The Pinacate are a large, relatively recent volcano complex sitting in one of the driest places in North America. The main volcano rises to a height of almost 4000 feet from the desert floor, which is almost at sea level. The area has a special, stark beauty that has captivated many desert lovers. In 1993 the Reserva de la Biosfera el Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar (1.8 million acres) was created to protect the Pinacate as well as the adjacent Gran Desierto de Altar, which cover an immense field of dunes and desert that stretches from Pinacate West to the Gulf of California.

Abnormally high rainfall in the late Fall, Winter, and early Spring (meaning only a few extra inches) brings an explosion of life the following spring. Late Feb., March, and April can bring so many flowering annuals that the area looks like a different world -- lush and colorful beyond belief. This all happens in an area that averages a few inches of rain a year. Some dry years, such as 2007 when these photos were taken, barely a single annual will grow. Many annuals' seeds will lie dormant for many years waiting for a wet year.