native plants – Page 2 – a curious nature

High on the Views: Camping Above the Rio Grande

June 6, 2025

Such an awesome-inspiring place to spend a Spring week in New Mexico!

Three of the five big boys! Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep.

Rio Grande del Norte National Monument …..

comprises a breathtaking 245,000 acre area of the northern Rio Grande rift valley in north central New Mexico. Established as a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) national monument in 2013, the rugged wide-open plains average 7,000 feet in elevation before dropping into steep narrow canyons carved into the landscape by rivers that have been flowing for millennia.

The confluence of two of these rivers, the Rio Grande and the Red River, occurs in the northern Wild Rivers area of the Monument. It’s at this confluence where the gorge is its deepest at 800 feet, and its widest from rim to rim measuring 3/4 mile. It’s an impressive view from the la Junta (“the Meeting”) Overlook. All of the views from anywhere along the rim are impressive.

We backed our RV (‘Felix’) into what must’ve been the best designated camping site ever ….. #9 on the southern loop in Big Arsenic Springs Campground. After setting up, we discovered that Felix rested only a few steps west was the rim and the long plunge down to the Rio Grande! But immediately south of us, the rim formed a small peninsula where nearly every afternoon I could be found sketching the plants growing from the basalt cliffs, or the swifts and turkey vultures soaring along the cliffs and over the river aided by the canyon’s updrafts. This skinny little peninsula quickly became my favorite sit spot; then late one morning it became priceless …….

Can you spot our RV? We were precariously perched above the Rio Grande, right on the rim of the gorge!

I could hear them approaching, like a swarm of bees. In a matter of seconds I was witnessing a cacophonous chorus of 100’s of pinyon jays. These noisy birds quickly moved in and onward while descending, like they were famished, on this year’s piñon pine cone-laden trees in large erratic groups, all the while screaming, “Hurry, Hurry, Hurry, Hurry!” Where exactly they came from or where they went remains a mystery. All I know was the spectacle must’ve lasted a good 10 minutes or more, as I watched wave after wave of these birds pass by. I still get goosebumps (jaybumps?) recalling those exciting moments.

We had planned to spend only one day camping in the Monument, but every morning we decided to stay at least another and then another day. We hiked every rim and interior trail (sometimes more than once), spent hours at all of the Overlooks getting ‘High on the Views,” were thrilled with our chance encounters of five (5) Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep rams (twice in one day), and marveled at how the forces of nature* collaborated to carve the narrow and steep 800 foot deep gorge within the Monument.

But alas, it became time to pack up our home away from home. Even tho a string of completely clear days allowed sun to shine on our solar panels from sunup to sundown, keeping Felix’s battery purring happily our entire stay, it did nothing to recharge our potable water tank. So the morning we found the water indicator light teetering on ‘Empty,’ was the day we headed for home (after enjoying a farewell hike, of course) with my nature journal full of sketches and memories for a lifetime!

Do you have an especially special place where you can spend time in nature? Please share your discovery and what makes it so awesome!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

*Geology 101

From the overlooks throughout the Monument, we could see stacks and stacks of basalt and ash lining the narrow canyon walls of the Rio Grande Gorge. It’s hard to imagine the volume of material deposited during two very active periods of volcanic activity that occurred 5 and 3 million years ago. Soon after these events, water moving through the major drainage in the area (today’s Red River) began eroding pathways into these deposits as it flowed downstream into the 10-16 million year old rift valley. Geologists refer to the ancient Red River drainage as the ‘original Rio Grande’ because the still-closed San Luis Basin to the north (in south central Colorado) would not overflow for a few million years. Then 400,000 years ago, coinciding with a change in climate resulting in an overabundance of snow and rain, the San Luis Basin filled and spilled. As water does so well, this new and powerful river, today’s Rio Grande, moved ‘downhill’ towards the ‘original Rio Grande’, cutting through everything in its path (including the ancient volcanic deposits). When it converged with the ‘original Rio Grande,’ the erosive force of both rivers became enough to eventually carve out an 800-foot deep gorge in the Rift.

Confluence of the Rio Grande and Red River

Dance of the Bagworms

May 9, 2025

On a warm Spring morning, wandering around a grove of American Sycamore, I became curious about these magnificent trees: where in the US are they native; why are some leaves larger than the palm of my hand and some half the size; what about those odd pingpong sized seedballs lying on the ground everywhere you look ….. why don’t they roll away in search of an ideal spot to pop open so the seeds can germinate …… when the seedballs are kicked, stepped on or crushed beneath a car tire, do the 1,000’s of seeds inside blow away to sprout ….. are the seeds (all or some of them) even viable ….. do the seedballs make a good ink or dye or maybe they’re edible or even medicinal……. what, if any wildlife species eat the seedballs or seeds; and ooooohhhhhhh, sycamore bark! Why does this tree’s bark flaunt a pastel palette of greens, yellows and pinks. These and many more questions came to mind that it seemed about time the American Sycamore became a subject for my nature journal, until ……………..

