Sunday, July 20, 2008

Soaking it up in the desert







It is really shaping up to be a fairly wet monsoon season, here in Tucson, with a little under two inches falling in my yard through the night. I was a little concerned about the 8 young Mescal Bean (Sophora secundiflora) trees I've recently transplanted in various areas of my yard but they seem to have weathered the storm well and I can almost hear their little roots growing with that wonderful rain! It is really amazing how the rainy season here restores the cactus and other plants, filling them up with water to get through the dry months.
No matter how regularly I water my yard, it doesn't seem to have the same restorative powers that natural rain does.

My Green Thumb Sunday pictures include the little Baja Fairy Duster (Calliandra californica)that I planted last spring. Just a tiny plant, not more than 15 inches tall, he blooms and blooms and blooms! Even on this rainy morning there was one freshly opened flower along with a few that appear to have stayed in the shower too long!
And I've also posted a neat little plant, weed, tree, that I am hoping someone can identify for me. I love the way it has two types of leaves and I am guessing it is some type of Palo Verde, but I would love to hear from someone who knows for sure. They are popping up everywhere in my yard these days.
There are also pictures of two of baby Mescal bean trees in their new permanent homes- each with a rock protector!
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2 comments:

Teena in Toronto said...

We got a ton of rain today!

I played too :)

Aiyana said...

My Baja Fairy Duster doesn't bloom as regularly as yours. It get flowers intermittently through the summer, but with the rain, it is looking better now.
I would guess that the mystery plant is some type of mesquite or palo verde. It's still too young to tell for sure. I have 100s of tiny Acacia salicina sprouts coming up that look similar.
Aiyana