Located near Stovepipe Wells and just east of the Mesquite Flat Dunes along California Hwy 190 is the Devils Cornfield.  You know, it's funny how often the Devil's name shows up in Death Valley, and even funnier that there isn't a stalk of corn to be found in this photogenic patch of weeds.  Rather, these clumps of brush are actually Arroweed, and if you use your imagination a bit they sort of resemble harvested sheaves of corn, and did to the pioneers as they crossed the desert, thirsty and desperate for food.  Unfortunately for them, it turned out to be "corn" that only the Devil himself could grow and eat!

There is no designated parking lot for the Devil's cornfield, but if you park near the sign, there is enough space for you to park along the shoulder of the highway and not be in the way of other vehicles speeding past.

I had actually never heard of Arroweed before visiting Death Valley, but I did a little bit of research and discovered that these plants were used by Native Americans all across the southwestern United States for medicinal purposes, and the long slender stems were used to make arrow shafts.  They are amazing and special plants since they have evolved over hundreds of years to thrive in an area of land that extremely salty, dry, and hot.




Though they look small from a distance, as you get closer you will see that many of them grow over 6 feet tall.


I especially enjoyed photographing them with the Funeral Mountains in the background.


We didn't spend too much time here, as we had other things we wanted to see before sunset on our first day in Death Valley, but it was still fun to look around and imagine the Devil sowing his corn in a somewhat organized way.

What's next on our photographic tour of Death Valley?  You will just have to come back to find out!