Subject: Column of Skunkbush Sumac (Rhus trilobata) and dunes

Location: White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

Stock Number: 06-24744

Comment: Evening photograph of a Skunkbush Sumac plant among the dunes at White Sands National Monument.

Skunkbush Sumac is one of few woody plants that flourish in the dune field. As the dunes move on, the Sumac's roots allow the plant to hold on to the sand soil needed to keep it alive and at the same height as when the dune was present.

The sand is reasonably compacted, and lizards, small rodents, and other creatures dig their burrows at the base of the column.