Six on Saturday: from the Monsoon Rains

 It's all about the rain right now.  Here at our new home, this month's monsoon rains have been torrential but much-appreciated by the growing things.

When we arrived, most of these plants were leafless or looked to be dead or dying.  But the rains have been falling for several weeks now, and the results are delightful.

At the top of the page is sweet acacia (Vachellia farnesiana) in full bloom.  The lot is full of these, ranging from small trees down to shrubs on down to sprouts and seedlings at ground level.  I shall have to begin weeding them out, there are so many!  The scent is wonderful.

The palo verdes are leafing out as well.  Their bloom time is mid-spring, but they are breaking their summer-deciduous dormancy in response to the rain.

I realize as I write this that I've assumed this is Parkinsonia florida, the blue Palo Verde, but I haven't checked it out.  There are some other wild varieties in southern Arizona, and I need to confirm just which one this is.  Lovely, in any case.

Another plant that was leafless when we arrived is this smallish ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens), which is now such a mass of leaves that those long thorns are nearly invisible.  I've wanted an ocotillo of my own for years, and here is one already in the ground and, apparently, thriving.  

It did look like a cluster of dead sticks when we arrived, but that is to be expected of an ocotillo in June.  It responded with leaves within two or three days of my giving it a quick spray of water.  (Temperatures were at record highs when we arrived.)  Since then the monsoon rain has kept it quite happy.

No leaves sprout on cacti, of course, but the young saguaro has clearly been drinking heartily.  Its ribs feel taut to the touch right now!

I consider it an honor, more than anything else, to have a saguaro in my garden.  I've taken the liberty of christening this one Bungo.

Lastly come the flowers.

The two half-price Salvia farinacea that I rescued are settling in nicely beneath the small kumquat...

...while the kumquat itself is recovering well.  Its leaves were withering and ready to drop when we came.  Now it not only has new growth but has begun to flower as well.  Yes, the scent is delicious.

Not a bad six for a start, I think!  After a difficult time leaving Missouri, followed by a rough first month here, (we were frankly sick with the stress and fatigue of it all) it looks like we are settling in.  I'll be posting more soon, if all goes well.  There is so much to discover here, and it is certainly a different part of the desert than my previous garden.  Still the Sonora, but at about 4000 feet elevation as well as further south.  There will be much to learn.

Meantime, this is my first Six on Saturday post, linking with the Propagator's weekly theme.  I've looked forward to participating but decided to wait until I could start blogging and gardening anew here.

The Wild Tree: January

I began to think I wouldn't manage a post this month for the tree following meme, kindly hosted by Squirrelbasket.  What between some rain (gone now) and several projects, I only finally went over to take some pictures today.

As I said, we have had some rain, and there are patches of green grass on the way there.  This small swathe of green lies in front of a creosote bush (Larrea tridentata).

Further on, the cluster of Blue Palo Verde trees (Parkinsonia florida) that I am following is looking bright and happy...

 ...though most of the leaves have a yellowish cast.  Looking back over past posts, I see that I've mentioned yellow leaves at least since November.  It would seem to be a winter phenomenon and has increased each month since.  These trees do not drop their leaves in our normally mild winters (they are summer deciduous instead to cope with drought), but it would seem that they do turn colour a little bit!

In the meantime, an answer has possibly emerged to a question from several months ago, namely, the question of folded leaves.  I think now this is a response to shade.  Many of the branches were already in shadow when I went to take my pictures.  The leaves on the shadowed branches were folded...

...and even more dramatically here...

...while those on the sunlit branches were still open.

Definitely a sun-loving tree!  Though I can't be certain that shade is the cause...

For the rest, it is its usual self, with dainty, rounded leaves and green bark.

The foliage has filled in since last month, which was quite dry.  January has already seen some good rainy weather so the trees can afford to put out some extra leaves.

While out, I was also able to take some pictures of the beautifully striped branches of the so-called Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata); those pictures are up at the Journal of a Thousand Things.

Here is a last close-up of the somewhat yellowed leaves of the Palo Verde trees, lightly folded.

Weather Diary: Fair with light clouds; High: 64 F (18 C)/Low: 36 F (2 C)

The Wild Tree: December

This month's post sees the cluster of Parkinsonia florida trees near mid-winter.  This is a lovely time of year here in the low desert.

Very little has actually changed since last month, other than an increased number of yellow leaves...

 ...and fewer leaves on the branches, both perhaps due to a long time with no rainfall.

Otherwise, the trees are their usual selves, lightly covered in a sparse million of tiny leaves over soft green branches and trunk.

So today's post will mostly be pictures.  Some were taken in evening light and are rather dark; the rest in the morning...

Evening light...

...and morning light...

As I say, a few extra yellow leaves...

...over green branches.

I don't think I've photographed the elegant wrinkles in the bark before!

Here is a damaged spot, calloused over.

And there are the lingering seedpods, open...

...and still closed.

Joining once more with the Tree Following meme, now kindly hosted by Squirrelbasket!

Weather Diary: Mostly sunny; High: 70 F (21 C)/Low: 44 F (7 C)
P.S.  More photos of desert wildflower Rubber Rabbitbrush (just the seedheads now!) at The Handmaker's World...

The Wild Tree: September

It is time to take another look at the wild Palo Verde trees - the ones that I am featuring with the Tree Following meme hosted by Lucy at Loose and Leafy.

Today's post is perhaps as much about the weather as about the trees, which have not changed much since last month's post.  Everything is just a bit drier, though we did have a downpour last night and the trees look happy enough.  But when I went over this evening, the wind was blustering and the clouds made everything a good deal dimmer than is usual out here.  In fact, I hesitated to take my good camera, worrying about the effects of blowing dust.  In the end I did use it, but the conditions made it difficult to shoot anyway!

There were a good many pictures of blowing branches...

...and of green branches in their own shadows...

...and in the shadow from the wall behind.

It is easier now to see the shape of the trunk clusters.  These are at the centre of the group.

Seedpods are scarce and, like this one, may be open and empty even if still on the tree.

As you can see, the weather is veering toward autumn, despite which the daytime temperatures are still frequently over 100 F (38 C).  But the sun is not as intense; and the grasses, which flourished in green patches for a month or two, have browned and dried.

Unlike the Parkinsonia, the nearby Lycium (thank you for helping with the ID, Jane!) is looking ragged and dry though it still has some leaves.

The roadsides are still fairly green from recent rains...

...and the Rubber Rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa, formerly Chrysothamnus nauseosus) is almost ready to bloom at the front of our lot.

Daylight ended with a glorious but moody sunset.

A quick postscript - an invitation, in fact - to visit my new blog The Handmaker's World, where I will be sharing my adventures in creating things with my hands, an adventure which has always been a large part of my life.  Please feel free to come visit as the intoductory post is now up!

Weather Diary: Partly cloudy, High: 103 F (39 C)/Low: 82 F (28 C)

The Wild Tree: July

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)