Plant Species of the Borrego Desert: Multi-year Repeat Photographs
21 year interval, 2004 to 2025: Repeat photographs of Xylorhiza orcuttii, Orcutt's woody-aster, beginning in 2004 and continuing to 2025, showing the same plant waxing and waning through the years.
19.1 (including a 12.1 year and a 7.0 year interval): 31 December 2005, 10 February 2018, 21 February 2025: Poaceae: Heteropogon contortus, tanglehead. Findings:
- Nine of 11 plants of Heteropogon contortus were in both images, but were much diminished in the 2018 image. Three new plants appeared in the 2018 image, and they were healthier than the other plants then. This may indicate that the lifetime of individual plants is ~20 years.
- Agave deserti plants showed little change.
- One Cylindropuntia ganderi plant decreased in biomass in 12 years.
- Three Echinocereus engelmannii plants were still present, with one unchanged in size and the other two larger. A new plant was seen in 2018.
- One Ferocactus cylindraceus plant grew taller in the 12 years.
18.1 year interval: 11 December 2006 and 20 January 2025: 18 Year Repeat Photographs on the Art Smith Trail. Findings: Only two of five Ferocactus cylindraceus survived, with the three missing ones replaced by three new ones. A growth rate of 0.78 inches / year = 2.0 cm / year was deduced from one of the surviving barrels.
17 year interval: 2 February 2008 to 4 February 2025 (and in-between): repeat photographs of the same Crossosoma bigelovii plant in Henderson Canyon.
12.2 year interval: 12 December 2012 and 8 February 2025: 12 Year Repeat Photographs of Ferocactus cylindraceus in Plum Canyon. Findings:
- 14 of the 29 barrel cacti seen in 2012 are still present 12 years later, 48% of the total. 52% of the original 29 barrel cacti are no longer visible. Six new barrel cacti are seen in the 2025 pix, compared to the 15 that were no longer visible.
- All three Cylindropuntia bigelovii that were alive in 2012 were dead in 2025
- The Agave deserti clumps look pretty much the same in location and size in the two pix.
12.1 interval: contained in 19.1 interval above.
8.0 year interval: 29 January 2017 and 16 February 2025: An 8.5 year old Fouquieria splendens, ocotillo, that is only 3.5 inches tall!. Findings: herbivory has kept this young plant no bigger than it was as a seedling.
8.0 year interval: 29 January 2017 and 16 February 2025: 8 year repeat photograph of a leaning Ferocactus cylindraceus in Chuckwalla Wash. Findings:
- The leaning Fero had indeed fallen over. Its dead length was 40 inches (102 cm).
- Two live plants of Cylindropuntia bigelovii were about the same, or a bit taller. Four dead plants of this species looked pretty much the same.
- Two plants of Cylindropuntia ganderi had grown, but become more ragged looking.
- ~12 ocotillos in the background looked unchanged.
7.0 interval: contained in 19.1 interval above.
5.1 year interval: 19 December 2015 to 31 January 2021: A Malachothamnus plant washed a long way down Coyote Creek. Findings: this Malacothamnus plant lived for at least two years, and probably three years, before it was found to be dead five years after it was first seen.
Go to:
Copyright © 2025 by Tom Chester.
Commercial rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce any or all of this page for individual or non-profit institutional internal use as long as credit is given to me at this source:
http://tchester.org/bd/species/repeat_photographs.html
Comments and feedback: Tom Chester
Updated 25 February 2025.