I saw these red and orange flowers all over the Coachella valley during our trip in Palm Springs. They were included in these shots of flowers and plants at the Living Desert (although there was no sign next to them), but these were easier to find: They were planted next to the entrance to the hotel.
The bees found them very interesting at this point in the morning.
9/9/08
Buzzing in the desert
More than giraffes too
At the Living Desert, they do have animals other than giraffes. You don't get to feed them, however, and mostly they're (understandably) lethargic, but they are there.
Ostrich in palm shadow (they share the same pen with the giraffes).
Zebra butt.
Cheetahs not being the fastest land animal.
Oryx (the "unicorn of the desert").
A headless vulture in the aviary.
A caged owl who doesn't seem that happy to be looked at.
A butterfly. (You can tell by the way it rests with its wings up that it's not a moth.)
I think it's a cicada. They make a lot of noise in the trees throughout much of the park.
9/9/08
More than giraffes
Some of the plants and flowers at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (most of which I don't know the names of):
The second one is monkey thorn.
These cacti are barrel cactus.
9/9/08
Giraffe saliva
At the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert, they have a number of animal exhibits, but the big draw is the giraffes. It's not merely that they are the only animals who aren't listlessly lying around in the midday heat.
There's a baby giraffe, named Maliki. He won't come too close, but that's what zoom lenses are for.
The adult giraffes also show their special skills.
And there's a platform from which you can feed them! The staff have pellets that you can place on their tongues.
Canyon from the car
Just a couple miles south of Palm Springs is Indian Canyons, which I tried to get to before the sun set.
Although I didn't make it, I still trekked down to see what there was to see down at the canyon.
As the road was not exactly parking-friendly, so I decided to take pictures without getting out of the car. All these were what I get out the driver's window, only from spots where I could safely pull over momentarily.
Mountains to the west in shadow.
Mountains to the east still in sun.
Indian Canyons was already closed, but down by the gate it was quite windy.
This was self-indulgent. Thanks for putting up with it.
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