Desert Wash

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the desert, a wash is  a depression or channel formed by flowing water.  These waterways are often called dry washes because generally the word "wash" refers to the dry bed of an intermittent stream. However, during times of rain a wash can become a raging river even after a small intense rainfall of less than half an inch.  A wash runs behind my daughter's home and it is quite lovely, replete with flora and fauna.  This particular wash floods a well-traveled street when it rains, causing nearby residents giant headaches when trying to get out of the neighborhood to go to work and/or get their children to school.  It often means a detour of five miles just to traverse a one-block area.  But in dry weather, the wash is a beautiful ecosystem.  I walked through a good portion of it today and here I share some favorite photographs with you.

The bed of this wash is covered with sand and smooth stones ranging in sizes from pebbles to giant boulders.  The banks of the wash are dense with desert trees, shrubs, bushes and grasses because the water that flows through the wash during rainy seasons waters provides water to the roots of these plants for many months.

 

 
The photos above are a sampling of some of the desert plants I encountered on my walk.  Sorry but I just wasn't quick enough to shoot (no pun intended) that bunny rabbit who ran across my path at about 80 miles an hour.  He was just a blur!  I hope he wasn't being chased by a coyote!