Image: Coachella Valley milk vetch

Description: Astragalus lentiginosus var. coachellae — Coachella Valley milk-vetch, an endangered plant. The Coachella Valley is located at the northern extension of the Colorado Desert and is bordered by the Salton Sea to the south and the Little San Bernandino Mountains to the north. Sand that washes down drainages during flood events accumulates at the bottom of the drainages, then is dispersed throughout the Valley by the continual high winds that blow through the area. This ever-shifting sand forms a complex system of sand dunes that support a variety of native desert species. Originally, about 270 square miles of the Coachella Valley may have been covered with loose, wind blown sand. Disruption of the sand transport corridors and the impacts of development have eliminated the majority of the historic “blowsand habitat” in the Coachella Valley. The total remaining “blowsand” habitat is about 50 square miles in size and occurs in relatively fragmented patches from San Gorgonio Pass southeast through the Valley to Indio, California. Why is the sand dune ecosystem important? The sand dune ecosystem of the Coachella Valley supports a variety of animals and plants specially adapted to living in the harsh desert environment. These distinct and sometimes rare species have evolved because the blowsand deposits of the Valley are relatively isolated from other areas by the surrounding mountain ranges. The threatened Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard, the endangered Coachella Valley milk vetch, Coachella Valley round-tailed ground squirrel, Coachella Valley giant sand treader cricket, and the Coachella Valley Jerusalem cricket are among the variety of species that occur in this specialized “blowsand” habitat. (USFWS)
Title: Coachella Valley milk vetch
Credit: Flickr: Coachella Valley milk vetch
Author: Pacific Southwest Region U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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