<![CDATA[ - RillitoBend Rambles]]>

<![CDATA[ - RillitoBend Rambles]]>Fri, 17 May 2024 14:53:39 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[INVASIVES! Please Remove!]]>Mon, 29 Apr 2024 23:28:10 GMThttp://rillitobendna.org/rillitobend-rambles/invasives-please-removeLindy Brigham - RillitoBend Neighborhood Association

Please note that this is a work in progress. Information is still being collected. If you have information to share about any of these plants, suggestions for ways to improve the presentation, or additional plants that should be included, please email rambles@rillitobendna.org

Many of you are probably aware of various plants that are considered invasive. Some are an annoyance if you want to preserve a mostly Sonoran Desert flora, but some are also dangerous. The following are ones that have been identified in the neighborhood and need to be removed. Remember that they are invasive because they spread so easily. So they need to be removed once they are identified to keep them from spreading. Everyone needs to do their part! While many plants can be sprayed with herbicides, physical removal ensures that seeds will not spread. Wear gloves, bag all plants carefully and put in trash barrels. Make sure you are not spreading seeds on your clothes and shoes.

The plants we are most concerned with are Stinknet, Maltese Thistle, Buffelgrass, Cheat Grass, and Red Brome. Below are ways to identify and remove safely.

STINKNET - also called Globe Chamomille - (Oncosiphon piluliferum)

Stinknet can cause respiratory or skin allergic reactions. Wear gloves, long sleeves and long pants when pulling the weeds.

Here is more information on Stinknet:

MALTESE STAR-THISTLE - (Centaurea melitensis)

More information:
- Sonoran Desert Cooperative Weed Management Area

BUFFELGRASS - (Cenchrus ciliaris)

More Information:

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

FOXTAIL - (Hordeum sp.?) Please note that we have not had a botanist identify the plants that are in the neighborhood. There are several grasses that produce seed heads that look like foxtails and they are all dangerous for pets, especially dogs.

More Information:

Northern Arizona Invasive Plants

CHEATGRASS - (Bromus tectorum) also called Downy Brome

More Information:

Northern Arizona Invasive Plants

Red Brome - (Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens) also called foxtail cress

More Information:

California Invasive Plant Council

Note: Images of invasive plants are from the references.

]]><![CDATA[Spring in the Rain Garden]]>Tue, 16 Apr 2024 22:01:39 GMThttp://rillitobendna.org/rillitobend-rambles/spring-in-the-rain-gardenLindy Brigham - Rancho Morado

As you can see, the winter rains were good for many plants throughout Tucson.

The garden came into being during the monsoon rains of 2020. The profusion of plants woke us up to the possibility of creating a 'rain garden' and watching it grow over the years rather than mowing it when it became 'too weedy'. The idea of a rain garden is to let nature take over with the water that is available. You will find more about the garden and information on 'rain gardens' in general on the website. It is a work in progress and you will see that weeding is still necessary.

For this post, I am going to just highlight a few of the plants that are currently flowering in the Rain Garden.

Below is a group of three plants growing together that are representative of the most abundant of the current blooms.

The plant with the palmate leaves at the top of the picture is a type of mallow called 'cheese weed' (Malva parviflora). It is native to Europe, but seems to love Tucson.

Below the cheese weed is a plant with small yellow flowers called 'cretan weed' (Hedypnois rhagadioloides) which is native to the mediterranean region.

The third plant, also with yellow flowers to the right of the cretan weed is 'sour clover or common melilot' (Melilotus indicus), also native to the mediterranean area. (You see a pattern here?)

Here are some closeups of these plants

Cheese weed is related to the native globe mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua flower at right) you will also see growing in the garden. The blooms of the native plant are much more showy.

You can currently see cretan weed covering the rain garden floor on the north end of the garden.

The sour clover is also abundant this year. Clovers and Alfalfas are grown as livestock feed for their nutritional value. They are legumes, plants that collaborate with bacteria in their roots to fix nitrogen. They enrich the soil so less fertilizer is necessary when growing crops. In times before modern agriculture they were used in crop 'rotations' to fertilize the soil between growing other crops.

