Desert Almond

Desert Almond (Prunus fasciculata) photographed in Pine Creek area of Red Rocks, Nevada in early June 2008. You will often see blue black catterpillars inside their silky tent on this plant. They hatch from the eggs laid by the Malacosoma Moth. The fruits of Desert Almond contain too much hydrocyanic acid to be edible. There is however archaeological evidence that they were pounded into flour and leached (to make it edible) by the ancient people of the Mojave desert.