Red willow in full bloom along the Tarim River

Along the edge of the Taklimakan Desert in Yuli County, Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Tarim River is now in its flood season. The abundant water has nourished the vegetation on both banks, and the red willow trees along the river have burst into full bloom. Clustered like fireworks, their blossoms paint the landscape in vivid colors.

Vegetation, desert and river waters form an ecological landscape along the Tarim River in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Red willow, also known as salt cedar, is a shrub with needle-like leaves that lose little moisture. It is drought-tolerant, salt-tolerant, and able to thrive in poor, sandy soils, making it an important sand-fixing plant widely found in the desert and semi-desert regions of northwest China. The best time to enjoy red willow flowers is from July to September each year.

Red willow, also known as salt cedar, are in full bloom in the desert areas of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Vast stretches of red willow flowers have entered their peak blooming season. The flower clusters, stretching for hundreds of kilometers, resemble bursts of fireworks against the yellow sand.

With the ongoing ecological water diversion along the Tarim River, the groundwater table has risen year by year across the basin. Large areas of red willow vegetation have helped stabilize shifting sands, retain soil and water, and reinforce the desert ecological barrier. The plant plays a vital role in sand control, maintaining the ecological balance of the oasis, and improving the Gobi environment.

(The Media Convergence Center of Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, Reporter: Yue Jun, Correspondent: Wang Zhipeng)