They are particularly attractive to the many bees in the area.

Many plants in the desert are legumes. A related plant native to Arizona is 'soft prairie clover' (Dalea mollissima)

While these plants are not native, and they tend to outcompete the native plants, they are not a serious threat and can be managed with selective weeding. There are plants that are invasive and a threat to humans and other animals and the next blog will highlight those.

All photographs were taken by Lindy. All the plant references are from the Southwest Desert Flora website

]]><![CDATA[My Batty SwanSong!]]>Sat, 26 Aug 2023 23:32:03 GMThttp://rillitobendna.org/rillitobend-rambles/my-baty-swansongSusan Andersen, a resident of RillitoBend since 2006, and our most prolific blog contributor, is leaving. This piece was written in July, so the bats are also nearing the end of their stay. Make sure you have witnessed this spectacle if you haven't already.

Original Title

WE’VE GOT HOT SUMMER NIGHTS!!
DRIVING ME BATS!!

Looking up at the beautiful dusk sky these hot hot summer evenings (about 7:30pm) there are the flitting little critters, dashing here and there. These are the bats of summer, here in Tucson. Mexican free-tailed bats are the "jets" of the bat world. They are very fast flyers.

Photo from the ASDM website

The most numerous species is probably the Mexican free-tail bat (Tadarida brasiliensis), but there are about 18 different species seen in Tucson in the summer. (Melanie Bucci, curator UArizona Museum of Natural History).

There is an enormous colony of bats that live under the Campbell Street bridge, in our neighborhood. From now until mid September or October. Each and every night they ‘flow’ out from under the bridge towards the sunset and head out for a meal of insects. It is WONDERFUL to stand on the path by the Rillito River path and the Campbell Street bridge, just by Trader Joe’s and watch them ‘flow’ out from under the bridge. The sun is usually just gone down past the horizon and out they come! Hundreds, thousands!!

This is a spectacular piece of summer fun and wonder in Tucson. Don’t miss it!

The Mexican Free-tailed Bat: A few fascinating facts from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum fact sheets

A medium sized bat, their fur is reddish to dark brown or gray in color. They have broad, black, forward pointing ears, and wrinkled lips.
Most of these bats migrate south to Central America and Mexico during the winter.
They prefer to roost in caves, but will also choose attics, under bridges, or in abandoned buildings. They choose roosts near water. The water attracts the insects they eat, as well as allowing them the opportunity to drink.
Free-tail bats consume enormous amounts of moths and other insects. Some roosts are known to contain millions of bats. In those colonies it is estimated that 250 tons of insects can be consumed every night.
Snakes, raccoons, house cats, owls, and other predators sometimes manage to gain access to the roosts. If a baby falls to the cave floor the mother will not come to its rescue giving predators a chance for a quick meal.
A single free-tail baby bat is born during the summer. Young Mexican free-tailed bats roost separately from their mothers. In the large maternity colonies of Mexican free-tails, the mother must find her own pup among the thousands. It is thought that she locates her baby by recognizing its individual call. These bats may have a life span of up to 18 years.
The females decide when to give birth when the conditions are right.

]]><![CDATA[A HAUNTING of Hawks]]>Thu, 20 Jul 2023 21:20:48 GMThttp://rillitobendna.org/rillitobend-rambles/a-haunting-of-hawksby Susan Andersen - Winterhaven Village Townhomes

A group of hawks is called a “kettle” or sometimes a “boil” or even a “cast”, but, I have a HAUNTING OF HAWKS in the mesquite tree in the front of my home. No nest. Three of them come and sit in my tree from 9:00am to 12:00noon, almost every day, and then leave. Most of the time they have a kill or two that they are shredding and eating with abandon. When I go outside to spy on them, they watch me, yes, LIKE A HAWK. (you must have known I was going to say that)

This beautiful tree, a Chilean Mesquite, was planted by my sister and brother-in-law (Lindy & Steve) in the late 1990’s, when they owned where I now live.

These hawks, in my front tree, are Cooper’s Hawks, Accipiter cooperii. Surely you have seen these magnificent raptors (birds of prey) in our neighborhood.

