Week Ending 5/5/12

Bold = locally native species

FLOWERING / POLLINATING
Ocotillo / Fouquieria splendens
- - -
Damianita / Chrysactinia mexicana 


Autumn Sage / Salvia greggii
Confederate Jasmine / Trachelospermum jasminoides 

(the scent on the jasmine is intoxicating right now)


- - -

Green-Flowered Torch Cactus / Echinocereus chloranthus 

 

Fendler's Hedgehog / Echinocereus fendleri

Texas Rainbow Cactus / Echinocereus pectinatus ssp. dasyacanthus 

 
Claret Cup Cactus / Echinocereus triglochidiatus (typical and White Sands forms)























Red Yucca / Hesperaloe parviflora

Little Chiles / Mammillaria meiacantha

Beavertail Cactus / Opuntia basilaris
Narrowleaf Yucca / Yucca baileyi ssp. intermedia  




- - -

Purple Threeawn / Aristida purpurea 



Hill Country Penstemon / P. triflorus

Mexican Blue Sage / Salvia chamaedryoides

Globemallow / Sphaeralcea spp.

Dahlberg Daisy / Thymophylla tenuiloba

Common Thyme / Thymus vulgaris

LEAF-OUT / STEM GROWTH

Ocotillo / Fouquieria splendens (an unusual specimen leafed out, but didn't bloom)

Gray Oak / Quercus grisea
Desert Live Oak / Quercus turbinella

 

BUD-SWELL / BUD-BREAK / FLOWERS FORMING

Ocotillo / Fouquieria splendens

Beaked Yucca / Yucca rostrata 

- - -

Lavender / Lavendula spp.

- - -

Thompson Yucca / Yucca thompsoniana

- - -

Mistflower / Conoclinium greggii

Desert Four O'Clock / Mirabilis multiflora

ANIMAL AND INSECT ACTIVITY

A huge miller moth outbreak occured in many areas of Albuquerque during the last week of April, though not as bad at the house. Joining us were areas of El Paso, Las Cruces, Santa Rosa, and perhaps most every locale below 7000' elevation. Of course, many hummingbirds and sphinx / hawk moths are so plentiful at dawn and dusk, it is unwise to wear bright colors...

WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS

Not much new occurred, only the continuation of existing with all this mild weather, broken by the periodic, weekly cold upper low to cool things off. Nothing too hot to end everything, nothing too cold to force some of it to restart. In town, some plants like Catalpa trees are already in full bloom, which is 1-2 weeks earlier than usual.

Warmer than normal weather was in place in Abq, quite a change from most of the last 7 springs - cold fronts merely dropping our temperatures to near or slightly below average. With humidity very low, breezy periods, and minimal cloud cover, desert plants are responding to mostly mild weather. If it suddenly heats up into the 90's, flowering will soon end, lacking any precipitation. Fingers crossed for rain in our next upcoming cold plunge!

Week Ending 4/21/12

Bold = locally native species

FLOWERING / POLLINATING
Palm or Faxon Yucca / Yucca faxoniana

Torrey Yucca / Yucca torreyi

- - -

Apache Plume / Fallugia paradoxa

Pale Wolfberry / Lycium pallidum

- - -

Early Bloomer / Echinomastus intertextus
Thompson Yucca / Yucca thompsoniana

- - -
Chocolate Flower / Berlandiera lyrata
Fleabane / Erigeron divergens

Threadleaf Groundsel / Senecio douglasii
Perky Sue / Tetraneuris scaposa


LEAF-OUT / STEM GROWTH
Catclaw Acacia / Acacia greggii
Mimosa or Silk Tree / Albizzia julibrissen

Desert Willow / Chilopsis linearis
Chaste Tree / Vitex agnus-castus


















- - -

Arizona Cottontop / Digitaria californica
Fluffgrass / Erioneuron pulchellum

BUD-SWELL / BUD-BREAK / FLOWERS FORMING
Ocotillo / Fouquieria splendens
Soaptree / Yucca elata
- - -
Claret Cup (White Sands form) / Echinocereus triglochidiatus























Red Yucca / Hesperaloe parviflora
Juniper Prickly Pear / Opuntia hystricina
Narrowleaf Yucca / Yucca baileyi ssp. intermedia

ANIMAL AND INSECT ACTIVITY
Same as last week, roadrunners hunting more and more lizards, and both scaled and Gambel's quail screaming more, so it's wild out there! Looking for rattlesnakes, or at least I should be, to keep they and I safe on my hikes and rides.


WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS
The weekly upper low and resultant cold air plunge kept the atmosphere refreshed for a few days, and from overheating following. No rain this time, but a large dust storm I am told. Perfect weather Tuesday - Saturday, except gloomy all day Thursday (NWS forecast was "mostly sunny"), with a brief thundershower late netting .02" of rain.  

Week Ending 4/14/12

Bold = locally native species

FLOWERING / POLLINATING
Torrey Yucca / Yucca torreyi
Apache Plume / Fallugia paradoxa

Lady Banks' Rose / Rosa banksiae
Wisteria / Wisteria spp.
- - -
Spiny Hedgehog / Echinocereus coccineus
Beargrass / Nolina texana
- - -
Desert Marigold / Baileya multiradiata
Western Wallflower / Erysimum spp.
Wright's Verbena / Glandularia wrightii

Bearded Iris / Iris spp.
Blackfoot Daisy / Melampodium leucanthum
Pale Evening Primrose / Oenothera pallida (for weeks, increasing)
Firecracker Penstemon / Penstemon eatonii
Parry's Penstemon / Penstemon parryi

Scorpionweed / Phaecelia integrifolia

Crimson Sage / Salvia henryi (for over a week)

LEAF-OUT / STEM GROWTH
Canyon or Netleaf Hackberry / Celtis reticulata

 

Desert Willow / Chilopsis linearis (a few, most no sign of bud break)
Honey Mesquite / Prosopis glandulosa (for over a week)

Desert or Shrub Live Oak / Quercus turbinella (been at this stage for 2-3 weeks)

- - -
Rose of Sharon / Hibiscus syriacus
Mariola / Parthenium incanum (for 2+ weeks)

Above is one of several October 2011 Mariola transplants from volunteer plants in front, and they all made it! Thanks to my fall watering and especially to a wet December with unusual snowcover (10 days?).

Pomegranate / Punica granatum
- - -
Sacred Datura or Jimson Weed / Datura wrightii
Desert Four O'Clock / Mirabilis multiflora

Bush Muhley / Muhlenbergia porteri

BUD-SWELL / BUD-BREAK / FLOWERS FORMING
Palm Yucca / Yucca faxoniana (a great year for these is shaping up)

- - -
Pale Wolfberry or Tomatillo / Lycium pallidum

This is the first time I've walked up to the few wolfberries on the slope across from our place, and we've lived here since our home was built in 1998! This is a plant with historic uses by the native peoples in the Four Corner states, and this particular species is the main one higher up, like where I live or near the volcanoes west of Abq...the wolfberry species native in the valley is Lycium torreyi.

Confederate or Star Jasmine / Trachelospermum jasminoides
- - -
Thompson Yucca / Yucca thompsoniana
Claret Cup (White Sands form) / Echinocereus triglochidiatus
Beavertail Prickly Pear / Opuntia basilaris (budding out for 2+ weeks)

Desert or Engelmann Prickly Pear / Opuntia engelmannii


















Strong Prickly Pear / Opuntia valida























Banana Yucca or Datil / Yucca baccata

- - -
Chocolate Flower / Berlandiera lyrata

ANIMAL AND INSECT ACTIVITY
Hummingbirds getting more active. Saw a house centipede (not the regular centipede, only seen inside once in late January - unusual - following a very wet December and a warmer January). And lizards galore. Snakes any day soon!


WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS
Still waiting on most Desert Willow, all Chaste Tree, Yellow Bird of Paradise, and Crape Myrtle to pop out foliage. Next week?