Wildlife Discoveries on a New Mexican Trip

While visiting New Mexico on business, I got a chance to check out the White Sands National Monument. It's a beautiful desert about 45 minutes north of Las Cruces. 

As the name implies, the desert sand is snow white and practically as fine as talc.  The sand is the result of the erosion of gypsum outcroppings in the area. These partially submerged outcroppings are scattered randomly throughout the desert.  Gypsum is a soft stone commonly used in drywall. 

The desert perimeter is a mix of cottonwood trees and low growing scrub with white sand between. As you move toward the desert's interior, the amount of vegetation decreases until there is nothing but miles and miles of white sand dunes. You could easily become lost in this area because there are no landmarks other than the mountains in the distance.

The temperatures were in the upper 90s the day I hiked White Sands, with partly cloudy skies. The temperature dropped 10 degrees with a little cloud cover and, given the humidity was around 16 percent, the event was quite pleasant.

There is a variety of wildlife indigenous to the desert. I ran across a variety of birds and lizards during my hike. A unique desert resident is the bleached earless lizard. They are about 3 inches long and well camouflaged. The only way you can find them is by following their tiny tracks in the sand.

The Organ Mountains are south of the desert and made up of large granite outcroppings, which form a broken ridge line from east to west. These outcroppings appear like organ pipes, hence the name. 

The backdrop to the north is a set of mountains, which have a different structure.  Unlike the Organ Mountains, these mountains consist of numerous horizontal layers arranged in a terrace-like fashion, with a broad foundation narrowing to an east to west ridge. 

If you are in the Las Cruces area, I urge you to visit the White Sands National Monument. It's an unforgettable experience well worth the drive.