The Cooper’s Hawk is SE Arizona’s common year-round-resident (according to the Tucson Audubon Society). Tucson has one of the highest densities of this bird in the nation.

This medium-sized hawk has a long banded tail and gray back. Adults have a salmon-colored striped breast with brown streaks and yellow legs. (kids up to 1 year have white breasts).

Images of Hawks from the following sources: LEFT CENTER RIGHT

I probably don’t have to tell you they feed mightily on doves and other small birds. But, also vary their diet with lizards, rabbits, and other small rodents.

NOW, back to MY front yard. We have dubbed this the Killing/FeedingTree. Directly underneath it, we find all manner of shared bits from the birds: large amount of mostly dove feathers, wings, legs, unidentified bone bits, and even fresh meat bits. Hmmmmm, thank you for sharing. Biology/anatomy lessons abound here.

I just looked out my window up into the Killing/Feeding Tree.
They are still there: a HAUNTING OF HAWKS.

]]><![CDATA[AntLions 2]]>Thu, 15 Jun 2023 20:02:59 GMThttp://rillitobendna.org/rillitobend-rambles/antlions-2by Susan Andersen - Winterhaven Village Townhomes

Back in February, when there was still a hint of a chill in the air at times, I wrote an article about the magic of an elusive critter - the Ant Lion (Myrmeleon). (LINK)

They are still at it, and you can see the evidence in the many many 'traps' visible along the Cactus Bld, particularly between E. Camino Pocero Parque and Allen Road under the spreading mesquite trees.

They are all sizes from tiny, barely 1/4' across to big ones a couple of inches

To date I have STILL not been able to actually see the beast, only the traps. Go have a look!

]]><![CDATA[Why the Arizona Popcorn-Flower is my favorite plant in the Park]]>Mon, 13 Mar 2023 22:43:15 GMThttp://rillitobendna.org/rillitobend-rambles/why-the-arizona-popcorn-flower-is-my-favorite-plant-in-the-parkBy Lindy Brigham

I have been in the neighborhood since 1992, I live in Rancho Morado and am currently the RillitoBend Neighborhood President. As a retired Plant Pathologist, my interest in plants is the many ways they have developed to avoid being eaten.

The Arizona Popcorn-flower, Plagiobothrys arizonicus, is in the Borage family. (“Most borage are of little or no economic value, but form a very conspicuous part of the early spring flora throughout the south-west.”
(Higgins, 1979))

Other common names for the Arizona Popcorn-flower include popcorn flower, blood weed, bloodweed and lipstick plant. (Note that other plants also have the common name of popcorn flower or popcorn plant which is why it is important to know the scientific name that describes only one plant.)

The Popcorn-flower can first be seen the beginning of January in the Rio Vista Natural Resource Park. The leaves, which look a bit fuzzy, come out of the base in a radial pattern parallel to the ground.

In the next stage, the leaves start to grow upward and the plant puts out shoots with tiny white flowers. The quarter in the middle picture gives a sense of scale.

At this point you are probably saying, “So what’s the big deal about a tiny, seemingly nondescript plant I never notice?”

Well, these little plants spend a lot of energy making a beautiful chemical in their leaves and roots. If you look under the leaf—yes, you need to get down on the ground to see—you will notice that the edges of the leaf and the mid-vein are pinkish red.

Note my forefinger as a size reference for the flower which is about 3mm in diameter.

Press a plant on a piece of paper and the dye from the roots, stems and leaves will come off on the paper.

The dye is in a class of chemicals called napthoquinones. Napthoquinones occur in several Borages as well as in other plant families, and are commonly used as dyes in fabric and cosmetics. Napthoquinones also have antimicrobial activity. (See 'READ MORE' below)

As the plants mature, they produce more stems and flowers and grow taller.

After the flowers have been fertilized, the seeds start to develop. The seeds are surrounded by a hard shell like a walnut so these structures are called 'nutlets'. You can see the dried flowers marked with a white F and below the nutlet is marked with a dark red N.

