Desert Rain
The Mojave Desert has been pounded by nearly 5 days of rain showers that could result in another beautiful wildflower bloom next spring. As noted in Chris Clarke's Coyote Crossing , the downside is that invasive plants also benefit from the rains, and could lead to a bad wildfire season. Indigenous plant species do not provide as much fuel for wildfires as some of the non-indigenous species (and are less nutritious for foraging animals like the desert tortoise), and previous rainy seasons were followed by wildfires that can wipe out acres of old-growth vegetation that will not grow back quickly. Below are some pictures of the swollen Mojave River as it passes through Victorville, California on Wednesday. The photographs were taken during a break in the weather, but heavy showers resumed in the Western Mojave Desert on Wednesday night.