# Event Details - **Event Name**: Buds & Thorns: Spring Flora of Joshua Tree National Park - **Event Start and End Date**: Sat, 09 May, 2026 at 08:00 am – Sat, 09 May, 2026 at 02:00 pm (-07:00) - **Event Description**: Explore the diversity and understated beauty of spring desert flora. This class is an entry-level course designed to familiarize students with the common spring-flowering shrubs and annual plants of the Mojave Desert within the Joshua Tree and Pinyon-juniper woodland plant communities. Use field guides and botanical keys to review the common and scientific names of species found along the way. This field class takes place in Joshua Tree National Park. Anyone may attend! No experience or expertise is required. Entry to Joshua Tree National Park is not included in the cost of enrollment. Visit recreation.gov or a visitor center to purchase your pass ahead of time. No meals or equipment are provided. Participants caravan in their personal vehicles. Carpooling with other participants is recommended. This class is moderate. It requires less than 5 miles of walking with limited elevation gain on somewhat variable terrain and/or more than one hour outdoors in the elements. Meet Your Instructor! Melanie Davis lives in Joshua Tree and is a lead field botanist at UC Riverside's Center for Conservation Biology in Palm Desert. She has been working in the California deserts since 2017. Her field research brings her to remote corners of the Colorado, Mojave, and Sonoran deserts to study the effects of climate change and human disturbance on desert ecosystems, as well as the distribution of rare native plants. She is also an artist and has published illustrated field guides to several groups of native desert plants. Melanie holds a bachelor’s from The Evergreen State College and the Desert Ecologist and Naturalist certifications from College of the Desert. Equipment list: A minimum of 2 to 3 liters of water, food and snacks, closed-toe athletic shoes or hiking boots — no sandals are permitted, including hiking sandals, sun protection, including hat, sunglasses, sunscreen — light-colored long-sleeved shirts are recommended, daypack to carry equipment and personal items, notebook and writing utensil, full tank of gas prior to arriving at the meeting location. Photo credit: NPS Michael Faist - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/joshua-tree/buds-and-thorns-spring-flora-of-joshua-tree-national-park/200029653151018 - **Event Categories**: workshops, trips-adventures, trekking, meetups, art - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 246 ## Ticket Details ## Event venue details - **city**: Joshua Tree - **state**: CA - **country**: United States - **location**: 6554 Park Blvd, Joshua Tree CA - **lat**: 34.13378 - **long**: -116.31558 - **full address**: 6554 Park Blvd, Joshua Tree CA, 6554 Park Blvd, Joshua Tree, CA 92252-2500, United States ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: Buds & Thorns: Spring Flora of Joshua Tree National Park - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events3/banners/aab046d3805a2340a5375187ef1e328d453ee640f44b60a0392c1adedd3cbfe0-rimg-w1200-h600-dcbfdcf3-gmir?v=1777440367 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is Buds & Thorns: Spring Flora of Joshua Tree National Park being held? - **A:** Buds & Thorns: Spring Flora of Joshua Tree National Park takes place on Sat, 09 May, 2026 at 08:00 am to Sat, 09 May, 2026 at 02:00 pm at 6554 Park Blvd, Joshua Tree CA, 6554 Park Blvd, Joshua Tree, CA 92252-2500, United States. - **Q**: Who is organizing Buds & Thorns: Spring Flora of Joshua Tree National Park? - **A:** Buds & Thorns: Spring Flora of Joshua Tree National Park is organized by Joshua Tree National Park Association. - **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me? - **A:** Buds & Thorns: Spring Flora of Joshua Tree National Park is ideal for curious learners, students, and skill-builders looking to gain hands-on knowledge and practical expertise in a focused, interactive setting. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Joshua Tree, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. With 240+ people already showing interest, this is clearly an event worth adding to your calendar - don't miss out. ## Structured Data (JSON-LD) ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Event", "name": "Buds & Thorns: Spring Flora of Joshua Tree National Park", "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events3/banners/aab046d3805a2340a5375187ef1e328d453ee640f44b60a0392c1adedd3cbfe0-rimg-w1200-h600-dcbfdcf3-gmir?v=1777440367", "startDate": "2026-05-09T08:00:00-07:00", "endDate": "2026-05-09T14:00:00-07:00", "url": "https://allevents.in/joshua-tree/buds-and-thorns-spring-flora-of-joshua-tree-national-park/200029653151018", "eventStatus": "https://schema.org/EventScheduled", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "6554 Park Blvd, Joshua Tree CA", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "6554 Park Blvd, Joshua Tree, CA 92252-2500, United States", "addressLocality": "Joshua Tree", "addressRegion": "CA", "addressCountry": "US" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "34.13378", "longitude": "-116.31558" } }, "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "Explore the diversity and understated beauty of spring desert flora. This class is an entry-level course designed to familiarize students with the common spring-flowering shrubs and annual plants of the Mojave Desert within the Joshua Tree and Pinyon-juniper woodland plant communities. Use field gui", "organizer": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Joshua Tree National Park Association", "url": "https://allevents.in/org/joshua-tree-national-park-association/16042625", "description": "JTNPA is the primary educational partner for Joshua Tree National Park. We provide high quality products, services and programs to park visitors. " } ] } ] ```