An Oasis in the Desert

Jan 31/2015 Saturday  Weather Sunny 80 and 58 at night
North of Palm Springs about 5 miles near the Coachella Valley Wildlife Refuge is a true Oasis!!!

those are the Palms "petticoats"

 As you get closer you can see the green of a large grouping of native California fan palms and the Mexican fan palms native to Baja California .   There are trails and a water pond amongst the trails.  This is all possible because it is on the San Andreas fault line and the availability of water is natural geology.

the end of the trail around the Oasis

Thousand Palms Oasis is a free preserve to visit and managed by the Center for Natural Lands .  The stand of Palms are a stark contrast to their surroundings--and they attract all sorts of interesting fauna, especially birds.  

The palms are not manicured and left to grow naturally.  Some are 200 years old.   If old leaves are not removed, they form a continuous "petticoat" from the crown all the way to the ground.   
 

that would be Mrs. Scardey Cat - not far from the visitor center

We must admit some surprise after visiting the small visitor cabin.  We learned from the volunteer that the petticoat of fronds is a perfect home for native snakes (sidewinders) and rodents.    So no we did not take the several walking trails!!!!   We are such scardey cats.......  

Mr. Scardey Cat - the palm are quite tall