JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. >> One day after the government shutdown ended, a ranger ambled down a trail in Joshua Tree National Park, bathed in golden light.

It was her first day back, and she had just walked through a sea of scorched Joshua trees rising from blackened earth, their dagger-like leaves bleached an unhealthy yellow.

It was one of the spots in the park where the trees are supposed to be able to live, even 100 years from now, the ranger said, when most places in the park will not be suitable for Joshua trees.

“So to see those ones that should be the parents of the next generation…” she said, her voice trailing off. She spoke anonymously for fear of retaliation.

Fire retardant was dropped to help extinguish the Black Rock fire, covering many plants, including this Bea

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