Above and Beyond

Cascarones and Cinco De Mayo

It has been utter chaos.  Too much going on! The above picture is how I felt this past week.  Final exams, a retirement party and a whole lot more!  So I'll try to piece it all together the best I can. 

Coach Dee in the middle and Ms. Tami(aka Zumba Diva)

First off, we had a retirement party for an amazing teacher.  We are going to miss Coach Dee's loud and crazy antics around school.  I don't do work parties or really hang out with work friends, but this woman is an inspiration and I, along with so many others, will miss her. 

Red Yucca-a good choice for Tucson!  Anna's Hummingbirds will love this plant while it is blooming!

Meanwhile, we're seriously planning for wedding stuff and trying to get everyone on the same page for the October event.  I'm overwhelmed with finals preps and grading.  None of it is very fun.  So on my breaks at work, I walk outside and just find a corner on campus and listen to the birds singing.  There is so much nesting going on!

Scaled Quail

During the weekend, I worked with Magill on the "Big Sit" and Cornell's "Global Big Day".  This was way more interesting! Saturday began with an idea and evolved into something more.  We headed to Willcox Lake and counted the birds which was productive, but the idea of sitting around this lake for a full day was a bit much.  We decided to combine these two events into one. 

Gambel's Quail

The Quail were posing as were the Orioles, Tanagers and lots of other interesting birds!  Eventually, we get to Coachline Lake and set up our gear for the Big Sit.  I pull out the cooler and chairs. We get the snacks out and I pop open a nice cold beer. After a day of hiking, it was good to sit down and relax for about 4 hours under a tent. 

Magill made awesome shirts for our Coachline "Big Sit".  Little Ground Squirrels kept us entertained while we counted the birds under the big tent. 

We ended the day on a high note as 60 Lesser Nighthawks serenaded about us catching insects.  It was quite the sight!

Round-tailed Ground Squirrel

We both went home exhausted but happy.  It was a nice day out.  Sunday, I wanted to really hike and take advantage of the nice cool temps. So on Mother's Day, Micheal and I headed out to the beautiful Miller Canyon. 

Black-chinned Hummingbird

Again, we had a wonderful day out.  There was lots of hiking and lots of great finds.  While we didn't find the Flame-colored Tanagers, we did see Mexican Jays chasing a Northern Goshawk, a nesting Blue-throated Hummingbird, and lots of amazing critters.

Yarrow's Spiny Lizard

For nearly 4 years, I have been birding.  June will mark my 4th anniversary as a changed man.  During these years, I've only had two sightings of the rare Chiricahuan Leopard Frog.  My first time was in Ramsey Canyon.  And my second time was in Miller Canyon on Sunday while crossing a stream.  

I think without current human intervention, these frogs would be extinct by now. I once heard a local naturalist tell another that it's only a matter of time before they disappear.  I also heard another report from a different naturalist who thinks they are making great progress.  What do I think?  Well, it's great that I saw a frog in this canyon.  Before the Miller Canyon fire, they were plentiful.  After the fire, they all but disappeared.  Finding one on Sunday was hopeful. 

And finally, here are some Southern Arizona flowers that really make a statement.  Below, the Golden Columbine is found at higher elevations around our Sky Islands.  

While this Mountain Rose Mallow is currently blooming in our butterfly garden at El Presidio in Tucson. This is one tough little plant!

Have a great week and stay tuned for more next week!

Space, The Landscape Frontier!

 Say what you like about Phoenix.....hot, the devil lives there, it's hot, water guzzlers, it's really hot.....Jan Brewer.  Hey, it's all true!  But I have to admit one thing about downtown Phoenix.....it's pretty cool.  Let me be more specific....the area around the Convention center is eye candy.  Let's look and see what's going on in this area that makes this part of Phoenix glow!:)

During our convention center fun, I was also looking forward to snapping off some shots from several of the garden spaces around this block area.  The above picture was taken from the 15th floor of the Hyatt.  As we look across the way, we see an area full of date palms. One of the complaints about Phoenix is that it is a city of concrete. And because there is so much concrete, the sidewalks and roads absorb all that 100+ heat and augment the temps by even more.  At night, instead of cooling down like Tucson does, the heat stays!!  Plus many of the people are transplants from green belts in the states.  They bring their water guzzling ways and plant many non native species which increases our states use of the water.  And yes...it does bother me:)  So let's look at what works here.  I don't think you have to sacrifice anything to achieve that "look".

