oh
originally uploaded by lorezme. One of two things happened here on this 2-3 acres of Mojave Desert.
(1) The Joshua "bark" has been stripped, effectively girdling the tree. Well, not really a tree, a yucca, so technically you can't girdle it. I have a friend who has been observing this happening several miles to the north of here, though. If you remove a portion of the "bark" they die. She's been watching it happen for a few years, After they die, the developers come in, skirting the regulations concerning Joshuas, since the only Joshuas are lying in dead heaps on the ground.
(2) The trees have been set afire. One looked like it had been set fire and then kicked down. Almost two years ago, there was a brush fire on a nearby parcel. Right now there is a nice, new house going up on that parcel.
All but one of the Joshuas on this property have been affected.