Not Snow But Gypsum Crystals

January 26, 2025

One of many favorite spots in New Mexico, White Sands.

Over many thousands of years many animals that live in this environment have evolved to match the white coloring of the sand dunes. Not necessarily seen during the day, they will often stay in their dens to avoid the heat of day leaving only their footprints to let us know that they are around.

Immediately to the west of White Sands are the San Andres Mountains, and west and slightly south is a place I called home many years ago, Las Cruces.

Special places in my heart.

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Published by

Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.