If there has been plenty of winter rain, they can grow up to 18 inches, but they usually reach 8 to 10 inches.

Plagiobothrys and most other Borages in the Southwest are known as ephemerals. At the end of the season, they dry up and disappear from the landscape. You would have never known they had been there if you hadn’t seen them.

In this picture, the red dye is still visible in the stems.

This section includes some fairly in depth information on the Borage of the southwest and the napthoquinones found in these plants.

Information on Plagiobothrys from several plant databases:

SWbiodiversitity.org (SEINet)
Southwest Desert Flora
Wildflower Search
Southeastern Arizona Wildflowers and Plants
San Diego State University - this has pictures of the seeds (nutlets)
Wayne's World - good pictures of nutlets and comparison with another plant called 'popcorn'

Here are some of the other Borages that also come up in Spring with the Plagiobothrys in the Rio Vista Park.
On the far left is Amsinckia, in the middle, Cryptantha, and on the far right, Lappula.

More information on the Borages in the Southwestern United States is in Higgins, 1979

The Japanese extract a napthoquinone they call shikonin from a related borage called Lithospermum erythrorhizon. Erythrorhizon means 'red root'. The photo shows roots from a plant grown in a pot.

As you can see, this chemical has significant anti-microbial activity. It is possible that Plagiobothrys (and other plants) make this chemical to protect themselves from bacteria and fungal pathogents. More about the possible role of the napthoquinones in plant defense against microorganisms can be found in Brigham et. al., 1998

I would like to thank the members of the RillitoBend Rambles Blog team (Mary Bird, Melanie Campbell-Carter, Estelle Stern-Eilers, and Vicky Stromee) for reviews and edits to the text. All photographs are by the author.

]]><![CDATA[SNOW in the 'HOOD!]]>Thu, 02 Mar 2023 18:09:27 GMThttp://rillitobendna.org/rillitobend-rambles/snow-in-the-hoodby Lindy Brigham and additional photos by Melanie Campbell-Carter and Estelle Stern-Eilers

I have been working on a plant blog but after this morning's snow, I just had to photograph the snow - a beautiful and somewhat rare event for us.

This is just inside the Labyrinth entrance to the Rio Vista Natural Resource Park. You can see the Santa Catalinas in the background with snow all the way down the slopes.

Photos courtesy of Melanie Campbell-Carter

Prickly Pear

Photos courtesy of Estelle Stern-Eilers

The Rain Garden on Cactus Blvd.

]]><![CDATA[Just in from the latest AntLion News:]]>Wed, 15 Feb 2023 18:11:09 GMThttp://rillitobendna.org/rillitobend-rambles/just-in-from-the-latest-ant-lion-news“Close Encounter with An Ant-Lion, and Lived To Tell The Tale”

WHAT?? YIKES!! What Can This Be About??

By Susan Andersen

Mostly, but, not ALL kidding aside, there is a critter that you may encounter right here in our Rillito Bend Neighborhood that fall under this description!

If you look closely in the soft, sandy soil, often at the base of the mesquite trees along Cactus Boulevard in the “Rain Garden”, you will often see small cone-shaped holes. They can be solitary or grouped together, as may as 10 or more. As the name implies- they eat ants.

Antlion Traps

Photo by Author, 2022

The ANTLION is an insect in the family Myrmeleontidae, a group of about 2,000 species found throughout the warmer regions of the world. The larva make the sand pits to catch their ant prey. The larvae are the longest living stage lasting about 2 years. In comparison, the adults live about 4 weeks, or long enough to mate and lay eggs.

Antlion Larvae

Image from Encyclopedia Britannica

The Antlion trap is an engineering marvel. It takes some time to build to the appropriate specifications for the sand type. You can find a description of the process in READ MORE section below.

Ant-lion Trap

Image from OldBlockWriter

It is said that if you quickly dig down at the bottom of the pit with a spoon and put that soil in a small strainer, you can sieve out the Antlion, in order to actually see one. I have tried this and NEVER been successful. The critter is EXTREMELY sensitive to ground vibrations in order to sense an ant walking along the ground. It is long gone by the time my heavy foot has gotten anywhere near the pit.

