Desert glossary
a sourced guide to the Divine Desert Destination vacation home and to Borrego Springs and Anza-Borrego
Overview: Definitions of 20 desert, travel and local terms used in this guide, from badlands to wash[1][2].
About this guide: DivineDesertDestination.wiki is an independent guide drawn from public records, park and government sources, and the owners’ own website and press releases. It does not take bookings, and what the owners say about the house is attributed to them. Rates, rules and availability change; check them on the official site or by calling (619) 757-4564. Desert travel carries real heat risk; follow park and National Weather Service guidance. Our editorial policy explains how pages are sourced.
Index
B · C · D · G · H · O · P · S · T · W
B
- Badlands
- Eroded, bare terrain of soft sediment cut by gullies; Font’s Point overlooks the Borrego Badlands[1].
- Borrego
- Spanish for lamb; in local names it refers to the bighorn sheep[1].
- Brittlebush
- A silver-leaved shrub with yellow flowers common in Anza-Borrego blooms[2].
C
- Chuparosa
- A red-flowered desert shrub visited by hummingbirds[2].
- Colorado Desert
- The part of the Sonoran Desert in southeastern California, including the Borrego Valley[3].
- Creosote bush
- Larrea tridentata, the most widespread shrub of the low desert[4].
D
- Dark Sky Community
- A town certified by DarkSky International for protecting night skies; Borrego Springs since 2009[5].
- Desert agave
- An agave whose single flower stalk can reach 8 to 15 feet, after about 20 years of growth[2].
- Desert willow
- A flowering tree of washes that blooms from May to October[2].
G
- Galleta Meadows
- Private, open land in Borrego Springs with more than 130 metal sculptures by Ricardo Breceda[6].
H
- Heat exhaustion
- Heat illness with heavy sweating, clammy skin, weak pulse and dizziness; move somewhere cool[7].
- Heat stroke
- A medical emergency with high body temperature and confusion; call 911[7].
O
- Ocotillo
- A desert plant of tall, spiny stems that leaf out after rain and bear red flower tips[2].
P
- Paloverde
- A green-barked desert tree that blooms yellow in spring[2].
- Peninsular bighorn sheep
- The endangered bighorn population of the Peninsular Ranges, listed in 1998[8].
S
- Smart lock
- A keypad door lock; guests at the house get a code active from 3 pm[9].
- Smoketree
- A desert wash shrub with purple flowers whose seeds germinate after floods[2].
- Superbloom
- An exceptional wildflower display after a very wet winter[10].
T
- TOT
- Transient occupancy tax: San Diego County’s 8% tax on stays of 30 days or less in unincorporated areas[11].
W
- Wash
- A dry streambed that carries water only after storms; can flood suddenly.
Visitor questions
What does borrego mean?
Spanish for lamb; locally it refers to bighorn sheep.
What is a wash?
A dry streambed that carries water only after storms.
Footnotes
- ^ a b c Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. California State Parks. Viewed 9 November 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Blooms. Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association. Viewed 9 November 2026.
- ^ Colorado Desert. Wikipedia. Viewed 9 November 2026.
- ^ Anza-Borrego Updates. Divine Desert Destination (divinedesertdestination.com). Viewed 9 November 2026.
- ^ Borrego Springs (International Dark Sky Community). DarkSky International. Viewed 9 November 2026.
- ^ Galleta Meadows Estate. Wikipedia. Viewed 9 November 2026.
- ^ a b Heat Safety. National Weather Service. Viewed 9 November 2026.
- ^ Endangered status for the Peninsular Ranges population segment of the desert bighorn sheep in Southern California (1998). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Viewed 9 November 2026.
- ^ Check-In and Check-Out Instructions for Your Stay. Divine Desert Destination (divinedesertdestination.com). Viewed 9 November 2026.
- ^ Wildflowers (Anza-Borrego Desert State Park). California State Parks. Viewed 9 November 2026.
- ^ Transient Occupancy Tax. County of San Diego Treasurer-Tax Collector. Viewed 9 November 2026.