Desert Sunflower Roulette

Gardening is a lot of fun, but it is also a lot of work. Based on my experience the work component can be more or less difficult depending upon the garden’s location. In the desert, there seems to be an ongoing struggle during the warmest months.

There are roadside sunflowers along the trails and highways of Sonoran Desert that seem to tolerate the harsh growing conditions. After seeing this desert-adjusted specimen growing in the Phoenix area, I decided to try to grow the more showy, standard sunflowers in our cultivated garden.

My main concern was the sun’s intensity. Heat is one thing, but the searing intensity of the sun’s rays is another. There can be a more than one hundred days with temperatures of one hundred degrees or more. The one factor in my favor is that our gardens receive irrigation and drought will not be a factor for this experiment.

With this idea in mind, I visited one of our local stores and purchased a package of mixed sunflower seeds. I wanted a selection that would perhaps offer up at least one variety that is less prone to fail under our extreme conditions.



The package indicates that the plants will bloom from summer to fall, but I did not anticipate that long a blooming season in the desert ecosystem.

This is our second year growing these sunflowers. Each spring we pour a selection into a container and make our choice of five random seeds. Once they become viable seedlings, we select the strongest three for final planting.



This year we had a false start because a large squirrel entered our courtyard and devoured our first group of sunflower seedlings. You can read about that HERE.

Bushy-tailed squirrels are not the only culprits in an area where nutrients and water are scarce. Birds, lizards and a variety of rodents prowl the premises looking for greenery to eat. Packrats are especially problematic because of their size and climbing ability.



Did I mention rabbits? There is an abundance of rabbits in our neighborhood and they constantly probe our gardens for weaknesses to exploit.



The situation is not insurmountable, but vigilance is the key. Every day I make the rounds of our gardens to check for damage or potential breeches in our “bulwarks.”

Last year we had two sunflowers from our chosen group that stood out.



This multi-headed beauty enhanced our front courtyard for a number of weeks.



Another seed produced a plant that yielded a single and rather unremarkable flower which was disappointing. Our last chosen seed graced our rear patio with an orange-hued flare. While it did not flower as long as the courtyard specimen, it did give us several nice blooms.



After the destruction of our initial plantings by the squirrel this year, I started additional sunflower seedlings. I was concerned that we missed the best growing window with moderate temperatures, but we had little to lose.

After careful cultivation and coddling, we were able to appreciate the fruits of our labor.



As we were about to leave for a one week, out-of town visit, we watched this one bud get larger and larger and hoped that it would bloom prior to our departure. Sure enough, the day before we left, the flower opened. The plant is a bit taller than I am in the picture above and considering that it is in a pot, I estimate it was 6’3″ tall; give or take.



The close up view (above) shows that there were more flowers to come and we hoped they would survive our time away. Upon our return a week later, we were greeted with this…



This morning, I was making the rounds in our front garden where we have two other sunflower specimens progressing toward their blooming stage and I noticed that there was some destruction on one of them.



We have cutter bees in our town and there is little gardeners can do to prevent their damage. They cut circular patterns in the leaves, but they are relatively small circles or semi-circular holes. I knew this was not their work.

Then I noticed these black dots on some lower leaves



and around some of the large buds heads.



This was a sure sign of a caterpillar, i.e. a larva of a butterfly or moth. Sure enough, I hunted it down and sent it packing! The plant will do fine as long as I continue to monitor the situation and prevent other significant damage. The caterpillar did not eat any of the buds, practically destroyed the one leaf pictured above, but did little else to the plant.

It was not all dismay and gloom with the courtyard sunflowers as this beauty opened this morning.



It was a deep, burnt orange color; nearly red. If it produces well, I might try to collect some seeds from it for next year although it may be cross-pollinated and not true to the mother plant. It would most likely have strong color.



I don’t know if we will continue to grow the showier cultivars of the sunflower family, but it has been fun and fills our mornings with hope that we will be greeted with yet another marvelous flower.


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2019 – JBRish.com



Picture Quote — 20170726

Today’s Picture Quote — 20170726

You make me understand how wonderful it is for little lizards when they find that one special rock that's perfect for sunning themselves on. You make me lizard-happy. - Randy K. Milholland
“You make me understand how wonderful it is for little lizards when they find that one special rock that’s perfect for sunning themselves on. You make me lizard-happy.” – Randy K. Milholland
Original Photograph Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross – 2014 – 2017


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Photo Meta Data

File Name: IMG_2262.CR2
Capture time: 10:18:27 AM
Capture date: May 9, 2015
Exposure: 1/1250 @ f5.6
Focal Length: 89mm
ISO: 120
Canon Powershot SX50 HS
Location: Las Cruces, NM

*Edited: Lightroom with text added in Photoshop

 
See previous STATUS QUOtes HERE


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross – 2017


Lizard Tail on the Trail – Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 230

Lizard on the Taft Point Trail

Lizard along the Taft Point Trail

This was the second lizard of this type that we saw as we hiked along the Taft Point Trail. We passed one on the way to the point and this specimen showed up as we were on the way back to the parking area.

