Paucity of observations
I haven't been posting many observations this fall. There's not much worth observing, at least not in the plant world. Most species of fall-flowering plants have taken the year off, having received so little rain. The drought has also cut down on the numbers of other organisms. The McDowell Sonoran Conservancy's fall butterfly count was substantially lower this year than last. But in pursuit of observations for this desert mistletoe quick-quest, I photographed some drought-stressed individuals, and even found a flower. I also documented something I've been witnessing out my window, as the desert cottontails are resorting to nibbling the bark of palo verde trees to get them through the drought.
Observações
Fotos / Sons
What
Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea)Observador
stevejonesDescrição
Skinny drought-struck saguaro; red color in the epidermis suggests drought stress as well.
Fotos / Sons
What
Palo-Verde (Parkinsonia microphylla)Observador
stevejonesDescrição
Dead tree; note the lack of mistletoe in it. I suspect it was drought that took it out, but it could be other causes - borer beetles or an unknown pathogen.
Fotos / Sons
What
Rabo-de-Dragão (Cylindropuntia fulgida)Observador
stevejonesDescrição
Drought-stressed individual
Fotos / Sons
What
Euphorbia polycarpaObservador
stevejonesDescrição
No characters to ID it from at this stage, but known to be Euphorbia polycarpa.
Fotos / Sons
What
Palo-Verde (Parkinsonia microphylla)Observador
stevejonesDescrição
Browsed by rabbits. Drought has left them resorting to bark of palos verdes.
Fotos / Sons
What
Euphorbia polycarpaObservador
stevejonesDescrição
No characters to ID it from at this stage, but known to be Euphorbia polycarpa.
Comentários
Very cool, you have to take your observations where and when you can get thm.
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