Verde Valley Visit

I love to go exploring, whether it be across the world, or just across the state.  There's always something new to see. And so it was with this short trip to central Arizona's Verde Valley, where the upper Sonoran Desert meets the lush riparian oasis of the Verde River.  The Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood was to be our home for a few days, and what a lovely one it was.  The park encompasses a section of the river as well as the desert above.  Our campsite sat on a hillside overlooking the valley and the town.

With water and electricity at the sites, a nearby town and excellent cell service, it's not exactly wilderness.  But the sites are huge and well-separated and there are many excellent trails leading right from the campground.  At close to 3500' in elevation, the desert vegetation is somewhat different than around Tucson, almost 1000' lower.  The saguaros have disappeared as have the barrel cacti, but I did see chollas, some prickly pear and hedgehogs.  The vegetation is dominated by crucifixion thorn (Castela emoryi), catclaw acacia (Acacia greggii), mesquite and juniper, as well as grasses, yucca, ephedra, ratany and more.  With the cooler temperatures, there were still some wildflowers blooming.

Strawberry Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus engelmannii)

Silverleaf Nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium)

Scarlet Gaura (Gaura coccinea)

Ratany (Krameria sp.)

Soaptree Yucca (Yucca elata)

Southwestern Ringstem (Anulocaulis leiosolenus)

Southwestern Ringstem (Anulocaulis leiosolenus)

Blackfoot Daisy (Melampodum leucanthum)

New Mexico Feathergrass (Hesperostipa newomexicana)

Red Three-awn Grass (Aristida purpurea)

Wrap-around views from the trails made every hike a treat for the eyes, and the camera.  Below us, the green ribbon of the Verde River's lush riparian corridor, across the valley, the scars of copper mining and the towns it created, all around in the near distance the quiet of the desert.  On a hilltop just a few miles away, the ancient ruins of a native pueblo, now preserved by the National Park Service as Tuzigoot National Monument.

Our travels included a visit to Tuzigoot to learn how the ancient peoples lived in this valley for centuries; to Jerome, perched perilously on the mountainside, old buildings that once served a big mining community now repurposed for galleries, shops, restaurants and inns; Old Town Cottonwood where we discovered an amazing array of quality restaurants; and to Sedona, land of the red rocks and vortices that has been overrun with people.  From Jerome, we spotted the huge plumes of smoke that could only mean wildfire.  We were to learn the fire was burning in beautiful Oak Creek Canyon, which runs between Sedona and Flagstaff.  It burns to this day.

The former mining town of Jerome

The Verde Valley

Tuzigoot

Cholla at Tuzigoot

From the roof of Tuzigoot

Jerome

On the road to Sedona, smoke rising from the Slide Fire

Red rocks and Cholla flowers

A cascade of primroses, Sedona

Carole and Jay, Sedona

My fabulous dinner at the Schoolhouse restaurant in Old Cottonwood

In between, we hiked along the river and to a peaceful marsh, across the desert and back again.  New birds, new flowers, new sights and sounds. Along the Verde River is a cottonwood-willow riparian habitat rich in biodiversity.  I was entertained with the antics of nervous little Lucy's warblers, bright yellow Wilson's warblers, flocks of stunning Western tanagers and so many summering phainopeplas.

The Verde River

Tavasci Marsh

Desert Globemallow

Sacred Datura

A very large and well-camouflaged gopher snake.

Evening Primrose

Baby Black-throated Sparrow crying for its mother who was just across the trail.

On the morning of our departure, smoke from the Slide Fire filled the valley, obscuring the nearby mountains and smelling of burning timber.

On a lighter note, I leave you with the parking cop at the Dead Horse Ranch State Park.

And, now for the bird list.

