Seeing Desert Native Landscaping as Bird & Pollinator Corridors

See the wildflowers in our basin? 

One of the joys of my day is to listen to the birds frolic as I tend the pollinator plants in our rainwater basin. Sure, I probably should have looked up how much water that spiderworts take before planting them. But what the heck! We have gathered plenty of rain in our slimline cistern and watering them gives me an excuse to be out there every morning. I also planted Arizona curve leaf, yellow and red salvia, and Mexican honeysuckle to add some color until the poppies, native globe mallow, desert senna and brittle bush returned with the recent rain to brighten our basin. 

Dan and I love to watch the birds gathering by the birdbath from our dining room window. We've counted 22 varieties using the eBird app. A neighbor mentioned that there used to be 100 varieties in the nearby Arcadia Wash. But loss of habitat, stray cats, and the use of pesticides has contributed to their decline. We feel it is more important than ever to extend the wildlife corridors like the wash to include desert lots and yards - so the birds can find food and safe shelter.

Currently our yard is a lovely bird habitat and pollinator garden, but it wasn't that long ago that it looked pretty stark. It's funny that people take so much effort to rake up all the fallen leaves and organic matter, when ants will gather it all up or it will break down and provide nutrients to the soil. Looking back at pictures (from different seasons) of our basin full of poppy stem or horse purslane mulch, I am surprised that the critters used it all up - leaving the ground pretty bare. But one of the promises of a native habitat is that different plants are in bloom or dormant at different times of the year. It might be difficult for neighbors who keep their gravel pristine (using poisonous Roundup) to understand that the spiney, dead-looking wolfberry in our basin will leaf out to provide shelter and berries for our beloved birds.

Ever since a neighbor reported the native bunch grasses (that are an integral part of a working rain basin), I have been very mindful about how some people see them. I've made an effort to trim off the seedheads along the property line so they don't spread into the neighbors' yards. Recently, I planted poppy seeds and watered them. Up came a bunch of grass. As the grass went to seed I was tempted to trim off the seedheads, but poppies were popping up between them. As I watched a charm of finches go to town on the seeds, I was grateful that I hadn't removed their food!

The problem is that some people only see "weeds" when something green sprouts in a yard. So I do my best to make it look intentional - keeping weeds off of our path, planting colorful wildflowers, and posting signs (like the ones pictured at the top of the page) that read, "Rainwater Harvesting Basin at Work," and "Plants for Birds." I also pull out any invasive non-native weeds like the wild mustard that would otherwise take over the whole yard. 

Unfortunately, the city encourages people to report grass and "weeds" over 6 inches. The crazy thing is that it is in direct conflict with their policy encouraging Green Stormwater Infrastructure. Best practices include planting native bunch grass to help the water infiltrate and build healthier soil.

When I was threatened with a $2000 dollar fine, I took it as a challenge and contacted the inspector at Environmental Services, his boss, and some like-minded city council members. I educated them about GSI policies and the importance of native plants in the basin. I even conducted a slide presentation for the Commission on Climate, Energy, and Sustainability requesting a letter of support. Which they sent. It's been years, and the neighbor who reported me has kindly stopped spraying Roundup in her front yard. 

So I was so disappointed to hear that Ann, a fellow naturalist, was being fined $10,000 for her "untidy" landscaping. This scientist has created a lush bird habitat with a variety of native plants that extends the bird corridor of Arroyo Chico. The complaint included "dead trees." But the trees were actually just dormant - beloved hackberry and ironwood trees. 

Ann's habitat has a dormant tree, grass & wildflowers. Would pollinators want her to thin it?  

Ann reached out to me for help (as the lead of Sustainable Tucson's Water Committee) and I suggested that she contact the inspector (who happened to be on vacation) and their boss. I made a few recommendations on how to make it appear a bit more "tidy." But the birds love the habitat she created. And the so-called "weeds" are wildflowers that haven't bloomed yet or bunch grass that feeds birds. Why should they suffer because some guy with boring gravel doesn't like it? 

I invited her to attend our water committee meeting on "Rainwater Harvesting and Keeping Cool with Storm to Shade." Storm to Shade is the organization responsible for maintaining Tucson's GSI. Ann shared her story to a sympathetic audience. Watch the meeting here: https://youtu.be/HU0a-7EUr7M

 Last I heard, the issue had been resolved and the inspector educated.