You may know these creatures by many other names: DOODLE BUG, ANTLION LACEWING, isn’t this just plain fun?

Arizona Antlion Adult

Image from BugGuide

Adult antlions are much bigger than the larvae and often called lacewings.

For more information and a couple of videos on trap building

Building the Trap-
(this is taken from from the Wikipedia website - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antlion - go to the website to see the citations)

First, they mark out the chosen site by a circular groove,[21] the antlion larva starts to crawl backwards, using its abdomen as a plough to shovel up the soil. By the aid of one front leg, it places consecutive heaps of loosened particles upon its head, then with a smart jerk throws each little pile clear of the scene of operations. Proceeding thus, it gradually works its way from the circumference towards the center.[2] As it slowly moves round and round, the pit gradually gets deeper and deeper, until the slope angle reaches the critical angle of repose (that is, the steepest angle the sand can maintain, where it is on the verge of collapse from slight disturbance), and the pit is solely lined by fine grains.[22] By digging in a spiral when constructing its pit, the antlion minimises the time needed to complete the pit.[22]
When the pit is completed, the larva settles down at the bottom, buried in the soil with only the jaws projecting above the surface, often in a wide-opened position on either side of the very tip of the cone.[23] The steep-sloped trap that guides prey into the larva's mouth while avoiding crater avalanches is one of the simplest and most efficient traps in the animal kingdom.[24] The fine grain lining ensures that the avalanches which carry prey are as large as possible.[22] Since the sides of the pit consist of loose sand at its angle of repose,[25] they afford an insecure foothold to any small insects that inadvertently venture over the edge, such as ants. Slipping to the bottom, the prey is immediately seized by the lurking antlion; if it attempts to scramble up the treacherous walls of the pit, it is speedily checked in its efforts and brought down by showers of loose sand which are thrown at it from below by the larva.[2] By throwing up loose sand from the bottom of the pit, the larva also undermines the sides of the pit, causing them to collapse and bring the prey with them.

Wikipedia entry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antlion

Encyclopedia Britannica
https://www.britannica.com/animal/antlion#/media/1/28710/118648

The Arizona Antlion - Brachynemurus sackeni
https://bugguide.net/node/view/1993603/bgimage
There is also the Tucson antlion - Chaetoleon
https://bugguide.net/node/view/1600067/bgimage

Another couple of blog posts that are kind of fun
https://justineschluntz.com/2016/11/17/whats-hole-episode-5/
https://oldblockwriter.blogspot.com/2018/02/ant-lions.html

Iowa State University
https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/antlions-and-doodlebugs

Ohio State University
https://bygl.osu.edu/node/1693

Videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWq-5g_OCjI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1_-XRi05Ps

]]><![CDATA[Monarchs in December?]]>Fri, 16 Dec 2022 23:15:57 GMThttp://rillitobendna.org/rillitobend-rambles/monarchs-in-decemberBy Susan Andersen

I live in the Winterhaven Village Townhomes, between Country Club and Cactus Blvd, North of Prince. Our white-walled compound has been softened with the drought tolerant plantings along Cactus and Prince, so pretty.

We are deep into winter now, but not too long ago while it was still warm, I came back from a walk down Cactus with a purloined piece of the wild milkweed vine. I planted it in my back yard and it took off up the wall.

One day around early November a Monarch caterpillar was munching its way through most of the leaves. It seemed so late in the season for this.

Day after day, there it was munching away, getting bigger and bigger.

It getting so cold at night, I thought surely it would die off. Obsessively I checked on it every day, well really several times a day.

Mid-day on Nov 7, I noticed it had moved into that characteristic ‘J’ form- going to pupate!!!

Within 1 1/2 hours the beautiful chrysalis with gold sparkly trim had been formed.

Then when I did think it had died, November 28, the chrysalis started to darken.

Decomposing maybe?? But, NO.

Through the dark chrysalis I could see the pattern of the wings.

Obsessively again, I checked it every day as the nights got cold and colder and colder.

