This site is no longer maintained and has been left for archival purposes

Text and links may be out of date

PINACATE CAMPSITE

TECOLOTE CAMPSITE, PINACATE


This flat, sandy camping area is surrounded by an arc of jagged lava formations, produced from cooled, solidified lava beds that were broken and uplifted by later, underlying molten lava flows. The plants in this area include saguaro, senita, paloverde, creosote bush and
wolfberry.


Mayo cone (a volcanic cinder cone) next to the Tecolote campsite. Note the different zones of vegetation. The lower, flatter slope is dominated by teddy bear cholla, saguaro cacti, paloverde and other shrubs. The upper part of the cone supports a stand of ocotillo (see image below) but the steep middle section consists of small cinders and is too unstable to support vegetation. Two footpaths (left of centre) lead up to the volcanic crater.


Ocotillo and other shrubs near the top of the cinder cone. Note the transition between the more stable ground surface at the top of the cone, where larger rock fragments were thrown from the volcanic eruption, and the zone with smaller cinder particles that do not support vegetation. The unstable surface of this zone is indicated by the exposed ocotillo roots (bottom left of the image).

Costa's hummingbird in Tecolote campsite. This tiny hummingbird (8-9 cm) has a restricted distribution compared with several other hummingbirds. It occurs only in the southwestern deserts from cental California and south Nevada down to northwestern Mexico. It feeds on nectar and insects, and is said to be perhaps the most desert-adapted of all hummingbirds. The male has an irridescent violet-purple crown and side feathers. [Note: the angle at which this image was taken did not show the colour of the side feathers, so the colour has been copied from another (poorer quality) image and painted onto this image] CLICK for more hummingbirds

GO TO:
Pinacate Thumbnail images?
Pinacate Volcanic Field: space radar image?
El Elegante crater?
Elegante crater rim?
"Bombs and cinders"?
Colorado crater?
Lava fields?
Pinacate desert floor?
Pinacate campsite?
Pinacate plants?
Pinacate playa?
Lava plants?
Pinacate desert wash?

This site is no longer maintained and has been left for archival purposes

Text and links may be out of date

Accessibility Statement