There! In the tree above my head, I spotted a most curious thing. Parting a few of that sycamore’s beautiful Spring green palmate-shaped leaves was a bundle of dead brown and beige leafy bits and sticks all haphazardly glued together. Wishing to get a closer look at that elongated ornament shaped “thing,” I found it was securely suspended from a branch. Trying to puzzle out this fascinating mystery while searching for my pen knife, a stiff breeze blew through the tree. It was then a I noticed hundreds of those 2-3” long bundles all over the tree; from the base to its crown!

Curiosity is the Essence of Nature Journaling

What continues to draw me to nature and nature journaling after so many years are the surprises in the familiar and in the unknown. I know well enough that new encounters in nature are infinite; you just have to open your eyes and look. Having learned by carefully observing what appears to be familiar, often leads to new discoveries. That’s when my curiosity kicks into high gear ….. when it’s time to engage in some serious poking around to figure something out; to learn what the “thing” is.

Curiosity, for me, is the very heart and soul of nature journaling. The ‘art’ of curiosity even precedes skill in observation. It’s what drives me out the door in the morning and fuels my exploration. Curiosity fills the mind with countless questions if for no other reason but to develop a deeper understanding of the natural world.

But I “wax philosophical.” Needless to say, my curious discovery on that warm and breezy Spring morning prompted an abrupt change of mind for my next blog post (this post). Anxious to learn about the “thing” suspended from a tree branch, probably minding its own business, I proceeded to cut it down (along with two more) and popped them in a bag along with a few sycamore leaves and seedballs.

Later that same day …….

Upon completing my journal sketches of sycamore leaves and seedballs, and posting a few photos to iNaturalist for an initial ID, it was time to take a closer look at my discovery. Reaching into the bag for one of the “things” (wiping my hand free of spider webbing?), I placed it on my examination table surrounded by several hand lenses, a larger magnifying glass, a penknife, and 2 pairs of tweezers. Before beginning the dissection, I noticed about a dozen black pepper-sized bits moving about the “thing.” Thinking tiny spiders had come from the bag, I didn’t give them a second thought (should’ve been curious!).

This bagworm bag was the subject of my dissection. Notice the pepper-sized black dots next to the bag ….. those are wiggling 1st instar larva.

iNaturalist ID Pick :::::::::::::: BAGWORM MOTH ::::::::::::::: iNaturalist ID Pick

(awaiting genus/species ID)

A Bagworm Moth!

How cool is that!?!

The opened bag of a female Bagworm moth. She’s very dead, but her progeny are escaping as fast as they can.

Dissection resumes ……

After finding out the “thing” I’ve been pondering over is the Bag of a bagworm moth, I learned the Bag was built during last Spring, Summer and Fall by either a male or female bagworm moth. If a male, the Bag would be empty; if a female, the Bag would contain her remains …. she would’ve died last fall after a male fertilized 500-1,000+ eggs she overwintered inside her body until Spring when newly-hatched larvae would emerge from the bottom of the Bag and begin the species’ life cycle all over again.

The Bag, that took about 10 minutes and all my dissection tools to open, contained the black and mushy remains of a female and 100’s of wiggling/dancing larvae! They were on the move; escaping from the now wide open Bag, and quickly covering my examination table like a pepper grinder out of control.

And my effort to open the Bag? This made sense after reading about the high tensile strength of the silk they produce. These thin strands of silk, 10x stronger than that produced by silkworms, is used in abundance to construct their Bags.

The coolest thing ever! Notice the either late 2nd or early 3rd instar larva, no longer naked, but swaddled in very chewed up leafy bits glued together with strong silk. This dude was hiking up a sycamore branch, continually chewing, wiggling, and gluing.

After disposing of all the naked 1st instar larvae waggling and dancing across my examination table, I placed the dissected Bag, the two whole Bags, and collected leaf material into a clear plastic ziplock to observe what would happen. Over 10 days, the number of larvae multiplied and the naked 1st instar caterpillars grew in size (at least to 2nd instar) while building their individual Bags from tiny bits of leaf litter! Their wiggling dance seemed to be the way their silk strands wrapped and secured leafy bits around their bodies. It’s been fun to watch all the activity.

Have you ever encountered one or more of the 1,350+ species of bagworm moths? What materials were their Bags made from? Please share your experience with these fascinating members of the butterfly/moth family of insects.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

A Rosette by any other name …….

April 23, 2025

A selection of basal rosettes that popped out of the ground this Spring.

Have you ever noticed a dandelion? Oh sure …… you’ve seen hundreds, probably thousands of those ubiquitous sunburst yellow flowers blanketing a lawn or brightening an abandoned field. But before all that brilliance magically appears, have you ever looked below all those flower stalks? Have you ever noticed a dandelion before it blooms?