2 days later there was the newly emerged Monarch Butterfly, fat bodied, crumpled wings, crimped antennae. It wriggled and stretched and slowly expanded it wings.

I turned my back for 1 hour, when I came back she (no spot on the hind wing) had flown the coop! Off she goes, I wish her well! Mexico !!! Pismo Beach !!! Pacific Grove !!!

Fun Fact

Monarch butterflies communicate with scents and colors. The males attract females to mate by releasing chemicals from scent glands on the hind wings. Monarchs signal to other animals that they are poisonous by having bright orange wings. The bright colors serve as a warning that predators should attack at their own risk. (National Wildlife Foundation website)

More Information on Monarchs

World Wildlife
www.worldwildlife.org/species/monarch-butterfly

National Wildlife Foundation
www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Invertebrates/Monarch-Butterfly

Monarch Butterfly Life
monarchbutterflylifecycle.com/blogs/raise/male-or-female-monarch-butterfly-pictures

]]><![CDATA[SACRED DATURA - A MYSTERIOUS BEAUTY]]>Mon, 28 Nov 2022 19:42:24 GMThttp://rillitobendna.org/rillitobend-rambles/sacred-datura-a-mysterious-beauty

Frequently encountered all over Arizona is the Sacred Datura, scientific name Datura wrightii. In RillitoBend, it is seen in private gardens, on roadsides, and in Summer 2022, in the Rancho Morado Rain Garden.

Datura wrightii in private garden, 2022 monsoon season, single plant
Photo by Melanie Campbell-Carter

This fascinating perennial belongs to the Solanaceae family, along with tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplant. Other common names for the Datura include: Jimson weed, thorn-apple, moon lily, and angel’s trumpet. Much like the potato, the Datura has a fleshy, tuberous root which sprouts when the soil warms. Unlike the potato, Datura is relatively easy to grow from seed.

Datura wrightii, private garden, 2022
Photo by Melanie Campbell-Carter

Datura is a night bloomer, pollinated by nocturnal moths and occasionally, bats. A single blossom may have up to one ounce of nectar at its base, which at dusk perfumes a wide area to attract its pollinators. The primary pollinators are the sphinx or hawk moths, which are often mistaken for a hummingbird at dusk. Some of these large moths are about the same size as a hummingbird, making a soft whirring noise with their wings as they hover at each newly opened bloom.

Hawkmoth (Hyles lineata) at Sacred Datura (Datura wrightii) flower
Photo by Mike Lewinski, Tres Piedras, NM
Courtesy of https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0]

Native Range of Sacred Datura (D. wrightii)
Courtesy of US Dept of Agriculture, https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=DAWR2
© 2014 Esri | USDA-NRCS-NGCE & NPDT

The name Sacred Datura refers to the hallucinogenic effects of the plant when consumed by indigenous holy people and ceremony participants. All parts of the plant are toxic, and potentially fatal when consumed. Deliberate ingestion by non-human creatures is rare, since all but the flower itself is bad-smelling and bitter-tasting. However, humans seeking a mind-altering experience can inflict permanent damage to lungs, GI tract, kidneys, or the heart; mental impairment may be permanent; and death is not an uncommon outcome. The Sacred Datura has many other ethnobotanical uses among North American indigenous peoples.

The word Datura is an ancient Hindu word.
Wrightii honors Charles Wright (1811-1885), an American botanical collector.
Jimson weed is thought to refer to a related species in the eastern US near Jamestown, Virginia – and the name of Jamestown gradually altered to ‘Jimson’. Early colonists were reported to exhibit strange behavior and illness after consuming the plant when other foods were unavailable.
The Solanaceae family is interchangeably called the Nightshade family, possibly because many of its members bloom at night, grow underground, or thrive in shady locations.

Gardeners handling the Sacred Datura will be safe from the plant toxins by wearing gloves, washing hands with soap and water, and cleaning their tools after use. Seeds can be collected from dried seed pods in the fall, and planted in the spring. Go to this link for details on propagation.

