The Joshua tree is cherished for its distinctive silhouette and singular role as a linchpin of the Mojave Desert ecosystem. Yet the iconic succulent is losing suitable habitat at a brisk clip due to climate change, worsening wildfires and development, scientists and environmental advocates say.

A new plan by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to ensure the Joshua tree’s survival calls for limiting development in certain areas, including those where the plant may be able to thrive in a future anticipated to be warmer and drier, even as other portions of its range become uninhabitable.

Fall is a great time to plant trees because the winter rains give them a chance to settle in before it gets too hot. Many municipalities and utilities offer free trees to residents to bring more shade and beauty to our urban areas, support wildlife and even reduce energy costs.

More than 2,000 species of native plants are spread across the California desert, which covers around 25% of the state’s geography. Since it started its efforts in 2016, the MDLT Seed Bank has stocked about 940 collections of seeds representing around 250 species. Last year, it added 52 new collections, including its first-ever collection of Indian tobacco.

Patrick G. Emblidge, the seed program manager, calls it an insurance policy against fire and other disasters. The York Fire in 2023 burned more than 90,000 acres of desert, damaging more than 1 million Joshua trees and charring around 500 acres of the MDLT’s own property. Many of the plants on those lands may never return. But having seeds available means species that are wiped out could be quickly repopulated before invasive grasses and weeds take over.

The Mojave Desert Land Trust expects to do much work on the ground, including helping with seed collection and outreach, said Cody Hanford, deputy executive director and chief conservation officer of the nonprofit dedicated to protecting the California desert.

“It will elevate our projects, elevate our goals, which I think in the end will help them become more accomplishable,” he said.

Inside a Mojave aster flower, a tiny bee is fast asleep. At night, the pale lavender petals close, providing a safe resting place. In the morning, as birdsong rings out across the desert, the flower opens, revealing its tenant.

Here in southern California, in the middle of the Mojave Desert’s vast and arid landscape, it’s just one of many natural treasures hidden from view.

In long sleeves, pants, and wide-brimmed hats to guard against a harsh sun in a cloudless blue sky, a team of four led by Madena Asbell crouches in the dirt, looking for another treasure.

"Species like the desert tortoise play an important role in the health of the desert ecosystem," Herbinson said. "They are a keystone species, meaning if they were to be removed from the ecosystem, we would see a cascade of ecological effects — an unbalancing."

Once the desert tortoise is lost, it will be easier for invasive and highly flammable plant species to prevail and cause chaos, such as the red brome (Bromus madritensis) and cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) that keep choking the desert to death. Wildfires could become more common, and the desert ecosystem overall may "even more wildly out of balance contributing to our ecosystems not functioning in a way that maintains human life," Herbinson said.