Bullock's Oriole
Wilson's Warbler
Phainopeopla
Common Raven
Northern Mockingbird
Black-throated Sparrow
House Finch
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Gila Woodpecker
Gambel's Quail
Greater Roadrunner
Red-Winged Blackbird
Yellow Warbler
Verdin
Abert's Towhee
Ash-Throated Flycatcher
Western Tanager
Lucy's Warbler
UI Blackbird
Northern Rough-Winged Swallow
Lesser Nighthawk
Mourning Dove
White-Winged Dove
Say's Phoebe
Rock Wren
House Wren
Turkey Vulture
Cormorant
Lesser Goldfinch
Song Sparrow
Bewick's Wren
Mallard
Red-Tailed Hawk
Green Heron
Bell's Vireo
Western Wood Pewee
Great-tailed Grackle
Costa's Hummingbird
MacGillivray's Warbler

Happy Travels to You!

Blowing Into May

Hummer hovering over flowering saguaro

Springtime in the desert often brings gusty winds caused by pressure ridging across the southwest.  Today is especially nasty with the strong winds bringing dust so intense that we cannot see the mountains only a mile away.  So, it must be a day to work on the blog.

The end of April was crazy busy with preparations and company in town for my niece's wedding.  So there were bridal teas, dinners, brunches, garden tours and more.  Although my niece, Amy, and her new husband live in Tucson, everyone else was from out of town, including all of my family. My house thus became the base of operations. It was wonderful to see them all, but stressful too.  Especially having 13 people at the bridal tea sitting at my dining table, with room for half that many.  On the weekend, the weather looked to be questionable, but turned out perfect on the day of the ceremony.

In the garden, the torch flowers have begun to bloom, the prickly pear continue their flowering and the yellow of the palo verde flowers enliven the landscape.

Nesting and migrating birds fill the yard and the neighborhood.  Up the street, the Harris' hawks have chicks in the nest high up in a big eucalyptus.  Harris' hawks are a social species, living year around in family groups.  All the members participate in the nesting process by guarding the nest and helping to feed the chicks.

By my front door, an Anna's hummingbird chose this location for her nest.  Apparently she didn't really think it through, as all the traffic in and out of our front door caused her to soon abandon the nest without laying eggs.

Tiny Gambel's quail chicks scurry after mom and dad very soon after hatching. Precocial is the term for ground-nesting birds who are ready to travel almost immediately, with feathers and eyes open.   I don't think this brood was hatched in the yard, but it might have been.  Often, there are up to 13 or 15 chicks in a brood, but with a high rate of mortality, perhaps 2 or 3 will survive to adulthood.

The saguaro cactus are now in full bloom, the sweet flowers attracting pollinators such as cactus bees and white-winged doves.  It was a first for me to see this hummingbird feeding repeatedly from a saguaro flower.

Migrators are making their way to their summer homes, stopping for a rest in my yard.  Right now I have several black-headed grosbeaks hanging around the nut feeder before heading for higher elevation.  In this shot, there is a male on the left and a female on the right.

I've also had broad-tailed and broad-billed hummers stop by for sustenance, but they are much too quick for my camera to capture.

Between all the wedding events, my sister and I found time to do a little hike to some ancient petroglyphs, and then to the adjoining Saguaro National Park.

The rain clouds were gathering and the temperature dropping when  we made it back to the parking area just as the first drops were falling.  The light was not good to capture the lovely color of the blooming ironwood trees.

The rainstorm that ensued was all too brief to quench the parched desert, but we welcome every drop.  Soon our beautiful spring will feel like summer and the rain will be a distant memory sustaining us until the summer monsoon arrives.

Here's hoping all your spring days are filled with color and beauty!

Prickly Pear

Prickly Pear

Opuntia sp.

