The first stop during out stay in the states, in the desert around Las Vegas. The weather was fully in accordance with the environment: despite the early time of the day, the heat already became pressing and the sun was burning fiercely. But, I had set my mind on finding cacti in the wild, and this seemed to be a promising area. Nevertheless, I didn't find them here; but I did find some species of the very rich American plant genus Eriogonum, among which the highly charcateristic desert trumpet, Eriogonum inflatum. With its inflated stems this characteristic plant is difficult to miss.