Your Entry Title Barrel cactus in Joshua Tree

Your NameBrian B Haidet


MediumPhotography

Your ProfileGraduate student in materials science, amateur photographer and artist/maker

The Story Behind My AmericaThis picture is from Joshua Tree National Park in southern California, known for its rock formations and dark skies. The relatively bare deserts of southern California are a far cry from the lush green of the Appalachians or the pines of the Sandhills. Instead of rolling hills covered with trees, the landscape consists of flats (like this one) bounded by mountains that haven’t yet finished eroding into flats. That isn’t to say that the desert doesn’t have its own charm! In this particular case, a red barrel cactus jumped out at me as an anomalous splotch of color and I had to take a picture! After seeing much of North Carolina, studying in California has let me see another facet of our great country. America has such great variety – from coast to coast, there are beautiful sights to see!

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