Maybe we all just need to learn to see desert yards with new eyes and understand that native plants look different depending on the season. And when you're tempted to call that little patch of green a "weed" remember that native plants are vital for creating healthy bird and pollinator corridors. Can we do that for the birds, please?

More Information: 

Identify the birds you see or hear with Merlin Bird ID: https://ebird.org/home

Good Weeds vs. Bad Weeds blog

Our Yard the Bird Feeder

Video: We turned weeds into wildflowers by Brad Lancaster

Tucson neighbors transform alley into pollinator garden

 #lovemyrainbasin

Stories of Exceptional Women; or Taming My Presentation for Tombstone Territory Rendezvous

Performing at Empire Ranch. Photo credit Bob Block 

It's been years since I performed historical readings at Tombstone Territory Rendezvous, so I was honored when Nancy Sosa invited me to present at this year's symposium, "Tramping and Taming of Tombstone: Wild Women, Soiled Doves and Exceptional Ladies."

I immediately went through my collections of historic books in search of "exceptional ladies." I seemed to recall that the Earp Brothers of Tombstone had some quotes from Allie Earp. Perhaps I could share her perspective on their time in Tombstone in her own voice. But as I compiled excerpts of Allie's letters, it became clear that the Earp wives had been hidden off at home while the Earp brothers did their thing. The story where Allie had the most impact, was when she insisted on bringing her sewing machine to Tombstone - which she later used to support them. 

I knew there had to be more impactful women, because I had just finished reading my all-time favorite book, The Forgotten Botanist: Sara Plummer Lemmon's Life of Science and Art.

Sara had worked side-by-side with her husband as they botanized Southern Arizona in the midst of the Apache Wars. Mount Lemmon was even named after her since she was the first white woman to make it to the top of the Catalinas. That was it! I had my subject. The couple had even stopped in Tombstone on their way to Fort Bowie. 

It has been a rewarding journey preparing my presentation of Wynne Brown's lovely book. What a delight to re-read the passages of the couple botanizing our beloved Sky Islands. Their passion for those plants and the sheer excitement they shared whenever they discovered "new glories" is so moving. I couldn't help but feel a kindship with them. My husband Dan and I share a passion for the native desert plants in our rainwater harvesting basin.

Native plants in rainwater basin

While Sara created watercolor paintings of the plants they discovered, I use my cellphone to snap photos for my blog. I like to fancy myself a citizen scientist, studying the impacts of our sporadic Tucson weather on our plants. But Sara and J.G. were the ultimate citizen scientists. Several of the plants they discovered have been named after them and one is still at the Smithsonian. 

Thurber's morning glory by Sara Plummer Lemmon

Photo credit: Wynne Brown*

I was tickled by the way Sara combined her two passions of science and art. It has actually inspired me to pick up my own long neglected sketch pad. It's been many years since I've done any watercolor painting, but I look forward to getting back to it when we return from our trip to Tombstone. 

I am in awe of Wynne Brown's commitment to collecting, photographing and recording the Lemmons' field notes, correspondences, photos and artwork.* And beyond that, organizing and participating in efforts to preserve hundreds of Sara's fragile paintings. Wynne has gone on to share Sara's story far and wide through fascinating presentations and storytelling. I like to think we share a kinship, too. From our love of storytelling and Arizona history to the way we wrangle our husbands into helping us with our projects. 

Her husband Dave Peterson performed with her as J.G. Lemmon to her Sara...

He also worked alongside her preserving Sara's paintings. Reminds me of how Dan has helped me find photos for this slide presentation and doing research for my previous reading of the Clum letters.  

Ye old photograph of Dan and me doing research on the Clums

You might wonder if a bunch of Earp fans would be into a presentation on collecting flowers. But afterwards I got compliments from both men and women. One man thanked me for sharing Sara's story. He said that she was an "impressive woman." Karene Erdman, (who is related to Newton Earp) said that she was waiting to see what flower it was that Sara collected. She was delighted when she discovered that it was columbine - a flower that she had planted in her own yard.  

Feeling a little nervous before my presentation, I added a brief, impromptu introduction. (Talking casually to the audience always helps calm my nerves...) I mentioned how excited I was to share Sara's story because one of the joys of my life is to tend the native plants in our rainwater harvesting basin. At the campfire that evening, Eric Erdman (of the Earp clan) inquired about our rainwater harvesting system. We had a nice chat about all things sustainable. That made my day (or night as the case may be.) 