It’s early Spring in the mountainous areas of central New Mexico, and it seems like the high desert is slow to bloom this year. Anxious to spot even a hint of green during this transition time is always challenging, but if you look closely …….. Tucked beneath dry grasses and piled-high tumbleweed skeletons wedged next to swelling cholla you’ll find the green. Clusters of new leaves hugging the ground no more than an inch high, are beautifully arranged in a circular pattern like the unfolding petals of a rose.

Rosettes!

Rosette arrangements are found throughout nature,¹ but in the flowering plants they are particularly common in the following families: Asteraceae (like dandelions), Brassicaceae (like cabbage), and Bromeliaceae (like pineapple). Many other families display the rosette morphology too. The needle sharp leaves of yucca and the bayonet-shaped leaves of century plant (in the Agave family) form tall rosettes. The intricate leaves of wild spring parsley (a tiny member of the Parsley family) and the petite red-stemmed stork’s bill (Geranium family) both form ground-hugging rosettes.

A century plant displaying a beautiful basal rosette.

Where Rosettes Form

Basal Rosettes grow close to the soil at or near the plant’s crown (the thick part of the stem where the roots attach). Their structure is an example of a modified stem in which the internode gaps between the leaves do not expand, ensuring all the leaves stay tightly bunched together and at a similar height. A protective function of a basal rosette makes it hard to pull from the ground; the leaves come away easily while the taproot is left intact (have you ever tried to pull a dandelion without snapping off the root?). Generally speaking, basal rosettes improve a plant’s odds at survival. For example, overwintering rosettes, like the basal leafy growth produced in year #1 of the 2-year life span of giant mullein, protect the plant and its roots from extreme cold temperatures. Emerging Spring rosettes, like those found in long-stemmed poppy, also protect the plant from late winter frosts. Basal rosettes are also more protected from changes in microclimate, gravity, wind, browsing, and mechanical damage if they are closer to the ground than tall leafy stems would be. help in water balance and conservation, especially important during periods of drought.

Lichen that has form small rosettes on rock.

But don’t only look down. Another form of rosette occurs when the internodes (those areas between leaves) along a stem are shortened, bringing leaves closer together as in lettuce and some succulents.^2.And although not as common as basal rosettes, some plants form rosettes at the terminal or top end of their often naked stems, branches, or even trunks. One plant that does this is the native sedum called wild stonecrop. The top of the plant stems usually terminate in whorls or three fleshy leaves. Another example is the Hawaiian screwpine, which has a terminal rosette of sword-shaped leaves which sits atop an erect trunk, often supported by prop roots.

Know Your Local Rosettes

A number of desirable and undesirable (weedy) plant species produce rosettes, particularly basal rosettes. Being able to identify a species that pops up in the Spring by its rosette is so helpful in preventing a removal mistake by inadvertently digging them up. Many weedy, non-native plants gaze first at their world through rosette “eyes.” But not all plants with rosettes are undesirable. Do you know your local rosettes by their other names?

………………………………………………………………

¹ Rosettes are found throughout nature, not just in the flowering plants. Here’s some examples you may have seen or heard of:

In bryophytes and algae, a rosette results from the repeated branching of the thallusas grown by plant, resulting in a circular outline. Lichens also grow rosettes.

Tiny wasps and midges can induce the development of galls that become leafy rosettes.

Jaguars, leopards and other feline species display rose-like markings on their fur, referred to as rosettes.

Malaria parasites are known to form spontaneous rosettes in uninfected red blood cells.

Neural rosettes in the human brain are being studied to learn how new cells are born.

It is unknown why the Rosette-Nosed Pygmy chameleon, at home in the mountains of Tanzania, has evolved a distinctive, rosette-shaped, fleshy protrusion on the end of its nose.

The Rosette nebula, named for its rosette-like appearance, is a beautiful collection of gas and dust 5,200 light-years from Earth in the constellation Monoceros the Unicorn, and stretches about 130 light-years across.

A gorgeous lichen decorated rock from Colorado. Note the rosette patterns of growth (the thallus)

² The horticultural definition of a succulent describes a drought-resistant plant where the leaves, stems, or roots have become fleshy and their tissues are able to store water. Succulents include aloe, euphorbia, sedum, the garden favorite hen-and-chicks, and bromeliads. But horticulturalists do not include cacti in the succulent group. huh? Even though cacti are frequently found in books describing succulents based the definition of a succulent, succulents are not cacti. In agreement with that last statement are many botanical and other scientific experts. (Can this get any more confusing?). So basically some experts are lumpers, while other are splitters. Which are you?

Basal rosette of a yucca in the NM foothills.

P.S. Cacti have stems that are thickened fleshy water-storing structures, and are considered to be a stem-succulent group of plants. Are there any cacti species that develop leafy rosettes? Because the spines are the leaves, greatly modified, in all my rabbit-trailing thru the internet and perusal of my collection of botanical references I’ve yet to see any spines forming whorled/rosette-like patterns. If you have, please contact me immediately!

