I finally went over to check on the little cluster of Parkinsonia florida trees which constitute my "tree" for the monthly meme. My little Blue Palo Verdes are surviving desert summer in fine style.
I had my usual friend along. I had been expecting that it would be too hot to take Bella with me, but the weather has been cooler this past week, so she was able to do her own desert exploration. She feels that there are many other, more interesting things to check out than my tree cluster.
Back to the Palo Verde tree...
A few seedpods still hang on the branches...
...but most have fallen and been eaten by wild creatures. Most of the fallen pods that I looked at were empty.
These trees are, indeed, summer-deciduous, having lost many - though not all - of their leaves. Here is a tangle of particularly bare branches.
The green bark continues the task of photosynthesis through the season. Yes, the bark is as smooth as it looks, and I love the soft wrinkles where the branches meet.
With so many of the leaves gone, the graceful tangle of thin branches is fully evident.
And do you see what I found, visible in the upper left of the picture above? A second look showed me a couple of late and rather draggled blooms.
Since it has been a month since I last hiked through this area, I decided to take a longer look around. In particular, I wanted to check on the wild barrel cactus (probably Ferocactus emoryi or F. covillei) as I thought there was a chance it would be in bloom. It is.
I spent quite a while enjoying the cactus with the camera; more pictures can be seen on my other blog,
Journal of a Thousand Things.
I also noticed that a large creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) on my way was looking very lush (as desert plants go!).
And finally, I found a much younger seedling of Palo Verde up near the road, and this one has red tips to the new growth. I don't think I've noticed that in any others. Quite a desirable specimen, I would think!
It consists of little more than this one supple stem.
Maybe I should keep an eye on it too...
Linking with Lucy's meme at
Loose and Leafy, where there are trees from all over the world to be followed by proxy!
Weather Diary: Fair; High: 102 F (39 C)/Low: 84 F (29 C)
How I wish my Albizia's seeds were consumed by hungry critters! The palo verde is well-suited to its environment. The red tips on the seedling are very interesting. I hope Bella enjoyed her foray outside - and that she didn't burn her paws.
ReplyDeleteBella's paws were fine - the soil was just barely warm today :) Your wild critters probably find more food options in any case! With a wider menu to choose from, Albizia seeds clearly aren't first choice!
DeleteThank you and Bella for the dessert walk, the green stems on the tree are amazing to see up close. Love the Cactus.
ReplyDeleteThe green colouration is very exciting in person, too, and gives these trees a pleasant, cooling effect (to the eyes, at any rate) even when the leaves are sparse. Glad you enjoyed the walk!
DeleteI had no idea that some trees were summer deciduous. Fascinating. Although I should have realised why they do this without having to look it up. So thanks, every day is a school day they say!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Bella is very thankful for cooler temperatures Amy and enjoyed her trek with you.
I've learned a lot of new things since watching the plants here; and summer deciduous plants are some of the most unexpected though, as you say, it's easy to understand why they drop their leaves. Yes, Bella would have been disappointed if she hadn't gotten to run along ;-) so it was especially nice that the day was cooler!
DeleteI really liked the little desert walk. The Palo Verdes with their smooth green stems certainly are a sight! At 39C, it would be a bit too hot for me to go for a hike, but at least Bella didn't mind :-)
ReplyDeleteThis was a fun walk, Matt. I was able to see a number of interesting plants though the Palo Verdes are still among the most fascinating. Bella's always good to tag along if I let her :)
DeleteI would like to follow your blog with google or by email Amy but I can't see any way of doing so.
ReplyDeleteI've now added the "subscribe by email" widget to the sidebar; frankly, there are so many subscription options on Blogger that I got a bit confused when working on my layout ;-) Alternatively, you can follow me on Google Plus (see the sidebar profile) where my posts are shared automatically, but this won't send notifications of a new post. Please let me know if you still have trouble with the follow since I have no way of testing it!
DeleteThe pods are so elegant – I especially like the photo of the single one. And nice to see Bella :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Hollis! Inspired by pictures of your field assistant, who I'm always happy to see ;) I love these Palo Verde pods; they are very simple and elegant, especially compared to the pods of our other common tree, Prosopis velutina, the Velvet Mesquite.
DeleteThe cactus is stunning!
ReplyDeleteI've been looking forward to those flowers for weeks ;-) Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI love these walks in the desert, are full of interesting news ... it's a beautiful place!!
ReplyDeleteBella seems like a great explorer :)
It's a wonderful place to find new things - and Bella is always happy to be along for the adventures :)
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