The Shivwitz milk vetch has adapted to grow only on soft, purple-hued clays. When wet, these plum-colored clays become like glue; when dry, they often shrink and crumble. Despite these dynamic soil ...

Holmgren's milk vetch is so finely adapted to its arid northern Mojave Desert environment that it's often the only plant found alive atop special soils strewn with small stones and gravel deposits.

A number of protected species inhabit the area, including the tortoise and an endangered plant, the Lane Mountain milk-vetch.