MORE DESERT DELIGHTS

This post is for the Nature Notes meme at Rambling Woods - check it out.


After having written so much about all the flowers we saw on our trip to Anza Borrego I thought it was about time that I mentioned a few other classes that we encountered.
Much to my husbands dismay whenever we go to the desert I always ask him to find me a rattlesnake (I was his guide when he came to Africa and I found him all kinds of cool animals so I figure it is the least he can do to return the favour :) I just don't understand why he doesn't seem too enthusiastic!!!) My interest is not as crazy as it may first appear. I work with an endangered species of rattlesnake at the Museum but I have yet to see one in its natural environment. (OK maybe it does sound just a tiny bit crazy!) So as my husband failed to oblige with my request I had to settle for some other reptiles.


This little beauty is a Desert Iguana Dipsosaurus dorsalis. He very obligingly posed by the car window so we were able to just lean out and take this picture. How I wish that all animals would be so obliging. The Desert Iguana uses the Creosote Bushes both as sources of shade and as a food source, predominantly consuming the flowers. I think this particular individual must have lost his tail relatively recently because the colouring of the end two thirds is entirely different to the first third.


Another reptile that seemed to be much more common in the area was the Southern Sagebrush Lizard Sceloporus graciosus vandenburgianus. These were incredibly fast, and who can blame them as they are on the menu of a vast number of animals, and very difficult to photograph. The only reason we got this shot is, I was taking too long identifying a bird and my husband got bored and so he started stalking this poor lizard to photograph him! I am glad I spent too long on the bird because he got a great photo!


Those were the only reptiles we saw.
On the invertebrate front there was quite a lot of variety, largely I suspect, because of all the flowering plants. There were masses of Painted Lady and Orange Tip Butterflies but I have seen enough of those at work to last me a lifetime so I didn't chase after them for a picture. There were also a lot of bees around too and many of them were forming hives amongst the rocks so we had to pay close attention when hiking!


There were lots of these little chaps around and how could I resist with that smiley face design on their back? It is the nymph stage of a type of Stink Bug Chlorochroa spp. What I found a bit of a shame is that they don't keep that charming design when they reach their adult form, they are just a plain greyish black. The nymphs and adults feed on a variety of herbaceous plants and can be considered a pest on crops and fruit trees.


These are Master Blister Beetles Lytta magister and I went just about crazy trying to get a picture of them. They are incredibly fast, even when they are mating! The adults feed on the flowers and leaves of the Brittlebush. The female lays her eggs in holes in the soil.


I took this picture just because I thought it was such a lovely image of the bug smothered in pollen against the riotous colour of the Beavertail blossom. This is a red form of the Ornate Checkered Beetle Trichodes ornatus. They are predators of Wood Boring Beetles.


Spring was very clearly in the air as all the bugs were 'getting busy!' These Vivid Dancer Damselflies Argia vivida were making the most of the brief time that this small stream was running in Coyotte Canyon to mate and deposit their eggs. I know it is not the best of pictures but they were well embedded amongst the vegetation.


This robust character was a particular favorite of mine, it looked like a little tank rumbling along amongst the rocks. It has the slightly bizarre name of an Inflated Beetle (!) Cysteodemus armatus I have to say having looked at several other pictures of this species I think this particular individual looks rather deflated in comparison. The white which is clearly visible is actually a secretion, not part of the general markings.


And so on from bugs to birds! I have already done a post about our day at the Salton Sea which was a memorable birding trip but there were plenty of other special sightings on other days and also some more firsts for me.


Because of all the flowering plants there were hummingbirds everywhere but as we quickly learnt, the males were always so busy defending their territory and/or their mate that they never stayed still enough for us to get a picture. It was always the less exotically coloured females who would alight on a branch for a split second to give us a quick photo opportunity. And then of course they would select the most unlit spot they could find - don't they know we need light for a good photo? :)


As I mentioned in a previous post, the first time we visited Anza Borrego one bird that I didn't get to see was a Greater Roadrunner Geococcyx californianus. Well this time I more than made up for it. These quirky characters were all around the motel we were staying in and this particular individual was calling on top of a dirt pile one morning and displaying the red skin patch on the back of its head quite beautifully.


Another species I missed on my previous visit was the delightful Gambel's Quail Callipepla gambelii. These birds were also a common site around our motel and, like most quail, they were very vocal, so hard to miss. We both spent ages trying to get a decent photo of this shy species but it was another case of constant motion, so my apologies for the somewhat blurry image.


