If there is one plant that distinguishes the Mojave Desert from other deserts, it would have to be the iconic Joshua Tree.  In many locales, they often appear dehydrated and scraggly, and very much unphotogenic.  The healthier ones tend to appear in large forests as though there is strength in numbers.  Oddly enough, California’s Joshua Tree National Park is not the best place to find these.  Select pockets in Arizona and Nevada have the best ones I’ve come across, and it can be even more memorable if you are lucky enough to catch these plants in bloom.

This one was near the town of Searchlight, Nevada, and the sky was perfect this day for my backdrop to several large healthy Joshua Trees.  Leanne Cole has included this photo with the work of others in this week’s Monochrome Madness.  Check out her WordPress blog for MM, or her blog on her website for more photos.