I want to thank Wynne Brown for her generosity in letting me perform excerpts from her book for my dramatic reading of "Botanizing in Apache Land" and Nancy Sosa for inviting me. 

Me at TRR 2025

For information on TTR, visit: 

https://tombstoneterritoryrendezvous.com/

*Sara Plummer Lemmon's art was donated to the University of California, Berkley and the Jepson Herbaria Archive by Sara's great, great grandniece Amy St. John. 

Observations of a Crazy Winter on our Rain Garden

As a "would-be citizen scientist", I guess it's time to share my observations about the impacts of our crazy weather on our front yard rain garden this winter. 

The leaves on the jujube trees have fallen, as expected this time of year. We have taken the advice of local rainwater harvesting guru Brad Lancaster and left them in the basin to nourish the soil and retain as much moisture as possible. 

The globe mallow (the green shrub above) seems confused by our crazy winter weather. Is it sticking around in response to the unseasonably warm weather? (Many days around 80 degrees.) We haven't had our usual winter rains, so there isn't enough moisture to allow it to grow flowers. 

But take a closer look... Tiny yellow wild flowers have come up in the mulch. I spotted some little butterflies and bees pollinating them. (There is actually a species of native bees that burrows down in the mulch.) 

Our poor moringa trees also seem confused by the variable weather. They haven't frozen yet, so that's good. We still hope to gather some leaves for tea. (We have already harvested them twice this year. But they usually grow back...) They have sprouted new leaves. But I have watched in anticipation for weeks, and the  leaves don't grow big enough to harvest. And a few leaves have turned yellow. 

The latest development is some buds sprouting, but even with some additional rainwater from our cistern, they are struggling to bloom. (Thank heavens for the one winter storm in November that filled our cisterns.)

Moringa story continued here: 

Wrapping up for the freeze

Despite being watered daily, our sunchokes never grew beyond a foot before they withered up and died. They grew 3 feet last year and had yellow flowers. Last December I harvested more of the yummy tubers than we could eat...

As passionate rainwater harvesters, we always look forward to the winter rains filling our basins and cisterns. So it is pretty discouraging to have such a dry winter. Believe me, this isn't normal. Check out the normal highs and lows and rainfall in December and January from the National Weather Service. 

Our mesquite trees are starting to turn yellow and lose their leaves (which is normal this time of year.) The leaves that are left after the leaf cutter ants get their share become a part of the mulch in our front yard basin.  

 I'm afraid we won't have the abundant wildflowers we had last year. But I still find joy in seeing a variety of birds digging around in the mulch for food. I recently caught this goldfinch (below) getting a drink in our bird bath. 

Every morning Dan and I watch from the dining room window as the birds land on our decorative saguaro rib and then dive down to get a drink or splash around in our bird bath. 

Some regular guests are the Gila woodpeckers (pictured below), mourning doves, curve-billed thrashers, mockingbirds, sparrows and finches. We even had a red tail hawk once. 

This particular day there were so many birds all around our rain garden. I shooed away a stray cat that was hiding under the hackberry ready to pounce. That's why we keep ours in doors. Here is Freddy watching safely from his perch in the house. 

So, what have I learned from my observations during this unusual winter? That it is important to leave the leaves in the basin. The pollinators and birds really appreciate it. Cold weather or hot, rain or no rain, I still love my basins!  #lovemyrainbasin

More information: 

Basin Observations from a Would-be Citizen Scientist

False Spring or Just Crazy Tucson Weather?

First poppy of false spring

If you strolled past my yard yesterday morning, you might have caught me outside in my pink housecoat. On our sporadic cold winter days, I love to hang around the house bundled in my cozy robe. Who would have thought that I would be inspired by the sunny 57 degree weather to snap photos of the wildflowers sprouting in our rainwater harvesting catchment basin! I just had to capture a photo of the first poppy of False Spring.

The term 'false spring' refers to a period in late winter or early spring when temperatures become unusually warm, before suddenly growing cold again. The warm weather tricks the seeds that are waiting for spring to sprout prematurely - just be frozen again. I'm not sure whether that the term "false spring" really applies. Our weather this past year has been all over the place. For example, it snowed twice late last February and early March - when it rarely snows in Tucson. As the snow melted, our yards filled with wildflowers last April. Looks like it's gonna be another spectacular year for wild flowers! 