Of course as a Midwest city dweller my birding highlight has to be the three Burrowing Owls Athene cunicularia that we saw. I never imagined I would get the opportunity to watch these cryptically coloured, elusive birds for so long. There is definitely some truth to the adage of the 'wise owl' - these birds collect animal dung and spread it around near their nest site. The dung attracts dung beetles which the owls use as a food source - its like having a convenience store next to your house!
I have already posted my bird list for the day at Salton Sea, so here is the rest for the remainder of the trip. Again the asterisked ones are personal firsts.
American Kestrel,
Western Scrub-Jay*,
Red-tailed Hawk
Anna's Hummingbird,
Gambel's Quail*,
Costa's Hummingbird,
Greater Roadrunner*,
White-crowned Sparrow,
White-winged Dove*,
Phainopepla,
Purple Finch,
Lesser Goldfinch*,
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher*,
Cactus Wren,
California Thrasher*,
Who says the desert is barren?


Of course it is a place were mammals tend to be less well represented and we have yet to see the elusive Bighorn Sheep that inhabit the area. There was a rabbit that crept out onto a little patch of grass next to our room each morning but do you really want to see a picture of a rabbit? On the mammal front this little guy was the definite star.


He is a White-tailed Antelope Ground Squirrel Amnospermophilis leucurus (both his common name and his scientific names are longer then he is!) These delightful little animals get their somewhat odd name from the white colour of the underside of their tails (like an antelope). The tail is used as a sunshade during the hottest parts of the day and so white is the obvious colour choice for the job. This individual was only the size of a gerbil but inside that tiny body beats the heart of a lion. He defended 'his' rock pile very loudly when I got too close and also followed after me when I moved away - just to make sure I really left!
How could you resist?


And so to the end of my desert trip.
If you are ever anywhere near this wonderful area of the country and you happen to drive through a town called Julian (famous for its DELICIOUS apple pies) be sure to stop at the best barbecue joint in the world.


The Bailey Wood Pit Barbecue defies description when it comes to good food, miss it at your peril!


Photo Credits - CJT & Dominick V

THE DESERT IN BLOOM (Part Two)

Well, as promised, here is the other half of my series of flower photos from my recent visit to Anza Borrego. Now I am back in Chicago and we have had gale force winds, torrential rain and thunder storms so the heat of the desert seems very far away indeed.


This spiky little plant is the Bristly Calico or Bristly Gilia Langloisia setosissima a member of the phlox family it is a very low growing plant. I like the fact that although the delicate flowers are such a beautiful delicate lilac colour, there is something slightly sinister about those leaves - touch me at your peril!



I think this is the Smoke Tree Psorothamnus spinosus there were very few flowers on this plant as we were still a little early in the flowering season for this particular plant. It is called a Smoke Tree because it drops its leaves very early, as you can see! It has spiny stems which are covered in fine grey hairs and when not in flower, the plant has a slightly ethereal, hazy/smoky look, from a distance. When this plant sheds its seeds the coating on the seed must be scratched in order for water to enter the seed and initiate germination, this usually happens as the seed is tumbled along in the gravel of a sandy wash.



There are several flowers that look very similar to this one but as far as I can tell, this is the White Tackstem or White Cupfruit Calycoseris wrightii it was very profuse in rocky areas and an indicator that there had indeed been good rains because this species does not flourish in drier years. I was particularly taken with the little yellow 'eye' in the centre of each bloom of this species.


I am wimping out on this again because species of Globemallow Sphaeralcea are notoriously difficult to identify without closely studying the fruit segments. However this beautiful blossom was so outstanding in the harsh environment of the desert I was determined to include it anyway! If you happen to carry a hand magnifier with you, which I don't, apparently the stem and leaves are covered in star shaped hairs.



The Desert Rock Nettle or Desert Stingbush Eucnide urens is another deceptively delicate looking flower, although its name should be warning enough. So many of these plants grow in such inhospitable habitats that in order not to be eaten by a hungry herbivore they have adapted to make themselves as unpalatable as possible. This plant has fine stinging hairs all over the leaves and stems, so, you can look, but you really shouldn't touch!


The Desert Rock-Pea or Desert Deerweed Lotus rigidus spends a large part of the year leafless and looking as if it is dead but with the onset of winter rains it undergoes a transformation and bursts forth with masses of red and yellow pea like flowers.


This is yet another plant that has developed irritating hairs in order to deter potential browsers. The Checker Fiddleneck or Devil's Lettuce Amsinckia tessellata has coiling flower clusters and each blossom opens as the flower head uncoils. If at all possible you should avoid brushing against this plant as the long white hairs will stick with you!


The Desert Chicory Rafinesquia neomexicana has an unusual flower structure, what appears to be one flower is actually made up of numerous flowers. The flower is strap shaped with five teeth at the end which is the result of the union of five petals which you can see quite clearly on the photo above, even though I took it after the light had gone in the evening! As you can also see from this picture, the Desert Chicory is often found growing up through other shrubs.



