Pinyon-Juniper Woodland
At higher elevations of the Mojave, especially on north-facing slopes, pinyon and juniper trees cling to shallow, rocky soils. These hardy trees form open woodlands that provide food, shelter, and materials for both wildlife and people.For centuries, pinyon nuts have been an important food source for Native peoples, wildlife, and later settlers. Ranchers cut juniper for fence posts, and remnants of these old fencelines can still be found near abandoned homesteads.
The woodland understory includes sagebrush, goldenbush, Mojave prickly pear cactus, and wildflowers such as Indian paintbrush. Birds and animals thrive here too—listen for scrub jays, blue but not crested, or watch for the quick movements of antelope ground squirrels.
In the higher ranges, desert bighorn sheep navigate steep, rocky slopes with ease. Their specialized hooves give them the traction needed to escape predators like mountain lions. Bighorn are most often seen near water sources, where they come to drink and feed on grasses and other plants.
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Indian use of Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands
Archaeological data and ethnographic accounts testify of the importance of resources available in the pinyon-juniper woodland to native peoples since the early ...Pinyon-juniper - Ecosystem
(PJN) Pinyon Species, Juniper Species, Mountain Mahogany Species Vegetation Structure-- Pinyon-juniper (PJN) habitat typically is an open woodland of low, ...https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/pinmon/all.html
Juniper - California Juniper
California juniper is distributed from Shasta County, California, south as far as Baja ... California juniper most commonly occurs in pinyon-juniper woodlands that ...Pinyon-Juniper Woodland: Mojave Desert Plants
An open woodland composed of pinyon pines and junipers occurs above 4,500 feet elevation where they can receive over 10 inches of precipitation annually, ...Pinyon Pine
Pinyon and Juniper trees - Joshua Tree National Park
Particularly on north-facing slopes pinyon and juniper trees cling to shallow, rocky soil.
Pinyon nuts have long provided food for humans and wild animals.
This habitat includes sagebrush, goldenbush, wildflowers such as Indian paintbrush, and Mojave prickly pear cactus. Also look for scrub jays--blue but not crested--and antelope ground squirrels.
Also in the high elevations, bighorn sheep can be found. These are a wild sheep that feed on grasses and other plants. They are best spotted near water sources. Hooves adapted to steep, rocky terrain allow them to escape predators such as mountain lions.