Desktop through HD icon - question

Question

I hope this makes sense to anyone reading my post.
When I go to my desktop through the HD icon, it showd over 8,000 items.  Some are my files but most are jpg's with no photo.  {I'm assuming that this is everything I've placed on my desktop in the last 4 years-photos and scrapbook related things that have been deleted and not showing on my screen.}  I have 10 files showing on my screen right now, no photos. 
Question:  If I delete all the photos from my desktop file {HD icon>window pops up>files in left sidebar}, will it remove them from my iphoto too or mess up anything?
  Number Of Processors:          1
  Total Number Of Cores:          2
  L2 Cache (per processor):          4 MB
   iMac6,1
   Intel Core 2 Duo
  2.16 GHz
iMac
  Memory:          1 GB

Answer 1

On my screen, I have a HD icon.  If I dbl click that, a window pops up
That opens up your hard drive with a Finder sidebar on the left
and in the left sidebar if I click desktop
That opens up your desktop folder which is both in your user account but also reflects what you see on the desktop.
it will show my files I have on my screen desktop.  But in that window, it says I have over 8,000 items and most are jpg files that don't have pictures on them. I have 8,000 photos on my desktop screen.
I get lost at this point because it doesn't look like you actually have 8000 photos on your desktop so there is some unusual disconnect between what your desktop folder reveals and what your desktop in Finder shows.  There may be somethign strange going on with aliases, or some sort of directory corruption.
So, if I delete all the jpg files from there -  will it interfer with any programs like iphoto?
Also, if downloading a photo to your desktop and you drag it to photo shop elements - does that photo stay in the desktop file also?
As for messing with iPhoto it would be good to know which version of iPhoto you are using.  With my version it insists upon putting the photos in a specific location but newer versions may be more like itunes and let you keep them where you wish.  It would also be good to resolve the disconnect between folder and desktop view first.
Elements: It probably stays in the desktop file if that is where it is truly located.  The other remote possibility is that those files aren't the actual files but alises pointing to files. Highlight one of them and Get Info in Finder. What does it say about location and nature?