Although this is not the most spectacular of blossoms I wanted to include it just because its structure was so different from most of the other flowers we saw. This is the Burro-Weed Ambrosia dumosa which is in the sunflower family. All the members of this particular group have very inconspicuous flowers, usually with the male and female flowers on separate heads.



The Blue Palo Verde Cercidium floridum was not really living up to its name when we saw it. Palo Verde translates as Green Tree but, as you can see, it was in fact a riot of yellow when we were there! It does have small leaves, briefly, early in the year which it soon drops. Researchers have discovered that unusually, up to fourty percent of the trees annual photosynthesis occurs in the bark.


The Desert Pincushion or Fremont Pincushion Chaenactis fremontii has beautifully intricate blossoms with enlarged outer florets. The leaves are quite fleshy although that is not easy to see in this picture. This is another member of the sunflower family.



This one is, as promised, for Doug. The Beavertail Cactus Opuntia basilaris is one of his favorites. During our trip we had seen a number of Beavertails with one or two flowers just beginning to come out. On our final day we were in an area called Coyote Canyon and we seemed to hit the mother lode on flowering Beavertails! This plants tiny little spines, known as 'glochids' are very painful if they get lodged in your skin and, because of their minute size, very difficult to remove. I am reliably told that tape is the best way to pull them out - OUCH!!

And while we are on the subject of prickly characters..............I just had to include this lovely picture of a Teddy-Bear Cholla Opuntia bigelovii that my husband took. And you can figure out for yourself whether I am referring to my husband as prickly or a Teddy-Bear!!!

And if you are still with me. well done, you have made it through all my desert flowers, or at least all the ones I am going to post. Thank you for sticking with me.

Photo Credits - CJT & Dominick V

THE DESERT IN BLOOM (Part One)

When we arrived in the desert we were told that the week before they had had severe wind storms which had 'blown all the flowers away.' Well if this is how it looks after all the flowers have blown away, I can't imagine what it looked like before! The sides of the mountains are washed in yellow and everywhere we go we discover new flowers.

The most obvious flowers are the dramatic Red Ocotillo Fouquieria splendens. On previous visits these plants had looked like bundles of bare woody stems but this time the stems are covered in leaves and at the top of each stem are heads of numerous tubular flowers which the hummingbirds just can't get enough of.

Another plant that seems to be everywhere is the Creosote Plant Larrea tridentata. The flowers are just drawing to an end and the strange little fuzzy fruits are just starting to appear on many of the bushes. Several of the plants also have the distinctive round growths caused by the creosote gall midge.



A personal favorite, the Barrel Cactus Ferocactus acanthodes is just starting to bud and only a few, in the sunniest spots, are actually beginning to open up. I didn't risk getting a pierced nose by getting too close to the flowers but I imagine that they don't smell too good because we never see any bees near the open blooms but we do see lots of flies!



The Arizona Lupine Lupinus arizonicus is everywhere to the point that I kept putting off taking a picture of it and now I discover that I don't have a particularly good one! This plant has to take the prize for being the most organised! Each individual blossom has a little creamy/yellow spot on the upper petal (barely visible in this picture-sorry) and when the flower has been pollinated the spot turns red, thus acting as a deterrent to further insects and also encouraging the insect to pollinate another blossom.

The first flower I found was beside the road at a viewing point we stopped at, on our way down into the Borrego Valley. It's leaves look exactly like a type of holly and it is covered in clusters of tiny round yellow flowers. This is the Mahonia Berberis haematocarpa. It produces purplish/red berries which the Native Americans used to make a dark purple dye and the wood produces a deep yellow dye.

The Hummingbird Bush or Chuparosa Justicia californica is very prolific. Chuparosa translates from Spanish as 'the sucking rose!' This odd name comes from the hummingbirds who are frequently found 'sucking' at the nectar in the long red blossoms. Many times when we sat near one of these bushes we would be 'buzzed' by a highly territorial hummingbird who clearly thought we were there to steal its nectar!



Rather like the Ocotillo, the Desert Senna or Spiny Senna Senna armata spends most of the year looking like a tangled mass of dead twigs but at this time of year, this member of the Bean Family is smothered in beautiful yellow blossoms. These will soon be followed by yellow spongy pods about an inch and a half long.




The delicate purplish/blue flowers of the Wild Heliotrope Phacelia distans are also very much in evidence in many of the canyons and washes right now. It is also known as the Blue-eyed Scorpion Weed because the blossoms are on a coiled structure which is similar in shape to the tail of a scorpion!



This unusual little flower caught my eye because of its strange flower structure. It was growing on a very rocky path we were hiking along on Borrego Mountain, in full sun on an otherwise very barren area and again. I had to marvel at the resilience of these desert plants. This is the Pima Ratany or Purple Heather Krameria erecta. These plants are partly parasitic and connect their roots to other plants around them, which would explain the somewhat grizzled state of the few Creosote Bushes in the immediate area! Small native bees collect saturated fats from the petals to feed to their larvae.



