Having studied the function/role of many plants within my own ecosystem back home helps me decipher each desert plant’s role here, although I don’t know their names. Maybe a Sonoran desert local is reading this and can help?
A bush-type plant with woody stems and moisture-capturing leaves, now-dried blooms that have presumably dropped their seeds.
Desert tumbleweeds! These grow on a type of cactus here, fall off and then roll to a new location to take root elsewhere.
These are immature desert tumbleweeds still on the mother plant.
Plentiful small leaves on a woody stemmed bush, big spikes possibly discourage animal foraging.