Maturing Seed Pod on Datura wrightii, private garden 2022
Photo by Melanie Campbell-Carter

Datura discolor, showing purple streaks in throat of open flowers. Rio Vista Natural Resource Park, 2022
Photo by Melanie Campbell-Carter

In RillitoBend, we have two species of Datura commonly seen in spring and summer after rainy periods: Datura wrightii and Datura discolor. To tell them apart, examine the flower or the seed pods. D wrightii has a pure white throat and pale lavender edges, is somewhat larger overall, and the seed pod has shorter spines. D discolor has purple streaks in the white throat of the flower, is somewhat smaller, and the seed pod has long spines, often > 1 cm. Datura discolor is the predominant Datura species in Rio Vista Natural Resource Park.

One-year-old Datura wrightii, west side of Cactus Blvd, during the monsoon 2022
Photo by Melanie Campbell-Carter

Sacred Datura article sources and photo credits:

Backyard Gardener
The Backyard Gardener was a weekly newspaper column written by University of Arizona Extension Agent Emeritus, Jeff Schalau. It covered a range of horticultural and natural resource topics. It was published between 1998 and 2021. Jeff retired in July 2021 and is working to reconfigure the website to allow continued access to the information. As you may be aware, ongoing research and changes in regulations will occur and inform best practices. Please use this site accordingly and know that pesticides and legal statutes change over time.
https://cals.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/index.html
Sacred Datura article:
https://cals.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/archive/sacreddatura2020.html

SEINET
https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=datura+wrightii&formsubmit=Search+Terms

Southwest Desert Flora
http://southwestdesertflora.com/WebsiteFolders/All_Species/Solanaceae/Datura%20wrightii,%20Western%20Jimson%20Weed.html

USDA Plants database
Range map for Datura wrightii
https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=DAWR2

]]><![CDATA[RillitoBend Rambles - our 'HOOD']]>Mon, 03 Oct 2022 22:07:10 GMThttp://rillitobendna.org/rillitobend-rambles/rillitobend-rambles-our-hood

This is the inaugural blog of RillitoBend Rambles. It is an introduction to of some of our favorite places for observing nature. In future posts, we will have pictures and information about some of our favorite plants and critters.

1. Rio Vista
Our gem in the neighborhood is the Rio Vista Natural Resource Park. It is a ‘natural’ park thanks to the efforts of many of the residents who still live here. Throughout the year we will be documenting some of the plants that catch our interest as they bloom. And those of you who track wildlife please contribute!

Nama demissum

Datura discolor

One of the goals of the neighborhood association is to improve the aesthetics and livability of our everyday surroundings. (our VISIONS). To that end, several roadsides have been planted and are tended with the volunteer help of many neighbors.

2. Lucie's Garden: One of the first enhancement projects was Lucie’s Garden just north of the Winterhaven Village Townhomes gate on Cactus Blvd. 3. Linear Garden on Cactus: The area between the Winterhaven Village gate and Prince was planted in the effort to soften the look of the wall. The varieties of plants are amazing, and today the plants are well-established without supplemental watering.

4. Friday Cat's Memorial Rain Garden: Across the street is a little oasis being developed around the mesquites.

5. Rain Garden: During the 2021 monsoon season, a profusion of plants appeared on their own outside of Rancho Morado on Cactus and we dubbed it the “Rain Garden”. The City donated boulders and rocks that the neighborhood volunteers placed for traffic control and rainwater harvesting.

6. Meadowview linear garden: Turning the corner, the roadside north of Meadowview on Allen Road was planted with native plants to begin to soften the appearance of Allen and take advantage of some of the abundance of stormwater heading east.

7. Cactus/Allen Intersection: The night blooming cereus at the N/E and S/W corners are some special surprises at this intersection (plus some at the roundabout!). And in ponds that appear during the monsoon rains, one can see spadefoots!

This is just the start.
If you would like to help spread the word on the glorious abundance around us,
send an email to Rambles@rillitobendna.org
Happy Rambling!

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WE’VE GOT HOT SUMMER NIGHTS!! ​DRIVING ME BATS!!

WE’VE GOT HOT SUMMER NIGHTS!!
DRIVING ME BATS!!