Walk On The Wild Side

High Desert Animals - Where Are They?

Friends residing in typically urban or suburban environments of southern California often ask me whether I ever encounter high desert animals as I stroll through the stark, boulder-strewn acres of Lucky Six Farms. Their curiosity is certainly justified, since casual visitors remark that they observe no signs of mobile life even after spending hours trekking around our silent peaks and dark valleys. Of course, animal life is all around us here and in abundance too; it’s just a matter of being in the right place at the appropriate time to actually catch a glimpse of the creatures in action. I find it interesting, though, that the wildlife I spot often doesn’t quite match fauna documented for this area in books, monographs, and similar official publications. High desert animals can and do violate the rulebook because of the prevalence of micro-ecologies coexisting both within and between established, recognized regions.

High Desert Animals - Diurnal Dodgers

The great majority of animals regularly visible during our brilliant daylight hours are almost always on the run, sprinting from one hiding place - a burrow, thick brush, rock or tree hollow - to the next in order to efficiently dodge the keen vision of predatory birds, including red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis), ravens (Corvus corax) and even eagles (Aquila chrysaetos). The most-commonly observed members of this fleet-footed group are large ground squirrels (Spermophilus beecheyi) and cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus audubonii). The former dig out extensive burrow systems where they live and raise their young and which the latter can make use of in a pinch when familiar four-legged carnivores like the coyote (Canis latrans) are detected nearby. While coyotes do hunt during the day, they are probably best slotted into the next activity category.

High Desert Animals - Crepusculars and Nocturnals

As our blazing sun dips beneath the jagged western horizon, a whole new bunch of creatures emerges from disparate shelters to forage or prey. Twilight is the preferred time for snakes to be up and about, particularly rattlesnakes (Crotalus sp.) and rubber boas (Charina bottae). Fortunately, the two are easy to differentiate - the viper’s multilobed tail and acutely-angled head are characteristic - so that rattlers may be readily moved to wilder environs while constrictors can simply be left to their own devices. And In the stygian depths of night it is possible to locate the barn owl (Tyto alba) by its mournful hoot and broad, plaintive face, while few sounds emanate from the Arroyo Toad (Anaxyrus californicus) as it waits unobtrusively and with infinite patience to take ultimate advantage of passing insects and spiders.

We are happy to note that all of our purifying aromatic products - essential oil, hydrosol, smudge bundles, cones, and whole leaves - are certified organic and thus intrinsically allied to vital natural forces which have forged this beautiful country and its resident wildlife.

By Alan Beck