……………………..……………..😂…………………………………………

Are you ready to explore the wide diversity of rosette forming plants in your neighborhood? Get on out there before those circularly-arranged leaves become disguised by an overabundance of gorgeous wildflowers!

As always, thanks for stopping by! And Happy Earth Day (week)!

A Honey of a Prize!

Meet the Honeydew Gall-Wasp Gall

April 4, 2025

It’s Spring!

When the urge to nature journal is too hard to resist, but everything around you is still brown, crispy and covered in dust, I begin looking for any curious phenomena suitable for rabbit trailing (even rabbit tracks work!). The other day while hiking a steep hill, I was looking for sign the oaks were close to breaking bud. Spotting a string of little dark red beady objects lining many of the mostly leafless stems of am oak was certainly encouraging. From a distance they appeared to be swelling leaf buds; at least their color seemed right. But an up-close inspection revealed my hopeful find as last December’s vacated “homes” occupied by oak gall wasp larvae. Having never seen this species of stem gall before, naturally this would be a perfect most curious phenomenon to tackle. And that’s just what I did!

The Honeydew Gall-Wasp Gall

Arriving back home with a small collection of oak stems crowded with tightly packed galls (resembling miniature bread loaves), my work began. Assuming the host oak was a Gambel’s (Quercus gambelii), I began my search of stems galls on that species. Carefully scouring the literature the genus appeared to be Disholcaspis, but none of the species seemed a good match. So after many days in quandary, I consulted my favorite oak gall ID specialist, firing off a lot of questions, written descriptions and photos. Patiently awaiting his reply, I continued to find more resources to review. Gall wasps have a complex life cycle, and their galls are a challenge to identify.

After 2 weeks a welcome reply arrived from the specialist. Boy did I feel silly, knowing I should’ve known better! The oak host was not a Gambel’s but a cross between Gambel’s and Shrub Live Oak (Q. turbinella) which produces a hybrid called Wavyleaf oak (Quercus x undulata). Correcting my mistake was key to identifying the stem gall! Picky little wasps, huh? Happy the specialist agreed the genus is Disholcaspis, the obvious species responsible for the gall was turned out to be D. spissa; the Honeydew Gall-Wasp ….. making my discovery the Honeydew Gall-Wasp Gall!

Lesson Relearned

When nature journaling, despite how excited you may be to find answers, it’s always, always best to slow down, breathe, carefully observe, ponder, question, make connections, and enjoy the journey ahead of the destination!

Some Gall Descriptions and A Prize!

Outside appearance: Young galls of this wasp are yellowish and hairy. Mature galls have beige-brown to weathered grey sides, are black on top, and have a dull matte surface. They can have a round to ovoid to a rectangular ‘bread-loaf’ like shape. Texture appears mealy-granular. Galls sit snugly directly on the stems (sessile), and singly or in clusters of long compact chains that form all around the stems of host oak species.

Inside the gall and back outside again: Each gall has one thin walled cell or chamber (known as monothalamous) that sits above the bottom of the gall. This is the larval chamber and is imbedded in dense cellular tissue that becomes a pulpy flesh with age. While the larvae are actively feeding and growing, they produce a copious amount of sticky-sweet honeydew that accumulates on the top of the gall. All of this honeydew attracts hordes of hungry ants and yellowjackets. The ecological importance of these secretions is unmistakeable; it provides a high energy food source for the insects. And while the ants and yellowjackets feed, they inadvertently protect the gall, like little bodyguards, from parasites and predators intent on infecting or eating the growing larvae inside. And another interesting ecological thing ….. the reason the tops of the galls are black and not the same color as their sides, has to do with a fungus called black sooty mold. The sugary secretions produced by the larvae accumulate in quantities too irresistible to the sooty mold. Colonies of the fungus develop rapidly on the honeydew giving the gall tops a dusty or powdery black color. So honeydew is the perfect medium for black sooty mold to complete its life cycle.

What about that Prize? Read on to learn more! Close-up inspection of the galls I collected, and there were about 25, revealed all but one had a single exit hole in a side just below its crusty red-black top. I learned the adult wasps emerge from these stem galls by late December; sometimes waiting for warmish temps until mid January. What happened to the adult wasps in the one gall without an exit hole? Because the gall had a sooty top, implying the larvae had been eating, growing and secreting honeydew, maybe the larvae died at some point or failed to develop into an adult? Had to know! Cutting the gall to find out wasn’t easy. The outer crust fell away first, then using steady knife pressure on the punky innards, the gall popped open, like a box of ‘Cracker Jacks!’ And there, near the bottom of the package, was a single sealed chamber. Carefully I was able to tease out the contents with fine pointed tweezers until out blurped the Prize! An intact cream colored gooey looking larvae, followed by a small puddle of viscous liquid. Even though the larvae filled up most of the chamber, there wasn’t any sign it was alive. And after an hour, when there still wasn’t any movement …. well, darn, I felt he must’ve died sometime before morphing into adult form. But peeking inside the gall did answer the question about the absence of an exterior exit hole.

