Had been on my wishlist for some years so was excited to visit Joshua Tree National Park in California. The national park is a enormous nature reserve of approximatly 100x50 km with two different Eco systems, the Colorado Desert and the Mojave Desert. Especially in the Mojave Desert the tree's can be found after which the park is named, the Yoshua Tree or in latin the Yucca Brevifolia.
The Joshua Tree is a fast growing plant and can grow up to 8cm per year in the first ten years after a seed has been planted. Afterwards the grow decreases slightly. The tree has ever green leaves and are dark green and the tree is blooming between February and April.
Skull Rock
Isn't it spooky, really looks like a skull rock from a Pirats of the Caribean movie :)
Within the park several hikes can be done which are not to difficult, but please prepare and bring enough water. An easy to do hike is the Hidden Valley trail or the walk to Barker Dam. Both hikes are pretty easy to do and are about a mile long.