The Locals: And the Fauna

 

Mr. Handsome!

I love toads!  Look at that face, so much personality there!  The cabin is near a creek and the general area is in a riparian zone - good toad habitat.  At the right times, toads can be seen hopping around, but you do have to know where to look.  There are a variety of species here; this guy is a Great Plains Toad (Bufo cognatus).  Because I haven't had a dedicated garden area for very long, I don't have a house toad yet.  I'm hopeful with the vegetable garden and it's rock borders, I'll have someone move in next year.  You can't beat a toad for pest control and entertainment value.

Abedus herberti - another handsome guy

I am a big fan of water bugs (Belostomatidae), and this guy I found in the river nearby is typical of males found late spring through summer (with eggs glued to his back).  There are a number of mainly tropical genera found worldwide, but the most common in SW streams and rivers are Abedus and Belostoma.  The insects (true bugs, actually) are voracious predators and if you're not careful handling them, they can deliver a painful "bite".  The bugs capture their prey, jab their hollow mouthparts into it, inject saliva containing digestive enzymes, then suck out the liquefied remains.  Because the proteins in the saliva can break down muscle tissue and the mouthparts are about 1/4" long, if you get jabbed, you can be left with some nasty scars. 

Native bees tucked in for the night.

Because of the wet summer, we had an abundance of thistles growing in the yard this year.  Most were non-natives, but I like thistles, so I let most of them do their thing.  My husband noticed that every evening, each thistle flower had 2-5 bees tucked down in, butts up and sleeping deeply.  It was difficult to rouse them and they tucked back in as soon as they could.  There were a variety of species, all natives, not domesticated honeybees.  Everyone was dusted with pollen and gone the next morning. 

A chubby fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus) 

New Mexico is lizard central and one thing I miss terribly living out of state is the abundance of reptiles.  At the cabin, lizards and skinks are everywhere.  This cutie met me inside the door when I arrived last August.  He was cool (no place to warm up in the house) so he was easy to catch - still feisty, though.  After a few minutes of close examination, I let him go on the doorstep and he skittered off into the woodpile. 

A land snail; unknown genus

One morning while preparing to prune the apples, I noticed snail trails here and there.  It was a dewy morning, so the little guys were still out in the sun.  During the day, you won't find them anywhere (they hunker down to preserve moisture), but I know they are abundant, due to the large number of shells (left by birds) under trees.  Most of the time, the aridity of the yard prevents their movements and concomitant damage.

I will end with an invertebrate mystery.  Behind the cabin is an old oak with nearly horizontal limbs.  The underside of the largest limb is covered with the empty exoskeletons of an unknown insect.  I never see them "full" or alive (and I check every time I'm there), and yet every year there are more and more exoskeletons under that branch.  Usually I'm pretty good at identifying insects and this one has me stumped.

The Locals: The Flora

We're in the thick of winter and thinking of green things and flowers.  I am desperately missing the heat of summer (I love it).  To warm up my thoughts, I've selected a few photos of flowers from the house taken this past summer.  It was a very wet year, so plants that normally don't survive had a chance to flourish.  Enjoy the pictures.

Sweet Four O'clock (Mirabilis longiflora)

This is one of my favorite wildflowers at the house.  It grows under the junipers in two separate areas of the property, both quite shady.  The plants are a bit lanky, and the branches snap at the slightest touch, but these traits are easy to forget in the evenings when the lovely flowers open.  If you are familiar with garden four o'clocks, these are similar, but imagine the petals (which are fused) being a degree more translucent and the throat extended in an almost hallicinatory manner.  I don't understand how the flowers manage to avoid floppiness, but they are held upright and glow all night.  As with other four o'clocks, the first frost causes the

Sweet Four o'clock (Mirabilis longiflora) to collapse into a pile of sticks.

My sister and I have gentle arguments about this flower. She loves it - I'm not so sure. It is quite common and can form generous colonies in a short time.  When the flowers are open, your mood is quickly brightened by the happy surrounded by yellow daisy-like flowers.  But then, summer advances, water evaporates and the plants quickly finish their life cycle.  You can see one of the cute little puffs of seeds below the full blown flower above.  Those puffs look soft, downy,.... friendly.  Don't be fooled!  The seeds work their way into every stitch of your clothing starting at ankle level (where the majority of the puffs are found).  With amazing, quiet and efficient skills, the seeds find their way into every cloth item you own - even inside the house!  The simple task of walking across the yard becomes similar to assessing a land-mine field. The short happy daisy season seems years away.  It is at this time that I decide no more daisies! - next year weed barrior for sure.

Globe Mallow (Sphaeralcea munroana)

Globe mallow is one of my favorite NM wildflowers.  It was widespread where I grew up and a pink form was common at our house.  This plant looks good all the time with zero care.  Because of this, and it's nearly constant flowers, I'm pretty lenient about letting it grow wherever it wants to.  My big mistake this year was to let a volunteer grow in the interstices of rocks bordering the vegetable garden.  Normally, the plants max out at about three feet.  With the addional water from the drip system, the volunteer grew over five feet tall and was about three feet wide - a very healthy individual.  I'll never get rid of it because they have extremely deep tap roots. 

Wild Morning Glory (Evolvulus arizonicus)

Many people think morning glories are pests because when they have enough water they become lush vines that can choke out other plants.  I don't water them, so I just come across a pretty flower here and there among the other forbes.  A nice effect.

Mexican Hat (Ratbidia columnifera)

Mexican Hat is becoming more popular with gardeners because it's pretty tough, flowers alot and is good for birds.  The form seem in catalogs and nurseries has brick red petals, sometimes with a yellow edge.  You know you have the Gila form if the petals are all yellow; it's only found in NM.  This plant was a volunteer that grew next to one of the apple trees.  It's lucky - when I lay down the weedcloth this spring, this guy will be within the uncovered zone.  I'll get to enjoy it for a few more years.

Bird of Paradise (Poinciana gilliessii)

If you travel through Phoenix or Tucson in the summer/fall, you'll can't help but notice a shrub with brilliant orange flowers -its become ubiquitous because it requires zero care once established.  It is the Sonoran form of Bird of Paradise and can be found throughout its eponymous Desert.  The Chihuahuan form is yellow with red stamens.  It will grow in Albuquerque, but is happier in warmer climes, so it's more common south of Socorro.  It's still pretty flashy, but this shrub never seems to look quite as lush as it's relative.  A nice shrub and a good hummingbird plant.  We have tons of these at the house and they flowered well during the wet year.

Red Spiderling (Boerhaavia coccinea)

It's easy to miss red spiderling, there just isn't much to this plant.  Low to the ground, threadlike stems and leaves, but brilliant fushia flowers.  They are a joy.  Some consider this plant to be a pest, but it never grows in anything resembling abundance, so I leave it alone.


Buffalo Bur (Solanum rostratum)


I will end with buffalo bur, a plant that made it's first appearance at the cabin this year. It's a member of the Solanacea; pretty clear from the flowers. The rest of the plant is just amazing. "Spines" emerging from the undersides of each leaf, gazillions of spines on the stems and seed pods. It was dangerously beautiful. The intriguing aspect of this plant (besides that I had never seen it before) was that it (and nothing else on the property) was covered with potato beetle larvae of various stages. I've never seen so many and it gives me pause about growing potatoes in the garden.

For more info about native plants of the region, try the website Vascular Plants of the Gila Wilderness compiled by the Western NM University Department of Natural Sciences and Herbarium.  It helps to have a general knowledge of botany, but it is a very thorough site.