Life in the Desert

Birds at the Gilbert Water Ranch – 20150412 – Part 2

Jeff

NOTE: The order in which the birds and narratives appear are not the actual order in which they were seen during our bird walk.

As a follow up to Part 1 of our bird walk at the Gilbert Water Ranch, in Gilbert, AZ I am posting some additional pictures and narratives. As you might expect at something called a water ranch, this is a habitat for numerous ducks and other water fowl although having it in a desert is somewhat unique. The Mallard pictured below watched us as we watched him strike up a nice profile.

Mallard

We also came across what appears to me (and I’m no expert) a Snowy Egret. He was looking intently in the water for some victuals.

Snowy Egret

Every once in a while he looked up to allow me to snap this shot of him.

Snowy Egret

The group spotted a nest in this tree and there was a fair amount of activity around it. We saw a Verdin poised next to it. There was another nest nearby and we were wondering whether one was a fledgling nest while the other was home for adults.

Verdin

Although I had seen American Coots on a number of occasions, this is my best picture so far of the bird with its white beak. I also like the color of the eye against the dark feathers; nice! While this bird looks somewhat like a duck, it has a classification of its own.

American Coo

This fellow looked to me like a Great Egret.

Great Egret

One of the last birds we saw this day, which was a surprise sighting since we were sitting around having snacks and reviewing which birds we had identified, was a Cassin’s Kingbird. He just appeared high in the tree and stayed for a while so we could marvel at his beautiful coloration.

TCassin's Kingbird

I will finish the bird walk next week with some more notes and photographs. Which bird photo did you find most interesting?

Bower Vine Blast Finally

Jeff

We have been growing a variegated Bower Vine with pinkish flowers for three seasons, this being the third. It has been a disappointing performer up until now. This year however, we tried something new! Like any vine, we supported this one on a trellis. Each year the vine would grow long and unwieldy, but would not cover the entire trellis as our Snail Vine had done on it’s support.

This spring we decided not to let the Bower Vine grow as tall as it wanted. We began clipping the long tendrils as soon as they reached the top of the trellis. Much to our amazement and delight, the plant put the energy into producing copious blooms. It is understandable that a more mature plant would generate more flowers, but this vine had produced only a sparse display of a few flowers a year and the memories of last year’s bloom are vague to say the least.

Below is a closeup of a cluster of this pink Bower Vine’s flowers. The dark purple throat is beautiful!
Variegated Pink Flowering Bower Vine

The second picture (below) gives a better view of the plant and the contrast between the flowers and the variegated leaves. There is one school of thought that variegated plants do not bloom as much as their non-variegated cousins, but this year that does not seem to be the case.

Variegated, Pink Flowering Bower Vine

How do you think the color of the flowers look contrasted with the variegated leaves?

Jewel of the Creek and Snakes x 2

Jeff

This past month was a busy time for us with a number of visitors to our desert home. Many of our guests came from the north or northeast to enjoy our warmer days and sample an early spring. One of our favorite places to take people who want to walk in the desert is the Jewel of the Creek Preserve near the Spur Cross Conservation Area in Cave Creek, AZ.

Our last few guests of the month were treated to the Jewel with a beautiful spring day at the creek. It was warm, but a soft breeze made it quite bearable and the addition of several canopied stops made it that much more pleasant.

As we began our descent to the creek we saw many beautiful cactus in bloom.

The yellow, near orange, Englemann’s Prickly Pear was one of the first to greet us.

Englemann's Prickly Pear

Perhaps the most spectacular blooms were on the Engelmann’s Hedgehog cactus. The twin blooms below were a portent of things to come.

Hedgehog Cactus

It appears as a near contradiction that such a delicate flower can be nestled among these sharp, spiny needles, but in the desert plants survive the animal marauders by having such defenses.

Hedgehog and spines

As the days wear on, the Hedgehog cactus begin to close shop and create an urn-like shape.

Hedgehog Cactus Closing

The Sonoran Desert has probably achieved a level of notoriety because of some of their desert denizens and usually we see many lizards, but not too many snakes. On this hike, however we were “treated” to a couple of rattlesnake sightings. The fellow below briefly posed for us as he meandered along his route. We kept our distance, but were able to get some good pictures.

Rattlesnake head

Rattlesnake head

We estimate that this snake was approximately 36-40 inches long.

TRattlesnake moving across the path

The trees were in their glory as well. In addition to the Palo Verdes, the Velvet Mesquites were strutting their frothy catkins.

Mesquite Tree Catkins

About ten minutes after seeing the first rattlesnake, we came across our second rattler. It is hard to see, but the head of the snake is inside the yellow circle with most of the body above.
Rattlesnake in the underbrush

We decided that we had enough snake encounters and began the return trip to the trail head. Along the way, this Cholla was highlighted by the arc of the sun. The dark green of the flesh juxtaposed against the lighter needles created a beautiful pattern.
Cholla Cactus Against the Sun

Some of the Prickly Pear cactus were a deeper orange color as opposed to the more traditional yellow.

At the start of the trail this lone Compass Barrel cactus (my best guess) stands watch in the middle of the path to greet those who are coming or going. Since this is a managed area cared for by the Foothills Land Trust, it will probably survive and thrive.
Compass Barrel Cactus
If you are in the Cave Creek, AZ area, and you enjoy hiking, I think a walk along the Jewel of the Creek would be a worthy and manageable adventure!

Desert Botanical Garden – March 12, 2015

Jeff

Living in North Phoenix brings us close to the natural desert, but when guests arrive, they often want to visit the second most popular attraction in the state, after the Grand Canyon of course, which is the Desert Botanical Garden (DBG). Some might argue that Sedona, AZ would also be a close second, but I am just repeating what I have heard based on statistics.

