Monsoon Flowers ..2021

[Silas_Sancona]

Above average July storms n' showers, bring out all the flowers in the yard ( and beyond )

Fl. native White Indigoberry, Randia aculeata, More fruit forming on it this year also.





The Cassia that never really stops flowering, Senna covesii.



2nd flush of flowers on the Fragrant Mimosa, Mimosa borealis. Can't remember the last time it has flowered mid - summer, beyond one or two sun tortured flowers.





Cordia parvifolia.. practically on non stop bloom this summer.




Sierra Madre Nightshade, Solanum  tridynamum.




Leucophyllum  l. " Lynn's Legacy " gearing up to pop.



Rain lilies:  A good year so far for all of them.

Zephyranthes X " Praire Sunset "
First day:




Second day:


Habranthus  " Grandiflora "


Z. citrina


Z. chlorosolen


AZ. Summer Poppy, Kallstroemia grandiflora..  Not the first flowers this year, but the first since it started raining.. Recent heavy rain has caused 2-4 years worth of seed out front to germinate as well.  Rain keeps up and it will be quite a show out there in a couple weeks. Already seeing pictures of these blazing across parts of the open desert/ grasslands /roadsides from around Tucson, and across Southern AZ. where it has been pouring when it rains, almost non -stop.  Hopefully the show will be even better when i head down there soon.



How to tell these from the dreaded " Goat's Head / Puncture Vine ", Tribulus terrestris as young seedlings: 

Tribulus: Individual leaflets spaced closer together, more hairy, and smaller. Cotyledons have a noticeable groove down the center of the leafs.


Kallstoremia don't, Cotyledons are wider and thinner as well.  Individual leaflets are much larger, more space between them.


Related Guaiacum coulteri, Queen of the Caltrops family, on flower cycle ..i lost count.. this year.


A native Summer " weed " adding some foliage color to the mix as they emerge in droves.. While not the showiest of things, species in the Genus Boerhavia provide a food source for some Butterflies and  Sphinx Moths. Many have sticky foliage / seed heads  that makes weed whacking them a bit of a challenge but about as quickly as they pop up after our summer storms, they disappear once temperatures cool down in October.  While i don't let them take over the yard, i will leave plenty around for the critters..

 

[Tracy]

4 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

ow to tell these from the dreaded " Goat's Head / Puncture Vine ", Tribulus terrestris as young seedlings: 

Tribulus: Individual leaflets spaced closer together, more hairy, and smaller. Cotyledons have a noticeable groove down the center of the leafs.


Kallstoremia don't, Cotyledons are wider and thinner as well.  Individual leaflets are much larger, more space between them.

 

Tribulus terrestris is the bane of the rail easement running along Hwy 101 in Encinitas.  People walking, parking or driving in the area, pick them up in tires and shoes, spreading them every year.  Their "goat's head" burrs penetrate shoes and sandals, creating a painful reminder of their presence even after the plants have died because the dried up burrs hide in the sandy dirt. I have even taken out a digging tool and large plastic bag that I filled with them late this spring, just so that I can have a safe passage across the railroad tracks.  They are a plague!

[Silas_Sancona]

2 hours ago, Tracy said:

Tribulus terrestris is the bane of the rail easement running along Hwy 101 in Encinitas.  People walking, parking or driving in the area, pick them up in tires and shoes, spreading them every year.  Their "goat's head" burrs penetrate shoes and sandals, creating a painful reminder of their presence even after the plants have died because the dried up burrs hide in the sandy dirt. I have even taken out a digging tool and large plastic bag that I filled with them late this spring, just so that I can have a safe passage across the railroad tracks.  They are a plague!

Yep.. Became very familiar w/ these #$!**'s from an early age.. Whenever the family dog went to the Vet, i'd go explore the vacant lot between the Vet offices' parking lot, and what used to be an Avocado Grove next door ( Is houses now ) while mom was inside. Stepping on these w/ flimsy sandals, then barefoot ( while trying to take them out of the offended sandal ) has to be one of the most painful experiences i can remember ..until meeting Sand Bur ( a type of Grass ) in FL. w/ bare feet.

When i used to bike 2-4x's a week while in High school, lost count of how many tubes were replaced in both tires. 

In FL. there's another Tribulus sp. that has big, bright yellow flowers, like the Kallstroemia, but has the same gnarly spiked seed heads. 

Not sure if it is used there for control but there is a tiny Beetle??.. if i remember right.. the Ag Dept. has been releasing to control Puncture Vine. Seeing it growing in plenty of places around the neighborhood / other parts of town, seems even these insects don't completely eradicate it and here at least, same insect has shown some level of attraction to the native Kallstroemia in some areas. I'll ultimately loose plants after awhile to these bugs toward the end of the season, or if smaller plants are severely stressed from lack of water.

