Creosote Bushes: The Scent of the Desert

Ancient roots

A special cluster of creosote bushes known as King Clone and found in the Mojave Desert is now believed to be clones of a single creosote bush that started growing over 11,700 years ago. If true, that cluster of creosote bushes could make a run for the title of "oldest living thing on Earth."

Stop and smell the creosote

So next time you have the chance to drive through one of the great Southwestern deserts of North America, get out of your car and spend some time with some of the millions of creosote bushes found growing there. They are certainly some of nature's most interesting plants. And, if you are lucky enough to be traveling through these deserts on a cloudy, rainy day, you too might just discover why folks living in these lands will sniff the air and say, "the desert smells like rain."