And now an interesting note about these types of cynipid oak gall wasps: On my diagram, I used the term ‘agamic’ which is a formal label included with the genus/species name (i.e. Disholcaspis spissa ‘agamic’). This means these wasps have an asexual all female population that emerges from galls in late fall/early winter to lay fertilized eggs without needing to mate with males. Then a bisexual generation follows where adults emerge from galls in late winter/spring/early summer. This is the typical 2 generation annual life cycle of cynipid gall wasps, where the galls developed from each generation usually look very different and even occur on different parts of the host plant (on stems vs leaves). It’s interesting that nothing is known about the bisexual generation of D. spissa, but the asexual generation is common, well documented and abundant.

Known host oak species for D. spissa: Look for these galls on Shrub live oak (Quercus turbinella), Wavyleaf oak (Quercus x undulata), Mexican blue oak (Q. oblongifolia), Arizona white oak (Q. arizonica), and Shinnery oak (Q. havardi).

******************************************************************************************

Hope you found my post interesting. Have you ever been curious enough about plant galls to look inside? Recalling the first time I saw a gall, I had no clue what it was and why it was precariously clinging to a plant leaf. It was round and hard, and reminded me of a tiny rusty red ping-pong ball. Was there something inside? Would it be squishy, alive, have teeth and bite, or perhaps whatever it was was dead and oh so smelly? Maybe it was some weird kind of flower bud, or a fruit lost under the leaf? Despite being a bit nervous, I needed to know what, if anything was inside. So I cut it in half, and in the center of the ball, suspended on hundreds of delicate threads, was a tiny, wormy creature twisting and turning and wriggling to music only it could hear! That was over 45 years ago, and to this day I still find galls irresistible!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

A Few References

Russo, Ronald A.: (2021) Plant Galls of the Western United States, section on tree galls; oak galls of the SW, page 173.

Weld, LH: (1957) New American Cynipid Wasps From Oak Galls https://www.gallformers.org/gall/948

Up Close and Conversational .. ‘Glorieta’ Southwestern Orangetip Butterfly

April 2, 2025

New Mexico Orangetip butterflies

The ‘Glorieta’ Southwestern Orangetip (Anthocharis thoosa ssp coriande), are only known to occur in the central and north central counties of New Mexico. This recently recognized form of A. thoosa was described by M. Fisher and Scott in 2008, from specimens collected near Glorieta Pass southeast of Santa Fe¹ (which just northeast of our home).

The Orangetips are classified in the Family Pieridae/Subfamily Pierinae ….. commonly called the Whites. In NM there are 16 known species of Whites, including the non-native European Cabbage White. After a wet winter, plentiful males compete for hilltop display locations while females search surrounding areas for the choicest of native plants in the mustard family (Brassicaceae) on which to lay their eggs. When the eggs hatch, the larvae (caterpillars) voraciously devour the leaves of their host mustard plants, until they’ve grown to over 1,000 times in size! Because this family of butterflies is common in desert habitats, to withstand drought conditions some species have the ability to suspend development during their pupal stage (when they are in their chrysalis), a mechanism called pupal diapause. And if winter rains do not cause favorable conditions for their larval hosts (the mustard plants), they can remain in pupal diapause for several years.

The White’s preference for mustard plants may not be about taste. It’s thought that chemicals contained in these host plants make butterflies in this group unpalatable. Entomologist, “Mike Toliver has witnessed only one attack by a bird on members of this group in more than 60 years of observation.”¹

¹https://peecnature.org/butterflies-of-new-mexico/whites-pieridae-pierinae/

A Very Close Encounter

Early one morning (a few days ago), Roy discovered a miniature butterfly afloat, upside down, in a water bucket left outside overnight. Looking very drowned, Roy scooped him up with the tip of his index finger and brought him inside the house for my inspection. Excited and sad all at once, I snapped a few photos, having never seen this species before. Because this little guy had such striking marks and color, finding him in the online New Mexico butterfly field guide was easy. This beauty was a ‘Glorieta’ Southwestern Orangetip (Anthocharis thoosa ssp coriande)!

Roy was about to turn him over to take a look at the flip side when one of the wings fluttered a bit. Not believing our eyes, I gently prodded him, and sure enough! He seemed alive! But just how much alive we didn’t know.

