The "Plant Hunter" video was shot at an altitude of 8000 feet in the Panamint Range of Death Valley. Although most people might not expect it, Death Valley is a great place for plant hunting. Death Valley National Park (DVNP) is botanically and geographically diverse. Ranging in altitude from below sea level to over 11000 feet, the park hosts an abundance of different plant communities. Mary DeDecker in her book, Flora of the Northern Mojave Desert, California, catalogs over 1200 plant species that can be found in the Death Valley area. So far, I've managed to get pictures of 260 of them! Visit my Death Valley Area Plants page to see my online collection!

Plant hunting is most enjoyable when plants are in bloom! Plants growing at lower elevations in the desert tend to bloom mostly from February through April. As elevation increases, blooming time becomes later and later, with most alpine plants blooming during the summer months. This makes DVNP a great place for plant hunting from February to the end of August. Some plants bloom in the fall and so there is often a limited fall bloom from September to November. That leaves December and January as down time, which provides an opportunity to plan future plant hunting expeditions. Right now I'm paying attention to the rainfall since percipitation during the winter months followed by ample moisture during the spring provides the foundation for an excellent wildflower season, which makes DVNP a plant hunter's paradise during subsequent months!