Rose-colored sand dunes, volcanic cinder cones, Joshua tree forests, and mile-high mountains are all part of the Mojave Desert.  Plant and animal life varies by elevation. Desert tortoises burrow in creosote bush flats, while the black and yellow Scott’s oriole nest in Joshua trees higher up the slopes. Mule deer, Elk, Antelope and bighorn sheep roam among pinyon pine and juniper in the desert’s many mountain ranges.