Kelso Dunes (and Devil's Playground)
Map SatelliteThese are among the tallest dunes in the state, reaching a height of between 150 meters (500 feet) and 185 meters (600 feet) above the desert floor. Though by no means the largest dune system, they probably constitute the largest stationary dunes in the country. They lie at the eastern end of the Devils Playground, a barren, sandy plain south of Soda Lake. Prevailing westerlies blow sands from the Mojave River wash and the mouth of Afton Canyon across the plain to form the dunes at this spot where topographic features combine to create counterbalancing winds. There is a large component of golden rose quartz sand in the dunes.
Vegetation includes several communities, a sparse creosote bush scrub on the plains and by the dunes, and a variety of wash and dune flora. Among the numerous plants found marginally by the dunes are Croton californicus, Astragalus lentiginosus var. borreganus, Acacia greggii, Pleuraphis rigida, Penstemon thurberi, and Petalonyx thurberi.
A wide variety of annuals is found on the dune margins and on the nearby desert floor in rainy years. They include the primroses Oenothera deltoides, Oenothera primiveris, Camissonia brevipes, Camissonia claviformis and Camissonia boothii ssp. desertorum, and the desert lily, Hesperocallis undulata. Not uncommon is the poisonous Phacelia crenulata, which has a skunk-like odor and can cause severe skin irritation.
Animal life is relatively abundant, with one of the more commonly sighted reptiles being the Mojave fringe-toed lizard, Uma scoparia. There are a number of rare or highly restricted insects in the dune system, including the recently described species, a katydid, Eremopedes kelsoensis, which utilizes the Hymenoclea salsola as its host plant, and a Jerusalem sand cricket, Ammopelmatus kelsoensis, which is believed to have the longest life span of any Orthopteran, living more than four years. As the area has not been intensively investigated, more species may be discovered.
Integrity: Use of the dunes by off-road vehicles has severely damaged portions of them.
Use: Education, research, observational.
Ref: Tinkham, E. R. 1972. Neartic Desert Sand Dune Orthoptera, Part XIV, A New Eremopedes (Decticidae) Great Basin Nat. Vol. 33, pp. 223-228.
December 1975
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman
