Rain has finally fallen on the hi-desert. Beginning Monday morning at around 3:00 a.m. in Joshua Tree, a light soaking rain fell on the valley floor while up in the hills and mountains snow blanketed Pioneertown, Landers and Flamingo Heights as well as higher elevations in Twentynine Palms, Joshua Tree and Yucca Valley.
The thing about rain in the desert is that you probably could smell it coming. The southwest’s signature creosote bush – scientifically known as Larrea tridentata – is responsible for the sweet smell of the desert rain that is produced when the waxy leaves of the creosote react with moisture, releasing a smell that is so addicting its hard not to open your windows, even if temperatures were hovering around the high 30’s yesterday.
Creosote is a hardy desert native and an evergreen – although going most of 2024 without measurable rainfall will have an impact on any plant’s color. In the springtime creosote can exhibit a dark green color with new growth showing a lighter, brighter green bejeweled by small yellow flowers and white, fairytale-like puffs for seeds.
In periods of drought, creosote uses its waxy leaves to its advantage to hold onto as much moisture as possible. Creosote is also known as “the governess” for its ability to control the water around it – spreading its roots and mycorrhizal networks deep into the desert soil to soak up as much water as it can as soon as it falls, making creosote the ubiquitous and numerous survivor you see by the thousands in the Mojave.
When rain is in the forecast – it’s usually preceded with the air becoming more humid, which is a signal to some plants to begin to open up to the possibility that yes – rain is coming. Wind will pick up the smell – thought to be produced by a fungus inside the plant – and carry it, signalling that desert residents have a few minutes to put away anything that they don’t want to get wet.
Yesterday’s rain began before sunrise and sustained throughout a mostly overcast day, with the snow melting away in the early afternoon in the lower elevations, but still making an appearance in the San Bernardino mountains to our west. While the rain on the ground is good for everyone, snow in the mountains is what we really need. According to the California Department of Water Resources – statewide snowpack is sitting at 65% of the yearly average, with Southern California’s figure coming in at less at 45%.