I think this beautiful flower is a Brown-eyed Primrose Camissonia claviformis. The flower structure looks identical but all the illustrations I can find for it show clusters of these delicate little flowers and this one was definitely not in a cluster, as you can see. However this plant is a particular favorite of the White-lined Sphinx Moth Hyles lineata caterpillar



and we certainly saw plenty of those so maybe the rest of the plant had succumbed to the voracious appetite of these caterpillars!



This bristly little character has a variety of common names like Panamint Cats Eye or Forget-me-not Cryptantha spp, although it doesn't bear much resemblance to the English forget-me-not that I know! It is a member of the Borage family and I can certainly see the resemblance there, not least with those fuzzy leaves and stems. There are eight species that occur in the desert and apparently they are notoriously difficult to identify so as the fruit is supposed to be the only sure way of identifying each species and I didn't see any fruit, I am not going to attempt to say which one it is! That is my excuse and I'm sticking to it!!



Despite its name, the Sand Verbena Abronia villosa is not a true Verbena but actually belongs to the Four O'clock family. This low growing plant appears in sandy washes after the rains have passed. We were exploring Coyote Canyon and were walking up a sand wash and this stunning flower was growing all over the place. Its blossoms can range from white to a deep pink but all the ones in the area we saw them were this wonderful purple. This flower has a rich fragrance which was very apparent from the numbers of bees that were buzzing around them.

OK enough flowers for today, believe it or not that is only half way! And that doesn't count all the species that I either couldn't get a picture of or couldn't identify! Hang in there - there will be more soon.

Photo Credits - CJT

A SPECIAL DAY

The last time we visited Anza Borrego, on one of our hikes I had seen a distant view of the Salton Sea but we never actually got to visit it. On this visit I was determined to rectify this. The Salton Sea is an extraordinary lake that was once an extension of the Gulf of California. It is fifteen miles wide and thirty-five miles long and most oddly of all, it is two hundred and twenty-seven feet below sea level. The lake has virtually no inflow sources and is being threatened by run-off from surrounding agricultural fields and municipal effluent. Also with the course of natural evaporation the lake is becoming increasingly saline, it is currently twenty-five percent more saline than the Pacific Ocean! The increased salinity is threatening the huge number of species that live in and from this huge body of water and there are efforts in place to try and stop this decline. At least fifty species of birds that are listed as threatened, endangered or of concern, rely on the Salton Sea for survival during their migration.

I was particularly keen to see what bird species were still around but I don't think I was expecting so many treats. We drove round to the North East corner and called in at the Visitor Centre. As always at these places the volunteers were very helpful and gave us several suggestions of good birding spots to visit. Before we set of again we sat on the beach to eat our lunch and watch the shore birds.

It is a very unusual place to be, next to this huge lake when you are in the middle of a desert. The water was teaming with bird life, I have never seen so many Eared Grebes in my entire life! I have always had a huge soft spot for Pelicans so I was delighted to see both Brown and White Pelicans sailing majestically about, on the water and in the air.

We then set off down to the Southern end of the lake to the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge. This is an amazing area where numerous bird species come to breed and feed. There was so much to look at, I didn't know where to look first.

But there was one more BIG treat in store for me and this was not one I was expecting at all. I was looking around at the endless array of water birds and watching all the terns wheeling and circling so gracefully when I saw a sandy brown, stocky little bird fly in front of me, low to the ground. I watched where it landed and trained my binoculars on it and.............

there he was! A Burrowing Owl! So perfectly camouflaged that when you looked with the naked eye it was virtually impossible to see. There were in fact three of them and we watched them for some time. Eventually my wonderful husband managed to see them with his camera and get this lovely shot. I was so thrilled, it was just a perfect day.

Here is my bird list for the day, and just to put into perspective how special it was, all the asterisked ones were new species for me.

Ring-billed Gull,
Bonapartes Gull,
Yellow-footed Gull*,
White Pelican,
Brown Pelican,
Black-necked Stilt,
Caspian Tern,
Great White Egret,
Cattle Egret,
Snowy Egret,
Great Blue Heron,
Green Heron,
Eared Grebe,
Horned Grebe,
Killdeer,
Black-bellied Plover,
Canadian Snow Goose*,
American Coot,
American Avocet*,
Northern Shoveler,
American Widgeon,
Ruddy Duck,
Greater Yellowlegs,
Double-crested Cormorant,
Marbled Godwit,
White-faced Ibis*,
Turkey Vulture,
White-throated Swift,
Yellow-rumped Warbler,
Aberts Towhee*,
Burrowing Owl*,
Great-tailed Grackle*,
European Starling,
Hooded Oriole*,
House Finch,
Northern Mockingbird,
Black Phoebe.

Photo Credits - Dominick V