 

[Silas_Sancona]

' Couple more to add:

Leucophyllum l. " Lynn's Legacy " starting to pop.


" Torch Glow " Bougainvillea. Look better when the invading, unstoppable Bermuda grass is ripped out from around 'em too, haha.





Recall the seed i'd discovered on the Cordia parvifolia sometime ago, and decided to sprout?. Ultimately, they didn't make it through the hottest part of the summer, even under the shadiest part of my patio. Fast forward and guess what i've been finding germinating near/ under the " mother " plant out front while battling the Berumda earlier. 

Will be interesting to see what happens to them. 

[Peter]

Lynn's Legacy!  Still searching in vain for it in Socal nurseries.

[Silas_Sancona]

32 minutes ago, Peter said:

Lynn's Legacy!  Still searching in vain for it in Socal nurseries.

Any nurseries nearby buy from Green Desert or Mountain States?  They both sell it ( Green Desert has it listed in their current availability. Can't access Mountain States current Avail. list )

[Peter]

nope-minimum order is too high so locals won't purchase from them

[Silas_Sancona]

More, ..this time the eye popping power of TX. Sage ( Leucophyllum ) varieties planted in landscapes / yards all over town, in full bloom atm.

" Lynn's Legacy " at peak bloom..


L. zygophyllum " Cimarron "




Resembles " Lynn's Legacy ", but isn't ( Foliage arrangement is tighter, much more silver colored. Flower arrangement is different as well. )





 Smaller example of the often- gets- massive < and leggy > Leucophyllum frutescens  var. " Green, or Silver Cloud " ~ i think ~



NOID TX. Sage var. / Red Bird combo at the shopping Center up the road from me is quite attention getting. " Willowy " looking trees in the pictures here are Mariosousa willardiana, Palo Blanco/ Willard's Acacia ( from Central / S. Sonora, Mexico )










 

[SailorBold]

Those Texas Sage are awesome... they are blooming here now too with the recent rains...  Way under-utilized as landscape plants/ street plantings...

 

We got 2.2" of rain for July!

[Silas_Sancona]

2 minutes ago, SailorBold said:

Those Texas Sage are awesome... they are blooming here now too with the recent rains...  Way under-utilized as landscape plants/ street plantings...

 

We got 2.2" of rain for July!

Think were right around 2.2-2.5" here currently.. Hoping for more though since the heat has dried things out a bit since. Tucson obliterated their total - for the entire season - w/ 8.06" ~ last month~. Super green down there right now.  Heading down toward Sonoita, and the Catalinas soon.

[Josue Diaz]

Those shots are all incredible! Sometimes a monsoon is strong enough that it blows over the Sierra Nevada and gives us a nice, tropical storm out west, but nothing as of yet. Waiting for our rains to start back up in November (although this year is supposed to be another dry year)... 

[Silas_Sancona]

16 minutes ago, Josue Diaz said:

Those shots are all incredible! Sometimes a monsoon is strong enough that it blows over the Sierra Nevada and gives us a nice, tropical storm out west, but nothing as of yet. Waiting for our rains to start back up in November (although this year is supposed to be another dry year)... 

  Also been keeping an eye on things hoping the Sierras / Central Valley will get in on more activity than what has looked like mostly clouds, weak showers that have made it up there so far. Remember August - October being prime time for monsoon- type storms for both the Central Valley / Bay Area.. ( was when most of the good storms would occur up there anyway ) Been a good year so hopefully that is a good omen one of these events will be strong enough to offer up a good downpour of two out there as we head into " transition " season ( when the Monsoon high starts breaking down and fall troughs start influencing the weather more over the region.. Hoping we can tug some Tropical stuff up this way/ across Cali this year )

I'll tell you though, if you recall past pictures from how green the front yard was - after a good winter - a couple years ago,  It's almost that level of green out there atm.

Same w/ the desert / most of S. AZ. ( See the " Emerald Desert " thread over in the Ohana Nui section ) ... and that is one of the areas of the state that has been a touch drier than other spots atm too.  Hearing the high country ( Rim / Mountains ) is looking real good as well.

[Butch]

On 7/31/2021 at 5:26 PM, Tracy said:

Tribulus terrestris is the bane of the rail easement running along Hwy 101 in Encinitas.  People walking, parking or driving in the area, pick them up in tires and shoes, spreading them every year.  Their "goat's head" burrs penetrate shoes and sandals, creating a painful reminder of their presence even after the plants have died because the dried up burrs hide in the sandy dirt. I have even taken out a digging tool and large plastic bag that I filled with them late this spring, just so that I can have a safe passage across the railroad tracks.  They are a plague!

I hate goat heads!!!

Butch

[Silas_Sancona]

Summer Poppies ( Kallstroemia grandiflora ..No relation to true Poppies / CA. Poppy ) starting to pop.













