Sunday, August 7, 2016

A Walk in the Desert

ferocactus, cactus, sonoran, desert, small sunny garden, amy myers, photography
On Friday morning I took a small hike in the empty desert around our home.  It began as part of my annual quest to view wild cactus in bloom.  We've had a few rainy days and the wild fishhook cacti (Ferocactus sp.; I'm not very confident about identifying wild species and have given this one various names even here on the blog) usually begin to bloom as the monsoon rains provide a bit of moisture.  So I headed out, equipped with boots and camera, to check our nearest wild cactus.

So far, one bud has colored up but not opened.
ferocactus, fishhook cactus, sonoran, desert, small sunny garden, amy myers, photography
Perhaps I have missed some earlier blooms?  This is quite a bit later than they have bloomed the last couple of summers.  This year has been very dry with little intermission from high heat, and even our recent rains have been scant.  Humidity has risen, but the soil is still quite dry.  The cactus is biding its time.
ferocactus, fishhook cactus, flower, sonoran, desert, small sunny garden, amy myers, photography
After seeing the cactus, I began paying more attention to what the other wild plants were doing in response to the weather.  Here is a look around.

When one thinks of desert plants, the succulents usually come to mind.  Cactus and agave plants store water in modified stems and leaves, respectively.  But our area is a lowland populated largely by small trees and shrubs (there is not much to distinguish the two as all are bushy and size is mostly a question of available water).   With these plants one of the most dramatic ways of coping with intense drought is leaf drop, which reduces moisture loss from leaf surfaces.  This year many of the drought-deciduous species are nearly or entirely without leaves.
sonoran, desert, small sunny garden, amy myers, photography
Wild Palo Verde growing alongside our street
 This mechanism is sometimes offset by an ability to conduct photosynthesis through something other than leaves.  Here is a branch of Blue Palo Verde (Parkinsonia floridum), whose soft green bark carries on the task through the dry summer months.
parkinsonia, sonoran, desert, small sunny garden, amy myers, photography
Not so with the wolfberry below.   Yes, trust me, this plant is alive.  It looked like this last summer too!  Eventually it will leaf out again and bear its scruffy white flowers and red berries.  Again, I don't know what species of Lycium this is; there are at least three or four common in the Sonoran Desert, and I certainly don't know enough to ID it in this condition!
wolfberry, lycium, sonoran, desert, small sunny garden, amy myers, photography
The very image of "drought-deciduous": Lycium and wild grasses...
With so few leaves around, the very thorny nature of the desert becomes more evident.
sonoran, desert, small sunny garden, amy myers, photography
I have no idea what this shrub is, but here one can again see the pale green of the younger branches - and the nasty thorns, protecting a few miniscule leaves.
sonoran, desert, small sunny garden, amy myers, photography
Other desert plants are much gentler.  This is Larrea tridentata (Creosote bush) in its spare, striped, summer elegance.
larrea tridentata, creosote, bush, sonoran, desert, small sunny garden, amy myers, photography
A few seedpods can be seen dangling from its branches.  The rain may yet bring out a light flush of yellow flowers, but I don't see any so far.
larrea tridentata, creosote bush, seeds, sonoran, desert, small sunny garden, amy myers, photography
The leafiest plants are probably the mesquites (Prosopis velutina).  Though they can make sizeable trees, this one grows low and spreading.
sonoran, desert, small sunny garden, amy myers, photography, mesquite
It too, has dropped most of its canopy.
mesquite, prosopis, velutina, sonoran, desert, small sunny garden, amy myers, photography
Two years ago, in response to record rainfall, the arroyo just beyond was lush, full of grasses and wildflowers.  This year the ground is bare, much like the higher ground all around.    Here is the view looking back toward our lot.
sonoran, desert, small sunny garden, amy myers, photography
Most of our rainfall is expected during the winter months.  Native plants are well-adapted to dry summers.  But monsoon rains are normal, as I keep mentioning to the clouds as they sail over, leaving their precious moisture elsewhere.

Meantime, life in the dry lands goes on.
cholla, opuntia, journal of a thousand things, sonoran, desert, small sunny garden, amy myers, photography
Bird's nest in cholla cactus
For more shots of the very well-protected bird's nest we found down in the arroyo, see my other blog at Journal of a Thousand Things.
larrea tridentata, creosote bush, sonoran, desert, small sunny garden, amy myers, photography, seeds
Larrea tridentata (Creosote bush)
Weather Diary: Fair; High: 106 F (41 C); Low: 83 F (28 C); Humidity: 20%-56%


10 comments:

  1. Fascinating. I do love seeing pictures of the area around you. I was wondering today why so many plants are prickly (having now encountered blackthorn to accompany my berberis and brambles). I guess they are the ones that the wildlife don't eat! This gives me little comfort when my fingers are torn to shreds.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had similar musings as I meandered among the prickles! Another very effective protection is pungently scented leaves, which is probably why the creosote bush (no, actually it's a nice smell!) escapes despite its lack of thorns. Much nicer for the humans! Sometimes I'm surprised at what we will put up with and even plant... ;-) Having said which, I confess to buying another cactus yesterday!

      Delete
  2. There is majesty, as well as mystery, in the desert. Your photos do a great job at showing both. I hope those clouds drop some more rain for you soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Kris - that's a big compliment :) We're hoping to get some rain from the remnants of Javier now... hoping... ;-)

      Delete
  3. Replies
    1. Thanks, Ann! Really they can be quite pretty, and the flowers can be spectacular. Seeing the Ferocactus types in bloom is a highlight of summer for me ;-)

      Delete
  4. Thank you for the walk and photos, I do miss the desert!!! It has been far too long.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Time to plan a trip? ;-) I've not done too much hiking this summer; it's been soooo hot. I've been missing getting out and tramping around!

      Delete
  5. Again, I'm impressed by your photographic eye, and your continuing dedication to observing and recording the beauty of your desert surroundings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much :) Living in the desert does seem to bring out a bit of photojournalist in me. There's always something beautiful to discover here, even if it's quite forbidding at first look, as now!

      Delete