The cactus are bursting into bloom, at the Desert Museum we're doing Wildflower Walks and Cactus Tours, so what better time to think about the Prickly Pears. In the family Cactaceae and the genus Opuntia, prickly pears are native only to the Americas, but are now seen growing around the world, and are even considered invasive pests in many places.   It's easy to get confused about what cactus are included in this genus as taxonomy is ever-changing.  Chollas were traditionally included with prickly pear in the Opuntia genus, but have now been separated into their own genus - Cylindropuntia.  Most sources now agree that now Opuntias only include the paddle cactus or, as we know them, prickly pears.  There are approximately 200-300 species included in the genus, only a small portion of which are native to  North America. 

Prickly pears are typically easy to recognize with their flat, rounded stems (also called cladodes) that are protected with two types of spines - large, smooth, fixed spines and tiny, hairlike, barbed prickles called glochids.  The latter easily detach from the plant and penetrate the skin, causing annoying itch and irritation.  Some species are considered spineless, including beavertail and Santa Rita, but all have glochids. 

Santa Rita pads showing glochids

The fleshy pads are actually modified branches or stems that serve several functions - water storage, photosynthesis and flower production.  The flower buds arise from aereoles, and the prickly pear flowers are easily recognizable as those of a cactus as they have many tepals that intergrade with each other; many stamens and a multilobed stigma.   Yellow is the primary color of our native prickly pear flowers.  On some species, the yellow flowers will turn a peachy color by the afternoon before closing.

The main pollinators of our prickly pears are cactus bees - several native bee species that specialize in cactus.  Cactus pollen is gathered and then packed into the bees' burrows to feed the grubs.  Once pollinated, the prickly pears produce elongated, swollen fruit that are juicy and sweet.  Large numbers of the fruit are produced in July and August, ripening to a deep red color.  They are enjoyed by a wide variety of animals including rabbits, packrats, javelina, deer, squirrels, desert tortoises, cactus beetles and many bird species, all of whom help propagate the plants by disbursing the seeds.  People, too, love the fruit!  Also called "tunas" the fruit are sold in many forms such as jelly, candies and lemonade.  The most popular source for tunas , as well as nopales (the young pads) is the Mexican species of prickly pear - Indian Fig (Opuntia ficus indica).  

Engelmann's Prickly Pear Fruit

In North America, prickly pear cactus are found in all the deserts of the Southwest, with different species having adapted to specific locales and elevation ranges.  Most can be found in course, well-drained soil in dry, rocky flats or slopes.  But some prefer mountain piñon/juniper forests and yet others require steep, rocky slopes in mountain foothills.  The little cochineal bug played a major role in the spread of prickly pear to other continents - a fascinating story that I'll save for another day.  Another player in the globalization of prickly pear was the desire of gardeners and plant fanciers to grow exotic species.  Australia, in particular, has suffered from the indiscriminate introduction of prickly pear from South America.  There it has become a terrible, invasive weed whose clonal spread has been difficult to control. 

In recent years there has been medicinal interest in the role that the pectin in prickly pear pulp can play in reducing levels of 'bad' cholesterol while not affecting 'good' cholesterol levels.  The fibrous pectin in the fruit may also lower diabetics' need for insulin.  Both fruit and pulp are rich in slowly absorbed soluble fibers that may help keep blood sugar stable. 

The color of the stems of our native prickly pears varies from the green of Engelmann's to the purple of Santa Rita.  The purple will be more intense in the cool, dry winter months, and a softer blue-gray in the summer once the rains arrive. 

Santa Rita Prickly Pear

Now is a great time to go exploring on the grounds for all the interesting varieties of prickly pear in the ASDM collection. 

And, thanks to the good suggestion by fellow blogger, Marilyn Kirkus, here is a link to an excellent article on harvesting and preparing prickly pear fruit and pads.  Enjoy!