We have to think about what will survive and create an oasis to appeal to the senses.  Look at these planters.  There are a variety of palms including the Canary Palm and the Mediterranean Fan Palm. I will be adding this to our landscape in the next month because as you may or may not know.....it's time to put your palm trees into the ground!!!  How cool is that!  Okay maybe I'm a bit too excited about all of this, but I seriously love landscaping in the desert.

And there's more.  But here is a LOVE about Phoenix.  Check out this shot.  Cactus in the front and skyscraper in the background.  Now that's hot!

 

Sometimes the need for art is overlooked in the landscaping design.  While I'm not so crazy about this sculpture, I would have to say that it makes a statement.  From the wrong angle, this fisherman appears to be peeing in the water.  However, I do like the roadrunner on the rock.  That's pretty cool. 

Lets's look at some of the plants here that are true survivors of our intense summers and at times, cold winter nights.  The most cold sensitive of this bunch is probably the Canary Palm(center, pic below). From left to right(below), you see the Mediterranean Fan Palm, Red Yucca(huge hummingbird favorite with its red/pink flowers.....and a popular plant in Tucson), Agave, Canary Palm(in the middle), and the very sexy Mexican Bird of Paradise.  More on that plant in a sec.

For now, let's combine the element of design....art, plants, water, and an area to relax.  Space is everything.  And I think this is perfection. 

The downtown area of Phoenix uses its space very well.  Any little opening is utilized according to the shade from building etc to create a greener feel for visitors or Arizonans like myself.....and I do appreciate good landscaping.

Now many of you LOVE this plant. It's one of the top searches for Las Aventuras.  And I can understand why....it's fern like and has the most brilliant orange blooms. It's also bushy in appearance and makes a bold statement in landscape.  And this delicate looking plant is one of the TOUGHEST in the desert.  Very little water is required, but I do give it a little extra to grow quicker.  In Phoenix this plant doesn't die back unless their winter is severe.  In Tucson, the Mexican Bird of Paradise is cut back to the ground.  In spring, it will send out its first shoots from the ground.  And remember, the more sun it gets; the more blooms you'll have.  I highly recommend this plant for beginners who want something that will survive.  Xeric to the max and will make people drool all over your yard.  And that's good because any extra moisture during this dry month of June is good for the plants:)

Let's move on.  Space.  It's the topic.  You'd think that I'd be better at it.  But the simple truth is, I'm not.  I love birds and wildlife in my garden.  Therefore I create a lot of area for the birds to hide etc.  Bird landscaping is a bit different in design from a clean landscape design.  Both are cool, but I like waking up to birds in the morning.  I have some work I've been doing around El Presidio coming up in several weeks.....I can't wait to show you.  There's so much going on here that it's difficult not to throw all of it at you all at once.  But that might be too much:)  Let's just say it's an exciting time here.

Some cacti and succulents do better in Phoenix than in Tucson.  An example of this is found behind this jazz player.   While you may see things like the San Pedro etc, you won't find many succulents.  The simple fact is that Tucson gets too cold and you'll end up losing these plants creating a huge mess.  Our historic freeze last year proved fatal for many of these beloved plants.  Remember that if you are working with Euphorbs(especially the African kind), you'll need to take care with the milky sap that will sometimes ooze from a broken piece.  You'll get a nasty burn/rash on your skin.  Always wear gloves when handling these plants.   In fact, I love when a cacti or succulent grows like this.  I have such a cluster in my own side garden and I wrapped that sucker up from last years historic freeze.  Today it stands tall and beautiful like it has for over a decade.  It's in the headlining pic for Las Aventuras. 

Rainbow Bush/Portulacaria afra 'Variegata'

I mentioned succulents.  Gorgeous plants that add a lot of appeal to any garden or art design.  However they thrive in moderate climates like San Diego along the coast. But several do extremely well here in Arizona....mostly in Phoenix.  This(above pic) is the hardiest of the succulents that I experimented on here in Tucson.  It endured our cold nights and LOVES our heat.....with a little bit of water.  It's usually placed along a drip line with a little shade, but not too much.

 When space is tight, there is always a solution.  Date palms, Lantana, Red Yucca, Agaves.....you name it.  If clumped together in the right combo they can make your home or business pop! The nice part about many of our xeric plants is that they clump or are very structural in nature. 

 This pic above was taken at night.  A warm summer breeze with the skyscraper in the background.  Nice!

And voila!  There you have it.  Desert design, IMHO, at its best!  People seem to love it as does the local wildlife.  More tomorrow.....