The Flora of White Sands

A number of truly hardy plant species have adapted to life in this white shifting sand environ- ment. A few examples are pictured. These plants' existence create some interesting architecture. In combination with sunset, they provide some great photo opportunities. 

According to the National Park Service brochure:

A few plants are remarkably adapted to avoid burial by moving sand. The soaptree yucca elongates its stem to keep its leaves above the sand, growing upward a foot per year. Some plants anchor parts of a dune with their roots and keep growing on a sand pedestal even after the dune moves on.

Visiting White Sands in the winter, one doesn't see the dramatic effect of these desert plants in bloom.