Jul 19
Unfortunately, my suspicion regarding the buds on the Arizona Queen of the Night being dehydrated was correct. My friend Joni and I went out first thing this morning and although the buds were still there, some were already detached and when the plant was bumped slightly, the rest fell off. Thankfully, the plant is really healthy so there’s always next year!
Jul 9
A hiker stopped as I was photographing this Fungus on the Viet Springs Trail this morning and he asked if I knew what kind it was. I replied I had no clue! I did a little research and came to realize I will have to continue to call them just Fungus 🙂
Jul 4
What better way to celebrate the fourth of July than downing a favorite desert! A strawberry, blueberry and whipped cream flag, custard filling and a shortbread crust lined with dark chocolate hits the spot for me.. YUM 🙂
Jun 16
This gorgeous forest floor plant reminded me of Lily of the Valley which is also called Solomon’s Seal. That family is Polgonatum and is considered a valuable medicinal plant. I don’t know if the species I found…Starry False Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum stellatum) is also considered medicinal but maybe not since the word “false” is in the title. Either way…it was fun researching this one. I’m still trying to find out why it’s called “Solomon”, though.
Jun 15
I look forward to harvesting Foothill Palo Verde bean pods every Spring. They have a similar taste and texture to peas but being offered by nature, makes them so much more special, don’t you think? CLICK HERE for last year’s harvest.
May 20
According to Stephan Buchman, there might be as many as 1000 species of native bees in the Sonoran Desert. Many are very small and some are brilliantly colored but best of all, most are solitary which makes them not as threatening as the European honey bee. They are all fascinating to watch as they fly in and out of holes in the ground, trees, or even spaces between blocks. (Solitary Bee loading up on pollen from an Echinopsis)
May 8
Not to be outdone by the other cactus, my Christmas Cholla (Cylindropuntia leptocaulis) is absolutely loaded with blooms…the most I’ve ever seen! The 1 inch blooms prefer late afternoon light which, coincidentally, so do I 🙂 Captured late yesterday (hand held) with my Canon 100mm Macro lens.
May 6
There is nothing more exciting for this wanna-be botanist than to find a species I’ve never seen before. It doesn’t happen much anymore because I’m exploring in the Preserve so often but I was lucky this past Saturday. While looking for another species, I came across a Violet Snapdragon (Sairocarpus nuttallianus) growing right next to the one I had been looking for! Of course I had no idea what it was so I went to my main source, Steve Jones, and he came through as always. Thanks Steve! And thanks to Chris for helping me hike back up to get a better look yesterday. (It’s a very steep trail)
What look like hairs all over the plant are actually tiny tack-like glands. Very cool.
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