You've never heard of Yucca Man? I'm not surprised. You might say that Yucca Man is to the Mojave Desert what Big Foot is to the Pacific Northwest. Big Foot is much better known, while only desert rats seem to be familiar with Yucca Man. Here's what Microsoft Copilot has to say about Yucca Man:
Yucca Man is a myterious creature that allegedly inhabits the Mojave Desert and has been sighted since the 1970s. Here are some intriguing details about this enigmatic being:
1. Origins and Sightings:
- The Yucca Man is described as a hairy creature that roams the desert.
- Reports of sightings extend as far west as Palmdale and Edwards Air Force Base.
- Unlike traditional Bigfoot sightings, the Yucca Man is said to be huge, scary, aggressive, fast and threatening.
2. Characteristics
- The Yucca Man shares similarities with mythical creatures like Bigfoot and Yeti.
- It is believed to exist in the Mojave Desert, a vast and rugged region in Southern California.
- Descriptions vary, but it is often portrayed as a large, bipedal beast with glowing red eyes.
3. Possible connections
- Some speculate that the Yucca Man has ties to Native American legends.
- It's presence near Edwards Airforce Base adds an intriguing twist to the mystery.
Whether legend or reality, the Yucca Man continues to haunt the desert, leaving curious minds wondering about its existence and origins. 🌵👣
A friend of mine messaged me with a "photo" of Yucca Man that was generated by Microsoft Copilot. That intrigued me and is the genesis of this post. I didn't know Copilot could generate images, much less an image of something as obscure as Yucca Man. I had to try it out for myself. I prompted Copilot to generate an image of "Yucca Man in a Joshua tree forest with large boulders at sunset" and this is what it came up with.
Copilot's ability to generage images of Yucca Man got me wondering: Are all AI generators created equal? In other words, do they all generate similar content when using the same prompt words?
Out in the Mojave Desert, Yucca Man has somewhat of a cult following. You see him from time to time on posters and adds.
You might be wondering just what exactly is a Yucca? Well, check out my photos below (100% real photos!). They are sometimes confused with Joshua trees, but Joshua trees are, well, trees! Yuccas are commonly found in the 3-6' size range. Yucca leaves are longer than those on Joshua Trees. Also, on JTrees, as old leaves die, they fall off the plant. On Yuccas, they turn brown but stay attached to the trunk, giving the plant a more wholly appearance.
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| Quail on a Yucca. |
Thanks for stopping by and listening to me ramble on about Yucca Man and AI generated photos! Until next time...
Linking with Skywatch Friday.
...interesting, but I like the real deal best. Keep them coming.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tom I prefer the real thing. I don't even touch AI they can keep it
ReplyDeleteI definitely like the real thing best and I know we both see a lot of odd things when we hike. Yucca man...I'll be on the lookout! heehee!
ReplyDeleteThat was quite impressive!!
ReplyDeleteDangerous business this AI thing. What will they think next....
I was thinking as I was reading your post that your images were probably used to help the various AI generators "learn" what the Mojave desert looks like.
ReplyDeleteYucca Man looks like Sasquatch that we have in Oklahoma.
I know really well what yucca plants are. In Albuquerque where I used to live, everybody had them in the yards. Some people made fences out of them for security purposes.
Dearest Peter,
ReplyDeleteNo interest in all the AI.
Don't waste my precious time on any of that.
Love the Quail on a Yucca photo.
Hugs,
Mariette
There seems to be mysterious beasts in all kinds of environments - the first I've heard of Yucca Man although the illustrations look like Big Foot
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of Yucca Man so this was most enlightening. We are starting to use Copilot at work for different things but haven't created any images as far as I know. It's just beginning to make the rounds at the office. However, one of the photo editing tools I use has been using AI for a while now. It's mostly for portraits and to make people look more glamorous and give them interesting backgrounds. However, it has been interesting to see the different changes that can be made.
ReplyDeleteGreat! Another reason to worry about you! You must have known about this long sense. AI is very promising and yes, very concerning. Thanks for this interesting post. Aloha
ReplyDeleteInteresante historia, nunca sentí hablar de Yucca, pero ya nada me asombraría .
ReplyDeleteUn placer leerte
Abrazos y besos para ti y tu linda familia
I don't know much about AI but I like your real time photos every time.
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of Yucca Man. Thank you for sharing. That eighth photo is spectacular.
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of Yucca Man, and I've lived in SoCal all my life. Sheltered, I am. I guess...
ReplyDeleteFascinating post.
ReplyDeleteThe first AI generated Yucca man is pretty impressive. Oddly enough, Yucca plants grow in my neck of the woods, too, in a completely non-desert environment.
ReplyDeleteI dread about AI so much. Even though the AI generated image seems exotic, I like those illumination amidst clouds captured by you!
ReplyDeleteGreat shadows.
ReplyDeleteI just tried it. It made a picture that followed my request, but everything was perfect. Illustration perfect, not art perfect. Every AI picture I see is like that. I believe it may eventually be a useful artist's tool, but only with a great deal of practice. You can't put genie back in the bottle. It's not going away. Love your real pictures!