Rushing this tiny guy outside where his wings might dry, he slowly became more active. Unfortunately the tip of a still damp forewing folded over and stuck like glue making it impossible to synchronize those wings …. he didn’t seem remotely interested in taking flight. Not to be defeated, he then crawled up to the tip of my pinky finger, looked me in the eyes, raised one of his six legs politely asking for help. Gathering my courage and willing any clumsiness ‘be gone’ from my fingers, I held my breath while using the edge of my longest fingernail to slowly and carefully separate the fold. Taking my time to tease up the delicate tip millimeter by millimeter, this butterfly never moved a muscle (do butterflies have muscles?). After what seemed like hours the wing unfolded, popping back into alignment without any apparent damage!

He didn’t fly tho, so I sat with him for about 20 minutes as he perched on my finger. During my ultra close inspection of his eyes (you know I love eyes, and his were sultry grey and gorgeous), punk-rock style hairdo, and brilliant orange tipped wings, he seemed content while I carried on a lengthy one-sided conversation warning him of the world’s dangers.

Somewhat convinced he believed and would abide by my every word, I walked him over to a large mullein stalk, where he walked off my finger to enjoy a sunbath (hopefully to prepare to take wing). He wasn’t in much of a hurry tho. About an hour later and checking to see if the coast was clear, off he flew. That beautiful Glorieta Southwestern Orangetip butterfly was free!

All-in-all, it was an exciting encounter!

What exciting encounters are you experiencing during this change of seasons?

As always, thanks for stopping by!

From Seed to Tree: The Irresistible Urge to Grow

A Pinyon Pine/Piñon Seed Update

February 7, 2025

Give a seed the right conditions ……. enough water, sunlight, the perfect temperature ….. and this small package cannot resist emerging from its protective coat to grow into a full grown plant.

Seeds are tiny marvels of nature.

Looking inside the seed reveals a miniature pine tree!

Think about it ……. a seed is really a living baby plant (the embryo) surrounded by a cozy blanket (the endosperm) that cradles and nourishes the embryo while tucked inside the seed coat. When the coat unzips, freeing the “baby” as it begins to grow, it continues to be nourished by the endosperm until the first true leaves appear. Witnessing the process is so cool!

After collecting piñon seeds from last November’s foraging expedition, (Piñon or Pinyon, Piñon Seed or Pine Nut), we decided to treat a dozen or so to conditions just right to stimulate germination. But first the seeds required a short period of stratification (moisture) to help soften and crack the seed coats. Introducing moisture was done by lining a clear glass jar with damp paper towels and placing the seeds between the towels and glass to watch the action.

Post from November 2024 Seed Foraging Expedition

Soon embryonic roots (the radicles) successfully cracked the seed coats of nine seeds and began growing downward, as roots tend to do. In a week or so, before the embryonic leaves (cotyledons) appeared, all of the germinating embryos were planted. Six of the nine then sprouted their whorled cotyledons, followed by a growth spurt of the first true leaves, initiating the process of food manufacturing (photosynthesis).

All of the germination and seedling development details of these piñon seeds, to date, can be found in my update illustrations.

Seed germination is a fascinating process, and like the seed itself, is also a marvel of nature. Have you ever tried to germinate a seed? If not, give it a go. It’s fun, educational, and imagination provoking ….. from such a small seed comes a full-grown flowering plant!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Winter Botany: Horsetail Milkweed

February 1, 2025

Wandering about the neighborhood one warm summer morning in 2018, I noticed a dense stand of plants lining a 20 foot section of road. What caught my eye were the umbrella-like clusters of pearly white flowers topping each slender stem. From a distance these plants resembled our native white-flowering yarrow. But I soon realized the narrow dark green leaves were not fuzzy; the tiny exotic-looking flowers were not daisy shaped. Unmistakably, this plant was a species of milkweed! And the flowers of more than 50 individual plants in this population were a-flutter and a-buzz and a-crawling with hungry insects!

What was this milkweed species?

This is the Winter Botany portion of this post. All that remains of last summer’s Horsetail Milkweed are stems and mostly empty seed pods clinging to short branches. But some of the seed pods still hold silky tailed seeds clinging to their open pods. Hundreds of seed pods line the roadways in our neighborhood.

It didn’t take long to confirm this plant as Horsetail Milkweed (Asclepias subverticillata), a species commonly found along roadsides in pinyon-juniper woodlands. Knowing what to look for on future walks, over the next several years I was excited to find 30+ more populations of various sizes along neighborhood roadways! From 2018 until early summer 2024, I continued to monitor these seemingly abundant populations. The small numbers of seeds I collected in the Fall were planted in our yard, and every year I checked for the presence, variety and numbers of insects busy feeding on nectar as they pollinated the flowers.

During June 2024, when we moved only a few miles to the northeast, I was happy to see Horsetail Milkweed grew abundantly in our new subdivision. This prompted me to dig deeper into researching this species. Its been exciting to discover how important this milkweed is to native insects, including monarch and queen butterflies.

Photo (mine) taken in July 2022 of a blooming Horsetail Milkweed being enjoyed by a feeding wasp.

According to pollination ecologists, Horsetail Milkweed is especially valuable to large numbers of native bees. This plant species also supports conservation biological control by attracting predatory or parasitoid insects that prey upon pest insects.

