Most people imagine Death Valley to be an arid wasteland, devoid of water and life. Few expect to find a stream flowing on the valley floor, more than 200 feet below sea level. Like all desert oases, plants and animals congregate around its life-giving waters. Even more surprising, the rare Salt Creek Pupfish (Cyprinodon salinus) has thrived in its seasonally fluctuating waters for thousands of years, despite all odds.
Originating from the brackish springs and marshes more than a mile upstream from the trail’s start, the water becomes increasingly salty due to evaporation as it flows downstream. Although Salt Creek is too salty for humans to drink, it is a source of life for many plants and animals. The section of the creek that flows beside the boardwalk during winter and spring can be more saline than seawater. At peak flow, the stream meanders out onto vast salt flats of the Cottonball Basin before finally sinking into valley fill and evaporating into the desert air.
Seasonal Sightings
Autumn
Winter
Autumn replaces summer’s extremes with cooler temperatures and less evaporation, allowing Salt Creek to begin flowing down to the boardwalk. While most wildlife no longer has to hide from the sun, some plants like pickleweed begin to go dormant. Cattle egret and other birds migrating south from summer in the northlands visit to feed and rest.
Winter rains supplement water from the springs and the creek flow lengthens out onto the salt flats. Pupfish slinger at the bottom of deeper pools upstream trying to avoid the cool temperatures. In late February, a few hardy individuals begin to explore the lower creek, darting shyly from the shadow of jackrabbits and the flight of Say’s Phoebe.
Spring
Summer
Springtime mating season begins for the pupfish as the water warms and food becomes more abundant. By the end of spring, millions of tiny fish view for space as the creek starts to evaporate. Zebra-tailed lizards and other reptiles hunt for insects under the warm sun, while other carnivores like the red-tail hawk hunt for them. Delicate wildflowers bloom only if winter rains have fallen.
Summer’s deadly grip of heat and dryness returns. Under cover of night, kit fox hunt for kangaroo rats. The creek dries from a trickle to only isolated puddles crowded with pupfish, making an easy meal for coyotes and birds. Salt Creek disappears from along the boardwalk and pupfish here all die. Only those fish in the permanent pools near the spring sources survive to keep the species alive to begin recolonization when autumn returns.
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