Antelope Brush

Photograph
This photograph was made just north of Osoyoos in a protected area that has the same status as a provincial park. The area is the northernmost limit of the Sonora desert. It is home to unique flora, lichen and fungi much of which is fragile. Even a footprint can break the thin cover and create a sandspot that can take many years to heal over. This place is even more special in that much of the land in the area has been put to agriculture, mainly as vineyards.

The root of the Antelope Brush runs very deep to search for water. As such it can grow in places too dry for even Sagebrush. This picture was made with a very wide angle lens, so it can be difficult to determine the size of the objects you see. The Antelope Brush is about 1.5 metres high. The use of a wide angle lens at a small aperture makes this picture very sharp and capable of an excellent enlargement.