And Horsetail Milkweed is one of the favorite host plants for monarch and queen butterflies, all because it’s toxic! Producing an especially nasty tasting and potent neurotoxin strong enough to kill livestock, the caterpillars of these two butterflies have evolved to benefit from such a poisonous substance. Voraciously ingesting a diet of only milkweed leaves, obviously tasty to the larvae, makes them unpalatable to would-be predators, such as birds. The toxin from milkweed leaves has become their primary means of defense; definitely a benefit for such chubby, slow little caterpillars.

Monarch caterpillar (source: open commons)

Although central New Mexico isn’t in any of the major migratory routes of these butterflies, I have observed both species in our previous neighborhood. Since learning more about Horsetail Milkweed and it’s favored roadside habitat close to home, my hope is to provide actively growing plants throughout the summer (a safe distance away from roadside easements) for both the monarch and queen adult butterflies and their caterpillars ……. especially important when governing covenants of our previous and new subdivisions require the roadways be groomed (mowed down like a butch haircut!) on a monthly basis by subdivision landscape crews.

Because milkweeds are among my favorite of all plant species, mainly due to their complex flowers and the clever trickery they’ve developed to ensure pollination, I wrote about and illustrated two in-depth blog posts on this subject. Believe me when I say, “It’s overboard fascinating!”

Check out the following posts …..

Surprise! A vine-y, twine-y desert milkweed discovery from July 2024, where I revisit milkweed flower structure and pollination and learn about a new-to-me genus, Funastrum.

Summer Botany: Meet the Milkweeds from July 2022. This is my first comprehensive look at milkweed flower structure, how pollination takes place, and the genus Asclepias.

Read on to learn more botanical information about Horsetail Milkweed AND how to find out if you live in Spring and/or the Fall Migration routes of the monarch butterfly AND where queen butterflies migrate to and from.

Characteristics and habitat requirements of Horsetail Milkweed

Horsetail Milkweed is a perennial species with a stout, woody rootstock. Plants readily spread by rhizomes (underground stems) producing dense communities. Cold-hardy to at least 0℉, this milkweed bounces right back in the Spring. Plants are also drought-tolerant once established, thriving in well-drained, sandy soil under full to partial sun.

Able to thrive in a variety of habitats and plant communities from 2500 – 8000 feet in elevation, Horsetail Milkweed grows among grasses, on sandy or rocky flats, on slopes, roadsides, and along trails in Chaparral, Semidesert Grasslands, Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands, Montane Conifer Forests, and in disturbed areas.

All of these characteristics and its adaptability to a wide range of habitats make Horsetail Milkweed one of the easiest milkweed species to grow.

Monarch Butterfly

To learn if you live within the path of or close to spring and/or fall monarch butterfly migration routes, you can view a map or these route here:

https://www.monarchwatch.org/

Queen Butterfly

The queen is chiefly a tropical species. In the US, it is usually confined to the southern portion of the country. It can be found regularly in peninsular Florida and southern Georgia, as well as in the southern portions of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Occasionally, the subspecies of the queen can be found somewhat north, in Kansas, Colorado and Utah.

Queen butterflies do not migrate as dramatically as monarch butterflies, but they do move short distances in tropical regions with dry seasons to higher elevations.

Queen caterpillar (source: open commons)

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Pick Me! Pick Me!

January 20, 2025

Winter can be challenging for nature journalers. Getting outside when it’s cold and windy, cloudy and dreary, snowy, icy or wet, are not ideal weather under any circumstances. And when everything looks brown and crispy and pretty much the same, the challenge to nature journal in the great outdoors grows exponentially. While these conditions make it difficult for spontaneous observing, I try to remember there’s always something remarkable to be discovered in nature, even in winter.

Who knew a little whack on the head would be just the thing to reawaken my curiosity?

Bundled in layers, leash in hand, Luna led me on her early morning walk around suburban Albuquerque. Having been along this route before, we’ve both made some interesting discoveries in the past. And as usual, this time was no exception for Luna. For me though, everything appeared brown, crispy and familiar. But I was inspired by and enjoying Luna’s sense of curiosity, and her encouraging tug on the leash.

Nearing the end of our 2-1/2 mile walk, and mightily concerned I’d go home empty handed, we turned our last corner. It wasn’t 100 feet down the cement block-lined sidewalk that I abruptly stopped in my tracks. Something had lightly whacked me in the head! While the sound of rhythmic clacking rang out, I looked up, and to my surprise spotted the accidental assailant. Draped over the 6 foot wall, suspended from a hearty Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans) growing in the hidden yard beyond was a string of pods resembling brown green beans. Long and plump and full of seeds, one of these pods had reached down low enough to make contact with to my head. (I say “reached” because that’s what my imagination said had happened.) Quickly awaking my sleepwalking brain, the effort made by the seed pod to get my attention paid off too. Silently whispering, “Pick me! Pick me!” it was as if the seed pod and its adjacent buddies either wanted to be harvested, or wanted to be featured in my nature journal (or both).

