Really good overview of plans to help Joshua trees survive climate change on National Geographic, with some description of a project I'd only heard rumored, which might aaaaalmost count as what we call assisted migration
#science #genetics #ecology #conservation #JoshuaTrees #California
Help needed to photograph and record #JoshuaTrees!
Joshua Trees bloomed earlier than usual – and it spells trouble for iconic succulent
By Chris Nesi
Published Jan. 25, 2026, 10:13 p.m. ET
"Southern California’s famed Joshua trees are flowering months ahead of schedule, baffling scientists and raising fears about the future of the species.
"The #MojaveDesert succulents typically bloom between February and April, timing their flowers to the arrival of the #YuccaMoth — the only insect capable of pollinating them.
"The moth lays its eggs inside the flowers, producing fruit whose seeds are later spread by rodents.
"This year, however, the trees’ familiar white-and-yellow blooms began appearing on late October, sparking concerns that the early flowering could disrupt the delicate relationship between the trees and their sole pollinator — and threaten the species’ ability to reproduce."
[...]
"Yoder suspects this year’s early rains may have triggered the premature bloom. His Yoder Lab is now asking members of the public to help document the phenomenon by uploading photos of Joshua trees in bloom to #iNaturalist, allowing scientists to gather data on whether the early flowering affects fruit production.
" 'We’re looking for as many folks out there as possible to help observe this phenomenon,' Yoder said.
Read more:
https://nypost.com/2026/01/25/us-news/early-bloom-of-joshua-trees-could-spell-trouble-ahead/
#EarlyBloom #ClimateChange #CitizenScientists #JoshuaTreeFlowers #Naturalists
The early bloom could threaten the yucca moth — Joshua trees’ only pollinator — whose evolution has synced with the predictably timely blossoming of their flowers.
Got to do an actual local TV news interview about early-blooming Joshua trees, failed to anticipate that I should've given the producers a photo of the correct species of yucca moth
#JoshuaTrees #television #news #LosAngeles #science #ecology
Talked to SFGATE about this year's super-early Joshua tree bloom, the lab's call for help tracking it on iNaturalist, and what it may mean for our favorite spiky desert plants
Joshua trees are flowering in the Calif. desert. That’s bad news.
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/joshua-trees-early-bloom-21307157.php
#ecology #desert #JoshuaTrees #California #Nevada #Arizona #CommunityScience
Joshua trees make the cover of New Phytologist, for the issue with our paper, led by Karolina Heyduk, showing that they use water-saving CAM photosynthesis — but only sometimes https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.70437
Yoder Lab grad student Pryce Millikin's work organizing collection of Joshua tree flowering observations through iNaturalist makes the campus news service
CSUN Master’s Student Calls on Public to Help Collect Joshua Tree Data
#science #data #crowdsourcing #ecology #JoshuaTrees #mutualism
Joshua trees are only pollinated by yucca moths, but how do the moths know when it is time to pollinate? That is what Pryce Millikin, a California State University, Northridge biology graduate student, is trying to figure out, and he’s asking the public to help.
In just a few minutes, I'm joining a video-call panel of scientists talking about their work with Joshua trees, as part of the Getty PST ART: Art & Science Collide exhibition DESERT FOREST at the Museum of Art and History in Lancaster — hop on and bring questions!
AP News: California drafts plan to save iconic and imperiled Joshua Trees
Touches on many points, from protecting trees and ecosystem, pushing to reduce overall emissions, and intentional practices for land managers and wildfire response
#conservation #climate #JoshuaTrees #California
https://apnews.com/article/joshua-trees-climate-change-california-48b7d86a4438d039f38b79b2c5bd9628
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has released a new plan to protect the state’s iconic Joshua trees, which are imperiled by wildfires, human development and climate change. The 294-page draft plan includes calls for avoiding or minimizing direct and indirect impacts from overgrazing, pesticide use and unauthorized off-roading. It also says trees should be removed when projects could harm them. The plan also says land where the trees grow should be identified and protected in a future projected to be drier and hotter due to climate change.
Jeremy B. Yoder 🖖🏻🌿🏳️🌈📈
DoomsdaysCW
t. w. carson
KellyAnn Romanych (she/her)
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