Archive for the ‘Creosote Bush’ Tag
Creosote Bush Blossoms — Images by kenne
If you have ever experienced rain in the Sonoran Desert, then you have experienced what is often referred to as the “smell of rain.” ** It is a pungent smell exhibiting a characteristic odor of creosote coming from an evergreen shrub from which its common name is derived.
This Scrub is the most drought tolerant perennial in North America, and it may be the oldest living plant. As the plant grows older, its oldest branches die, and its crown splits into separate crowns. Eventually, the old crown dies, and the new one becomes a clonal colony from the previous plant, composed of many separate stem crowns all from the same seed.
Often there are no other plants around creosote plants resulting in pure stands. The latest explanation for this is that the root systems of mature creosote plants are simply so efficient at absorbing water that fallen seeds nearby cannot accumulate enough water to germinate, effectively creating dead zones around every plant.
— kenne
** (Because we haven’t had any rain for awhile, the “smell of rain” would be welcome about now.)
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Creosote Gall Midge — Computer Art by kenne
The creosote gall midge is formed by a gall-inducing fly which inhabits creosote bush. The life cycle begins when the female oviposits into the part of the plant where she inserts her egg along with a fungal spore. A gall forms and the fungal mycelium grows to line the inside of the gall when the egg hatches the developing larva feeds upon the fungus.
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Creosote Seed Pods — Grunge Art by kenne
Fuzzy-white seed pods
Decorate the creosote bush
A plant of the ages.
— kenne
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A Group of Saguaros Under Nurse Trees. — Image by kenne
The previous posting (100 Year-Old Cliff Dweller) showed a photograph of a giant saguaro cactus all alone on a steep cliff. Its location was unusual, but given that most saguaros start life under a bush, i.e., a creosote, or a tree, i.e., palo verde and mesquite, making its existence very impressive. Equally impressive is locating a group of saguaros protected by both mesquite and palo verde trees, which begged the question, “What do you call a group of saguaros?” Tribe? Legion? Family? Thicket? Grove? Clump? Gang? Clan? Bunch? Band? Coterie? Whatever, even researching the question didn’t give us an answer. So, for now, you can choose. Given the Tohono O’odham Nation, or Desert People’s cultural connection to the saguaro, I choose “tribe.”
kenne
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Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata) Blossoms in Sabino Canyon, November 10, 2014 — Images by kenne
One of the most common plants in Sabino Canyon is the creosote bush. Our neighbors south of the border cal the plant “gobernadora,” Spanish for “governess,” because of its ability to secure more water by inhibiting the growth of nearby plants. The plant exhibits a characteristic odor of creosote, and is the small inhabitants of the desert small after rain — the “smell of rain”. The bush normally blooms in the spring and summer, so the these new blossoms are a pleasant addition to the fall flowers in the Sonoran desert. Unlike most desert plants, the creosote bush has no thorns for defense, instead it is provided by a suite of toxic/ anti-feeding chemicals including the phenolic compound nordihydroguaiaretic acid. For more information, go to the Desert Botanical Garden website.
kenne
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“It’s A Tough Life” — Image by kenne
The Good Fight
It is a tough life
In my second century
Giving the good fight.
— kenne
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Creosote Bush — Image by kenne
Evergreen and Common,
The desert smell we love —
So bring on the rain.
— kenne
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