Interestingly enough, we saw both in the same area which was muddy from recent rains. As you can see, the shutter speed was a bit slow and the movement of his hind leg is blurred.

NOTE: In the YOY Day 38 post, we had a picture of a Sierra Fence Lizard taken during our Taft Point Trail hike and this appears to be the same species. This particular lizard looks as though he is regenerating a new tail which might have been torn off during an escape.

 
Do you have a question about our visit to Yosemite? Ask it in the comment section.

 

JBRish.com originally published this post
*All photographs Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross with all rights reserved.

 
See previous Year of Yosemite (YOY) posts HERE. If you want to read the introduction to the YOY series, CLICK HERE.

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Meta Data – Day 230 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Capture time: 2:21:37 PM
Capture date: June 10, 2016
Exposure: 1/250 sec @ f/8.0
Focal Length: 108mm
ISO 125
Canon PowerShot SX50 HS

 

Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 128 (Another Small Gem – Lizard)

Yosemite blue bellied lizard

Another of my favorite subjects to photograph is lizards.

Yesterday I spoke of the small miracles we often overlook as we hike the byways of our parks and natural places by referring to plants, but we need to keep in mind that there are far more miracles than plants, flowers and trees.

The fellow above, probably a Western Fence Lizard, with beautiful markings including a blue belly and black collar is one of nature’s gems. Many lizards are able to shed their tails and then regenerate new appendages…truly a miracle. Look at the coloration. Isn’t that wonderful? This lizard blends well into the rock that it might be hard to see UNLESS you make the effort to look.

I so enjoy looking around as I hike and walk among our woods and fields. There is so much to see. What miracles of nature have you spotted that you feel many might have missed?

You can view a post about another lizard we came across along the Taft Point Trail by visiting Year of Yosemite – 38.

 
Do you have a question about our visit to Yosemite? Ask it in the comment section.

 

JBRish.com originally published this post
*All photographs Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross with all rights reserved.

 
See previous Year of Yosemite (YOY) posts HERE. If you want to read the introduction to the YOY series, CLICK HERE.

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Meta Data – Day 128 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Capture time: 6:37:04 PM
Capture date: June 6, 2016
Exposure: 1/20 sec @ f/14
Focal Length: 35mm
ISO 100
Nikon D3300

Lizards and Snakes of Las Cruces, New Mexico

Those who have been reading my blog for a while realize that I have a strong personal connection to nature. I am interested in other living things as well as a few that are not quite alive such as rocks. If I had it to do all over again, I would collect rocks. I have a few, but not many. Let me not digress.

As we hike along, I collect (via photographs) a record of the various species of insects, reptiles, birds, plants, etc. that we encounter. Some are new to me and some are found in unanticipated circumstances.

In our spring trip to Las Cruces, NM we encountered several interesting lizards and one snake. By way of sharing my interest in photographing these animals and the joy in the abundance and variety of nature, I am including several pictures below.

Many thanks to the Arizona Herpetological Association – AHA for their warm hospitality and support in helping me identify these specimens. I recommend their website and organization to anyone who is interested in southwest herpitology.*

 
Lets start with a popular lizard of which we saw many…

The Chihuahuan Spotted Whiptail (Aspidoscelis exsanguis)

The Chihuahuan Spotted Whiptail (Aspidoscelis exsanguis)

This fellow was particularly interesting because of his “racing stripes” along his side. Adidas and Nike have nothing on him.

Greater Earless Male

Greater Earless Male (Holbrookia elegans)

This female appeared to be obviously pregnant.

Greater Earless Female

Greater Earless Female (Holbrookia elegans)

At quick glance, this looks like a pretty ho-hum specimen sitting on an ordinary rock, but…

Ornate Tree Lizard

Ornate Tree Lizard (Urosaurus ornatus)

Look at that turquoise-like coloring under his chin and belly!

Ornate Tree Lizard

Ornate Tree Lizard (Urosaurus ornatus)

And let’s not forget a fellow we included in his own post here,

Eastern Collared Lizard

Eastern Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris)

The only snake we encountered was an adventurous, long and thin Patch-nosed Snake.

Patch-nosed Snake

Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora hexalepis)

The markings on this specimen were quite nice; two colors of brown, one tan and one near chocolate in shade.

Patch-nosed Snake

Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora hexalepis) – close up

 
*If I have misidentified any of the reptiles in this post, please let me know and I will make the appropriate corrections.

.JBRish.com originally published this post