Docent Diaries

No matter what my assignment, I love my docent duties at the Desert Museum.  Some jobs, however, are more fun than others.  For the past two years, my friend Mary Lou and I have been the Day Captains for the Friday Docents.  Which means we 'get' to spend most of our day in the office doing schedules, organizing the day, making coffee, entering data in the computer, being the in-charge people for all the docent activities for the day, cleaning up the office and lounge, and generally, as another friend put it, "herding cats".  (Just try getting them all together for a photo!) Managing people is always entertaining, frustrating, interesting and normally chaotic.  The reason we became docents, however, is to be out on the grounds of the Museum, talking to visitors and interpreting the Sonoran Desert.  Soon my captaincy stint will be over and I'll be back out doing the really fun stuff.

Here's what our group looks like this year.

There are four or five missing.  It's impossible to find a day when everyone is there, or makes it to the photo shoot on time.  But, this isn't bad.

 Mary Lou and I agreed that, no matter how busy we were, we would still take out our animals for one hour a day.  I am certified this year on Large Raptor, which means I can take out either a Harris' hawk or a barn owl.  We take them out in rotation, and on this day, it was a hawk.

Harris' hawks are a very unique raptor that we are privileged to have as permanent residents in Southern Arizona.  What sets them apart from most other birds of prey is that they are a social raptor, living together in family groups, hunting cooperatively, and all taking part in the nesting process.  The younger birds from the previous brood will assist the parents in guarding the nest and bringing food for the mother and the nestlings.  In each group, an alpha female will be dominant.  The bird I am holding is an adult male.  Males and females are colored alike, but what distinguishes them is size - the females are significantly larger.  For the past several years, I have had Harris' hawks nesting in my neighborhood, and I am now seeing the female on the nest once again.  Every day from October through April, the Museum flies a group of Harris' hawks in our Raptor Free Flight program.  It's a thrilling experience to have one of these big birds fly so closely over your head that their feathers so briefly and gently touch you.  Each year docent can choose which group of animals we want to interpret to the public.  We then go through training and certification to keep our skills current.  The Desert Museum is accredited by the AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums), which sets exacting standards for animal care and handling.

Mary Lou and I try to finish most of our duties by around 3pm, which gives us some time to go explore the grounds, talk to visitors, look for fun and interesting sights, and have a little 'play' time.  April is a good time to see butterflies, as well as their larvae and pupae.  Right now, the Pipevine Swallowtails are abundant in all forms.

These handsome guys are the larvae, feeding happily on pipevines,

Soon they will be forming a chrysalis and undergoing the amazing metamorphosis that will allow them to emerge in a totally new form.  Here's what the chrysalis looks like:

Pipevines have a strange little flower called the pipe.

Which is then followed by this fruit.

Sadly I do not have a suitable photo of the adult pipevine swallowtail butterfly, so please excuse me for borrowing a couple from one of my favorite sites, Firefly Forest

As she says, they are difficult to photograph as they seldom sit still.  I guess that's my excuse.  With their iridescent blue on the upper hind wings, and the array of colored spots on the lower wings, these large black butterflies are stunningly beautiful.

With our lack of rain and warm weather, everything seems to be happening a little earlier this year, like the cactus blooming.  All around the grounds, and out in the desert, little hedgehog cacti are sporting their gaudy pink finery, forcing me to stop and get yet another photograph.  Hedgehogs are a small, multi-trunked cactus, generally somewhat inconspicuous until bloom time.

Glorious too are the claret cups, which are another form of hedgehog cactus, and are one of the earliest to bloom.  They are just about finished now, but this one waited for me.

The Museum grounds are alive with dozens of species of blooming flowers, and it is inspiring to just stroll through the gardens and various habitats and take in the amazing palette.

Here are just a few more. Fairy Duster, yellow primrose, blackfoot daisy and California buckwheat.

Lastly, we stopped by to see the coatis, and watched a young Cooper's hawk watching us.

Ahhh, no wonder I long to spend the entire day out on the Museum grounds talking to visitors and just enjoying the theater. Soon, very soon, I'll be able to do that.  At my age, however, I do not wish to speed up time.  So I will enjoy every day as a docent at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, no matter what it brings.

May every day be one you treasure.