 |
| Ground Squirrel |
Well look who's hungry! Mesquite trees are iconic for the Sonoran desert. Next to the Saguaro cactus and Palo Verde tree, it is one of the most common trees found around our landscapes. So I'd thought I'd write about one of the benefits of this tree for our wildlife and also answer a question for dog owners about the pods.
Mesquite pods are enjoyed by all kinds of wildlife around our Sonoran desert. The pods fall around mid July and are quite popular by the local rodents:) Ground squirrels can be seen eating the pods.
 |
| Hispid Cotten Rat |
I was finally able to get a great shot of the Hispid Cotten Rat. This little guy seemed a bit lethargic as I neared him:)
Some of you are dog owners and if you see your dog eat these pods, don't panic. They're okay to eat, but they'll make your dog's um...poo smell a bit:) If they eat too many, they'll throw them up. But like many dogs, they don't know when to stop eating, so just keep an eye out. Many homeowners here just sweep under the trees before the pooches can get to them:)
 |
| Squirrel! |
As for humans? Many will ground our local mesquite pods for a healthier flour. It tastes pretty good. Places like
Native Seeds SEARCH will ground up the pods for a minimal cost. The flour makes some great pancakes:) Just another benefit of the mesquite tree. More tomorrow....
Posts
Charming Chris, and that's one fat rat!
ReplyDeleteWhile I'm birding, this rat usually disappears into the reeds, but I went really early one day and caught them all out and about eating. No Green Heron but I got this guy instead. It was an okay trade off:)
DeleteI'm grateful that we don't have mesquite pods here. My dogs smell bad enough without them.
ReplyDeleteI house sit and have to say that I'm the guy who sweeps them up right away because the puppies will run right to them and eat and eat and eat....
DeleteWell...i never knew any of this....what a great way to get some healthy pancakes! Now i've got to go make some.....woke up at 2:30am.....now hungry!!! Lol. This seriously is very cool info! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThis flour is also gluten free. I know that's big for a lot of people today. Very healthy stuff...and it's good. I've had it and think it's delish. Kind of a cinammony flavor.
DeleteJednym słowem , gdy spadają owoce tego drzewa to zwierzęta mają ucztę. Pewno mój piesek też by spróbował, bo on z tych co jedzą co się da. Pozdrawiam.
ReplyDeleteIn a word, the fruit of the tree fall to the animals they treat. Probably my dog to try it, because he one of those who eat what they can. Yours.
Hello! cool shots!
ReplyDeleteI like the story and advices))
Have a great Sunday!
xoxo, Juliana
[pjhappies.blogspot.com]
Great photos Chris and what cute animals :)
ReplyDeleteI don't know what is a mesquite, i recall you mentioned it in an older post, but i forgot. But that rodent is cute!
ReplyDeleteThe photos are awesome!! I didn't know that about those seeds.
ReplyDeleteinteresting info about the mesquite pods. when i read 'mesquite' i thought of the mesquite firewood that gives a different smokey flavor to food.
ReplyDeleteanyway, i had no idea what the tree looks like, so i looked it up. the leaves were once used medicinally...there's also mesquite honey...and the powder is high in calcium, magnesium,potassium,iron,zinc...blahblahblah, you prob already know all this!
LOVE your little squirrels munching on the pods...the ground squirrel is a cutie...long and lean...
have a happy day chris!
The flour sounds really interesting. Have you tried it?
ReplyDeleteYeah it's delish. It's heavier in tone....although most pancakes are....but they are naturally sweeter with a cinnamony flavor. Some compare it to a gingerbread taste but I didn't think it tasted like that.....I don't like gingerbread at all. They're tasty, healthier and gluten free.
Deletelove the rodents. the rat is adorable! we get a few pods here off our trees.
ReplyDeleteHow cool you captured this! When my office window's open at night, I can hear all kinds of tings rustling in the fallen pods, making sure to give me some mesquites to pull around the place.
ReplyDeleteDo you see curve-bill thrashers do the same, or mostly smaller rodents, etc?
This bird loves to hang around our mesquites and perch on a branch. I've never observed them eating the pods(but they do eat seeds as they will come by our feeders so it's possible) but I have seen them mainly digging around the ground when the pods are there for all the bugs.
DeleteSuch pretty little creatures and they are certainly enjoying those pods :-)
ReplyDeleteNice shots of the fur creatures. I especially like the little rat.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know we could eat these. Thanks for the great post. And that little Hispid Cotton Rat is kind of cute.
ReplyDeleteYes. And while you can do this with most of the mesquite pods, several are better than others. For example, the South American varieties don't have as sweet a taste as our natives do. So go native when collecting the pods:) The South American varieties have those HUGE thorns on them and that's how you can tell them apart from the others:)
DeleteOne of my favorite animals... and my favorite Arizona Tree " the Tree of Life."
ReplyDeletejaja!!!.. Son adorables.. Siempre están comiendooo.. Me encantan las fotos.. Un abrazo desde España..
ReplyDeleteI'm still struggling with commenting, but working on it.
ReplyDeleteThese are all such cute little critters. I'm glad that this desert tree provides so much for our native wildlife and peoples.
Amazing little Ground Squirrel, I am in love again.
ReplyDeleteI have a different view of the mesquite pods...there is a tree to our East on the other side of the wall and you know what happens to the pool when the summer monsoon winds (no longer accompanied by rain) come through? I will not spite nature just because I have a cement pond, though. I know that tree was here long before I was. :-)
ReplyDeleteIts very interesting to read about this tree and the uses for the seeds and the pods. The little Cotton Rat looks a bit mouse like and maybe not like a rat at all to me, bu then we dont have too many species of rat or mice in the UK.
ReplyDelete