This habitat is found in the eastern part of San Diego county. We are grateful to the Living Desert and California Desert for many of these plants:
California Fleabane (Erigeron ssp.), Bur Sage (Ambrosia dumosa), Creosote Bush (Larrea divaricata), Desert Agave (Agave deserti), Desert Holly (Atriplex hymenelytra), Desert Ironwood (Olneya tesota), Desert Lavendar (Hyptis emoryi), Desert Mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua), Elephant Tree (Bursera microphylla), Engleman's Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus engelmannii), Fairy Duster (Calliandra eriophylla), Foothill Yucca (Yucca whipplei), Indian Mallow (Abutilon palmeri), Long-Jointed Beaver Tail Cactus (Opuntia basilaris, var. ramosa), Mojave Yucca (Yucca shidigera), Mormon Tea (Ephedra nevadensis and viridis), Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens), Palo Verde Tree (Cercidium floridum), Pencil Cactus (Opuntia ramosissima), Rabbit Bush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus), Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subata), San Diego Barrel Cactus (Fereocactus virdescenes), Smoke Tree (Dalea spinosa), Water Jacket (Lycium andersonii), Wolf's Bear Grass (Nolina wolfii)
seasonal wildflowers: Desert Garland, California Poppy, Chia, Baby Blue Eyes,
Our desert plants are on mounds of decomposed granite, because we have clay soil.
A view of the desert from the east in 4/96 a backhoe had unfortunately compacted the soil removed from digging the pond , which was to be mixed with the decomposed granite to make the desert mounds. These students are helping uncompact the soil and form the mounds. They were joined by entire classes until the job was done.
A little west of the 12/97 view in 10/96