Last week we visited the gardens with family. It has been unusually warm during the last week or so to the tune of 10 plus degrees so I wasn’t sure what the flowers would be like at this time. I am glad to report that many of the spring standard bloomers were still strutting their stuff although there were areas where drying had taken its toll.

Before we get to some of the flowers, however, here are a few pictures of the cactus and succulents we saw:

Silver Agave with Dark Margins

The silver highlights and varied leaf margins make this agave a stunning plant. The chocolate outline with the yellow surround are superb!

Pickle-colored agave with large Serrated Edges.

The wider-leaved agave had a very unusual color almost like a pickle. The serrated edges were also particularly colorful and pronounced.

Small dense agave with dark leaves and silver margins

The plant pictured above appeared to be an agave, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a succulent of a different family. In this particular arrangement, it wasn’t named although I am certain that elsewhere in the garden it would be. It was a smallish specimen being about twice the size of the average closed fist. The dark leaves and silver edges make this a winner.

Penstemon, asters in the wildflower garden

These Daisies/Asters and Penstemon Parryi were doing well in the wildflower garden. Not pictured were the Firecracker Penstemon, Brittlebush, Lupines, Fairy Dusters and others that were plentiful along the paths.

More about our trip to the DBG shortly…

Birds of Arizona – Curve-billed Thrasher

Jeff

The Curve-Billed Thrasher is an interesting bird, especially in the mid-to-late spring. They often “claim” a saguaro as their own and stand guard over the ripening seed pods which mature into sweet, tasty treats. Native Americans would collect these and make some delectable edibles out of them. If you want to collect them today, you need to be prepared because the Curve-billed Thrashers are patient and when the fruit is ripe, they dive right in.

These Sonoran Desert denizens are prevalent and can be seen throughout the year. They have a very distinctive call which is easy to discern. I especially like the very rich orange-yellow color of their eyes.

“Curve-billed

“Curve-billed

The pictures above were taken on February 9, 2015 during a hike at the Jewel of the Creek Trail, Cave Creek Arizona. The “Jewel” is a riparian habitat with a number of birds taking refuge there at various times of the year. The water runs most of the year and provides a home for frogs and other water-loving creatures.

You can read more about the Curve-billed Thrasher at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

A good reminder: “Always have a plan. Gear breaks. It’s part of life.”

Jeff

A good reminder: “Always have a plan. Gear breaks. It’s part of life.”

I never take an important trip or plan an important photo excursion with only one camera, set of batteries, etc. Also remember Murphy: “If anything can go wrong…” I try to be a bit over prepared just in case.

Read the entire article here:

Taming the desert rain!

Jeff

After our 2007 relocation from the east coast to the Phoenix Valley, we were surprised to learn that we were in a flood plain! This was soon apparent within a few months when a monsoon storm hit, and a large portion of our “top soil” (aka “sand”) ended up in the adjacent property. We decided to construct a “wadi” (a gully or streambed in northern Africa and southwest Asia that remains dry except during the rainy season) and ordered approximately six tons of “rip rap” (fist sized stone) from a local rock yard. Landscape cloth and pins were used as a weed barrier, and then each rock was carefully laid over a period of several weeks. The wadi is approximately 70 feet by 10 feet (average) and runs diagonally across the southeast corner of our 1.5 acre parcel. It has dramatically decreased soil (sand!) loss. A year after installation, we opted to construct a wall at the wadi’s headwaters comprised of eight large boulders that have served to further diminish the rapid flow of monsoon rains. Occasionally, debris must be removed from the rocks, and it is interesting to speculate on the origin of plastic wrappers and plush pet toys that meander downstream with the rains!


Building a Wadi in the Sonoran Desert
This is the corner that was washed out after the first heavy rain

Building a Wadi in the Sonoran Desert

We started constructing the wadi by the base of the trees where the water first enters our property.

Building a Wadi in the Sonoran Desert
On the right-hand side are several boulders we purchased to add interest and further slow the flow of water.

Building a Wadi in the Sonoran Desert
The project moved along as we developed the protocol for laying the weed barrier, sandy gravel and the rocks.
Building a Wadi in the Sonoran Desert
Here is an approximately east-west view near completion of the project.

Sun Trellis

Jeff

Several years ago we decided to plant a snail vine (Vigna Caracalla) in the courtyard of our home in northern Phoenix. This is a good plant for our particular climate; tolerating reflected heat and a great amount of sun exposure and able to tolerate moderate freezes. (If the frost kills the top; cut to the ground and it will re-bloom in the spring). As this would be a focal area, a special trellis that would accommodate an eight foot expanse in front of an inside wall was required. A trip to an eclectic pottery and home furnishing store in nearby Cave Creek that was “going out of business” provided a sheet metal screen of smiling suns! Slightly damaged; (the blemish that prompted its reduced price was negligible) the screen was cut in two even sections to facilitate ease of installation. Over the years, the weight of the new growth has required some staking with rebar and wire, but the effect is still impressive!

Note: this vine (at least in our particular area) develops mildew each year during the humid part of our summer; after a significant re-cutting and application of Bayer Advanced Disease Control for Rose, Flower and Shrubs Concentrate, it resumes vigorous regrowth.


Sun Trellis with Snail Vine

The Trellis with Foliage Beginning to Fill the Voids

Snail

A Snail Vine Bloom

Lifehack – Keeping Plugs Together

Jeff

A life hack (Lifehack) is an innovation using easily available components to solve one of life’s annoyances. I am a big fan of life hacks and the one below is no exception. I have been using this one for years. Look at the picture to see how the male and female plugs are united. The tension on both ends of the cord keeps them from becoming unplugged. This has saved me much frustration.


Keeping male and female plug parts together

via Solving Life’s Simpler Problems With Hacks