresponding booms in wildlife populations. These explosive years are highly asynchronous and cannot be described as cyclical in any meaningful way. Following wet years there are spectacular “Superblooms” of flowering plants that can coat entire valleys in an ever shifting patchwork of yellow, purple, orange and white. These blooms are typically dominated by species like brittlebush (Encelia farinosa), California poppies (Eschscholzia californica), desertbells (Phacelia campanularia), desert sunflowers (Geraea canescens) (bright yellow), Popcorn flowers (Plagiobothrys nothofulvus), and desert lily (Hesperocallis undulata). Many other rare and endemic annuals can also be found during these events.