So I did ………… both!

I loved learning about and sketching these fascinating Trumpet Vine seed pods, while my mind was filled with the muffled notes of a trumpet. Tooo-too-too-toooooom!

Hope you enjoyed reading this story and browsing around my journal pages.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

The Whimsy of Redefining Heartwood

January 10, 2025

After an unseasonably warm, almost spring-like December in the mountains of central New Mexico, January clearly has something else in mind. Winter! Windy days have resulted in bitter cold as they brought us cloud-cover and a few mini-snowstorms.

The change in weather and absence of wildlife, combined with an abundance of dried vegetation is making it challenging to find nature journaling subjects. So a few days ago, I followed Luna around to see what was capturing her attention. Turns out burrowing rodents expanding their underground tunnels are leaving behind fresh mounds of soil with fascinating odors (to Luna, at least; I couldn’t smell a thing).

When one of her explorations led me under a good sized pinyon tree, I noticed a very interesting piece of bark lying on the ground. Turning the piece over and over, examining all the beautiful patterns in the wood, the colors, old bug holes, and woodpecker drillings, I was surprised and delighted to see a good-sized hole in the shape of a perfect Heart! Eureka!

The 7” piece of pinyon bark …. Can you find the Heart?

Many things crossed my mind in that moment …… but the one word that stuck was “Heartwood!!” Could this small piece of bark redefine the meaning of heartwood? Could this tree have been wearing it’s true emotions on its bark in the form of a heart-shaped window?

After a refresher on basic tree anatomy, and reconfirming that heartwood surrounds the core of the trunk, my imagination went wild. Could that heart-shaped hole in the bark been the opening of a mysterious pathway through the inner workings of the tree?!!! If I could’ve returned the piece of bark to the exact place from where it fell, could the heartbeat of the tree be heard?

My finished pages mostly about Redefining Heartwood, but also featuring the view of South Mountain (to the NE) as seen from our new home (including my studio) and the trail where the “Heartwood” bark was found.

While sketching the piece of bark with its perfectly-shaped heart, I wondered if peering at the inner workings of a tree through this window would make a fun children’s picture book? ….. Where the layers of a trunk and how they work would be experienced first hand by a child walking down the pathway?

After you stop laughing from all this nonsense, let me know what you think?

As always, thanks for stopping by (on my magic carpet ride!)

Meet an “Extreme” Creative!

April 8, 2024

After years of on-line and email chats, I was delighted when my friend Robin Atkins decided it was finally time we met in person! Bravo!

Robin and her travel buddy Lunnette, drove over 1,800 miles to Tucson to teach a Spirit Doll class to a local beading group. Then after spending 5+ days exploring Tucson and before driving home to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, WA, they took a “short” scenic 450 mile detour …… to Tijeras, NM. This out-of-the way drive would bring them to our doorstep, and our first face-to-face meeting! While in Tijeras, we were able to spend an evening and full day getting to know each other and spent time hiking, nature sketching, and sharing each other’s art.

Robin snapped this photo of me sketching out at Golden Open Space. The beautiful wind sculpted juniper trees growing along the precipices of the windy observation areas are absolutely captivating (and tough). Luna thinks they’re tasty!

Meet Robin

Robin, whom I’ve always thought of as an “extreme creative,” is a fascinating, energetic, curious, passionate and bright-eyed adventurer in her early 80s. Her many interests and skills, in addition to creating uniquely designed, hand sewn and beaded Spirit Dolls, include: quilting (many with bead embellishments), thread embroidery, book making, watercolor painting, Zentangle art, nature journaling, making decorative papers, poetry, weaving, collage, crochet, felting and book author. And she shares her skills and techniques by teaching.

This isn’t an exhaustive list by any means! As someone who seems to thrive on learning and developing new skills, Robin never stops seeking artistic challenges to take on.

Check out Robin’s beautiful webpage and blog (http://robinatkins.com) where you can find photos and posts highlighting her current and past creative projects.

A Short-but-Sweet Visit

We had a wonderful time getting to know each other, and what a delight to have also met Robin’s long-time friend and travel buddy, Lunnette. A retired firefighter in her mid 70s, Lunnette is also a nature journaler, calligrapher, quilter, and according to Robin, “she’s a terrific navigator, who always uses her keen sense of direction and map reading skills to keep us on the “right road,” (in both the literal and figurative sense).”

This is my finished graphite drawing of the twisted juniper I spent 5 minutes sketching.

Parting company was hard, but Robin and Lunnette needed to return home. Along their route they visited both Mesa Verde National Park and Arches National Park, soaking in more of the desert southwest sun and culture before taking on the 1,200 mile journey for Friday Harbor.

Memories!