Other unusual plant occurrences include the westernmost known stands of white fir in southern California. These relict stands are found in the New York Mountains and on Clark Mountain in the Clark Mountains. Mojave yucca, up to 10 feet tall, occur on the slopes of the Woods, Providence, and Hackberry Mountains. The Woods and Hackberry Mountains also support extensive stands of desert succulents, including silver cholla, buckhorn cholla, barrel, hedgehog, pin-cushion, beavertail, and prickly pear cactus. Piute Creek, the only perennial stream in the eastern Mojave, supports cottonwood and other riparian vegetation.
Wildlife is nearly as varied as the plant life.
More than 300 different species of animals roam the area. This includes 47 mammalian species such as 500 to 600 desert bighorn sheep, mule deer, porcupine, mountain lion, bobcat, rock squirrel, and wood rat. The endangered desert tortoise is also found here in good numbers. Some 200 species of birds have been recorded and these include golden eagle, several types of hawk, Bendire's thrasher, crissal thrasher, gray vireo, and Lucy's warbler. The elf owl, a state endangered species, was reintroduced into Piute Creek Canyon to reestablish the species in this region.