ReplyDeleteYucca man - hehe! Yucca plants I see often here around in the gardens, but not big as a tree. That beer I would taste too...
ReplyDeleteKI can be a nice game for pictures, but if it generates messages and people can no longer differentiate - wars could break out because of it!
On my old desktop with win8 copilot isn't working, but I have'nt missed it yet.
Have a nice weekend
I am equally afraid of what AI will do to photography...
ReplyDeleteI do prefer to see the quail on the yucca! 😄
For us hobbyists, it's fun to play around with AI every now and then. But there are dark sides to it that will still bother us, I fear.
ReplyDeleteYou had fun playing with it again. And you nicely show that it is not surprising that confusion can occur at dusk between the Yucca Man, the yukka plant and the Joshua tree. :-)
AI is fun, but I agree that it is a bit alarming. So far I have only used it to slightly add to or somewhat alter my own images, and like you, I have said what I have done. It was nice to read about Yucca Man and even better to see your yucca, but not yucky, photos. I especially like the penultimate image.
ReplyDeleteGreat desert shots again. Let Ai just stay a bit behind.
ReplyDeleteAmazing AI, Great clicks.
ReplyDeleteLoved the post.
I have only used AI once, and that was not to generate art. I'm concerned that we are developing it without slowing down enough to learn about its good and bad parts. For certain it's going to change our lives. I liked the first image although it was interesting that it dressed Yucca Man in Indigenous looking garb. I did like each of your photos. When I lived in Wichita, Kansas people used cultivated yucca for landscaping. It had a beautiful white flower spike in summer.
ReplyDeleteno sorry I've never heard of him but I did enjoy seeing your pictures, I can see why people believe it.
ReplyDeleteAnother mythical creature to fascinate ~ great post and hope you don't run into the Yucca Man. at Joshua Tree ~ thanks,
ReplyDeleteWishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Fun! I had not heard of Yucca Man. We do have yucca here, rarely more than a couple feet tall.
ReplyDeleteVERY GOOD entry. Also I definitely learned something, I have never heard of Yucca Man, it made me smile.. YES, when one can see the real thing, they realize real nature must be seen to really be amazed at this entire Creation. I know I see formations and in your shots and WONDER, just how that that come about. The best to you and yours.,( Keep that camera ready and get the real thing should he happen by..).
ReplyDeleteSome beautiful photos and a great story about Yucca man.
ReplyDeleteWow, die Aufnahmen sind wirklich fantastisch, einfach wundervoll. LG Romy
ReplyDeleteSo I'm not the only one to have fun with image creators, while at the same time being fully aware of the risks of generative AI (be it text or images) being misused.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of Yucca Man before. but potted Yuccas are a relatively common sight in German households - even my partner has one.
With Yucca trees in the desert, I can imagine that, in a certain state of mind and certain lighting people think they see a mysterious creature in them.
The f1rst 1 is ab fab. Lovely Shot!
ReplyDeleteMore terrific photographs of desert landscapes. This time with Yuccas. Superb.
ReplyDeleteI was trying to tell Gini about Yucca Man but she was busy in the kitchen and thought I was saying "Yucky Man". Of course, she immediately had comments about living with one, etc.
Thank you for the desert photo fix!
I had never heard of Yucca Man before. There certainly are a wide variety of images of him from a Sasquatch-type look to Skeletor. Personally, I like the first one the best. Would you believe that we have wild Yucca on our property here in South Dakota? Perhaps Yucca Man lives in the hills around here as well!
ReplyDeleteNever heard of him, but I can see how the yucca can look a bit human. Same I suppose for saguaro with the "arms." I use Copilot occasionally, and wish it would quit switching over when I search! Maybe I'm moving the cursor too close to its option. It has helped me. I had no idea it could do AI images.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a while (way too long) since we spent time in the Mohave desert and JT -- I'm very familiar with yucca plants and know the difference between them and Joshua trees, but I have *never* heard of Yucca Man. Wait - did he just show up within the last decade? ... Here in Florida we have the Swamp Ape and of course at home in the PNW Big Foot. It would be interesting to see what AI does with them.
ReplyDeleteI had not heard of Yucca Man.. will never be forgetting him now. Thanks for the scary cool images.
ReplyDeleteI love the 1970´s style Yucca Man! That´s what I hoped for, a friendly creature.
ReplyDelete13% alcohol for a beer?!
With Yucca I always thought of a palm. Either way, beautiful (real) shots!
Oo! Nice shot of the quail.
ReplyDeleteInteresting and frightening at the same time! I'm nervous about AI in general and hope it doesn't get out of hand. What a creativity killer that would be, if everyone doctored their photos and wrote their articles with it! Your real photos, on the other hand, are truly spectacular! 😍 Although, that first Microsoft image of Yucca Man looks pretty cool, and it does have a Native American vibe.
ReplyDelete