Matelea tristiflora **Recently discovered population of this plant in extreme southern AZ may be lumped into it's own species / different Genus**.  Milkweed family.

[Silas_Sancona]

Few more.. Throwing in the Cacti here because i'm too lazy to find this years' cactus thread right now, haha.

Front yard specimen of Guaiacum coulteri on flower cycle   ..i've lost count.


Coryphanthes robustispina.. Other Corys. / Yellow flowered Mam. that flowers this time of year are either going to be late.. or are just too small to flower this year. No worries.   Some of the Trichos. / Echinopsis are gearing up for another flowering cycle as well. Acanthocereus  tetragonus( Triangle Cactus ) apparently threw out a few flowers the other night but missed catching them open.




Two- men- out.. ( unexpected, out of season oddities ) Both shouldn't have any flowers right now. Guess it has been cool / wet enough lately to coax a flower or two on them )

Opuntia basilaris




Opuntia rhodantha X " Grand Mesa Peach "  Waterwise Botanicals introduction.


Not a flower but tossing it in anyway since they've been " blooming " too w/ all the rain this summer.

Desert Shaggy Mane.. Usually see these after a wet winter.. Little less common during the summer.  < not pictured >" Dog Vomit " Fungi ( yes, that's what it is called ) is also popping up through the rocks in shady spots out back. Both are apparently not toxic to animals, though i still keep the nose of a curious Basenji away from them.


Another group of them from Veteran's Oasis Park, back around this time last month.

 

[SailorBold]

I concur.. I hate gotheads.. I have eradicated them from my property.. which has taken years.

Cool fungi.. lol.. when I was in middle school I collected some in the Mesa and brought them on the bus..  they were taken away from me because I said they were puff balls...

Smh.. all I wanted was an id...

They look similar but different.. and the spores shot out if the top when squeezed..

[Silas_Sancona]

7 hours ago, SailorBold said:

I concur.. I hate gotheads.. I have eradicated them from my property.. which has taken years.

Cool fungi.. lol.. when I was in middle school I collected some in the Mesa and brought them on the bus..  they were taken away from me because I said they were puff balls...

Smh.. all I wanted was an id...

They look similar but different.. and the spores shot out if the top when squeezed..

Haha!.. Funny you mention Puffballs. Got in trouble a few times for throwing these at some other kids i didn't get along with in 3rd grade.. 

Did something similar ( kicked them around like a Soccer Ball ) w/ friends in High school when we'd hang out at a local park ..and didn't get in trouble, just big black/ brown stains on our clothes lol..

[SailorBold]

My rainfall total this summer was actually pretty good!

June to present I received 4.16"!! 

Edited September 23, 2021 by SailorBold

[Silas_Sancona]

Not sure exactly where we stand for the season atm, but it's been epic without any doubt ..and could add a little more to the totals -both here, and up your way-  by the time the " calendar " season closes out next Thursday.

Even w/out being on top of rain totals here,  how the Summer Poppies ( Kallstroemia grandiflora ) behaved in the yard ( and everywhere else across S. AZ ) this summer is plenty of proof of a WET summer..

While they come up / put on a good show anytime it has been wet ( 2018 was the last really good display out there ) they came up gangbusters thru August, throughout the yard this year.. exceeding what i'd thought might be an average height for this part of AZ ( typically drier here than further south, so assumed there'd be a ceiling on how tall they could get in a season )

The only negative this year is as soon as they hit peak, ..or just past peak ~ growth/ flowering- wise ~,  we settled back into that hot / dry break at the start of September and most of the color quickly faded.. All pulled now.  Hoping we get just enough showers now/ start of October to entice a few late season stragglers to pop up ( some popped last year, in late November ).  No big deal if not..

How it started... Now you see the Lava Boulder in the background.. 8/9/21






How it ended..   Where's that boulder again?, lol.










8/ 20/ 21:  Somewhat crude measurements i guess but wasn't expecting these to reach/ eclipse the 18-22" height mark here.. Tallest plants maxed out in the 13-15" range back in 2018. Taller height -overall-  is more typical in favorable spots across far S. AZ ( ..Down by Madera Canyon, Yuma, etc ). 

Will be interesting to see how these behave / grow out in San Diego where it isn't quite as hot / humidity levels are more even throughout most of the summer.




 Shared this before but caught part of this display along the new alignment where hwy 87 and interstate 10 meet ( near Eloy / Picacho ) was completed awhile back while headed to Las Cienegas / Empire Ranch last month..  As many times as i have traveled through this location ( since 2009 ) anytime during summer/ fall, never noticed any Kallstroemia grandiflora along the 10 in this area before.. Hopefully the highway dept. continues seeding these along the 10 between Phoenix and Tucson, let alone other highways across the state / other areas in the region ( species is native from W. TX. - far S.E. CA. ). Noticed patches of them growing along the 60, just east of Apache Junction this summer also.