To help us remember the garden spots of Planet Earth, this Landsat image caught our attention. Although the name might conjure visions of shimmering air and bleached skulls, Death Valley is home to more than 900 kinds of plants. Some have deep tap roots many times the height of an average person. Others have roots that extend far in all directions. Animals can mostly be seen at night to escape the heat of the day.
Larger animals live in the cooler, higher elevations.
Moisture increases in these areas as well. The area is named appropriately as the water is not drinkable due to high concentrations of salts and high-alkaline content. Note the lack of vegetation in the area. Save image to your hard drive then select it as your background. Copyright 2001 Space Imaging, Inc., All rights reserved.