Poppies filled our basin last April

After an excruciatingly long summer with the most days over 110 degrees in Tucson's recorded history, it actually hailed in our back yard wreaking havoc on our poor agaves. After suffering from the brutal "non-soon" we are getting plenty of rain this winter. While the rain is a welcome relief, I'm afraid it isn't a good sign for the coming monsoon. I found out from a meteorologist at the Southern Arizona Heat Planning Summit that a wet winter means a dry monsoon. Doh! We are grateful to have cisterns to collect some of this winter rain to help us get through the dry summer ahead and desert trees that can handle these extreme shifts in the weather.

In the meantime I am enjoying seeing our basin green up - a sign of the wildflowers to come. #lovemyrainbasin  What else can I do?

It's fun to see the globe mallow springing back with all those leaves! 

I can't wait for all the orange flowers to bloom!

Globe mallow last April

One of the neighbors who caught me in my pink robe invited me over to take some of the succulents that had overgrown in her yard. (Of course I changed into my street clothes first! lol)

I planted a couple of agave in the right of way basin (leaving plenty of room for them to grow.) Thanks, neighbor!

So... False Spring or just crazy Tucson weather? You decide.

More poppies February 23rd

The life cycle of a Mexican poppy:

https://www.sustainablelivingtucson.com/2023/04/the-life-and-death-of-california-poppy.html

The life cycle of a Mexican poppy

I've always wanted to draft a blog on wildflowers, but some other feat of nature - like rain or even snow in the desert - inevitably grabs my attention...  

A while back, I did highlight a few wildflowers in my timely "Good Weeds vs. Bad Weeds" blog.  

But this season we've been blessed with some really spectacular wildflowers - nourished by, not one, but two days of SNOW in our desert town!

Thanks to Jared from Spadefoot Nursery for identifying this native Lacy Sleepy Daisy that is growing along our sidewalk.

The native globe mallow is really showing off it's (orange) colors in our jujube basin! 

Here's how it looks before it flowers - so you don't mistake it for a weed and pick it....

But I'd say the true star of our neighborhood has got to be the Mexican poppy... So I thought I'd do a quick blog about it while it's still around to enjoy!

If you see this plant in your yard, leave it. It's not a weed. 

It won't be long before your Mexican poppy starts to bud...

Please, don't spray Roundup on it... 

like the neighbor who sprayed Roundup right next door

 to the cute toddler who gathers flowers in the neighborhood. 😒

Does this look better than a flower?

Or the bees that I saw pollinating the poppies in my yard! 

If you leave them pods will grow....

Soon after pollination, the petals and stamens fall off, leaving the central cylindrical pointed seed capsule. It elongates as it fills with seed, turning from green to tan with maturity. Pods open explosively, splitting longitudinally and ejecting the seeds up to 6 feet away from the mother plant. 

How fun is that!?

Then the birds eat the seeds and spread them through the neighborhood...

Can't wait for next year to see all the pretty poppies. Well... not in that one neighbor's yard... Oh, you know what I mean!

FYI I just learned from Spadefoot Nursery how to tell a Mexican poppy from an Arizona Poppy...

Good Weeds vs. Bad Weeds

With all this rain, we are getting a lot of so-called "weeds." A weed being any volunteer plant that we don't want in our yard. But before you start pulling out all of  your weeds willy-nilly, I thought I'd do a blog on which are the good weeds and which are the bad weeds (in my opinion.) The good weeds include edible weeds, wild flowers and native grasses. The bad weeds include buffelgrass and sticker weeds like goat heads and tumbleweeds . I'll show you how to identify both. If you've read my posts, you're probably aware that I'm an advocate for pulling the weeds where you don't want them and leaving them where you do. 

Should I start with good weeds or bad weeds?  I think we could all use some good news, so...

These native wild flowers (that some people might pull as weeds) aren't only beautiful by they slow down the flow in my jujube basin so the water sinks in instead of running out to the street. And the butterflies and bees love them! 

Senna covesii or desert senna

Sleepy Daisy

The native wild flowers in our catchment basin slow down the stormwater (along with that native grass that is part of the system) to sink in the water and protect the trees. 

This volunteer globe mallow is a nice addition to my cactus garden...

Here's an Arizona Poppy coming up where I transplanted one last year (by the native bunch grass.)

I'm really loving the abundant weed that is covering my front yard basin. I use horse purslane as living mulch. And then break it up into straw-like mulch when it dies! It also has pretty purple flowers that the pollinators just love. And yeah, it is also edible, but not as palatable as my favorite edible weed common purslane (see below.) I would cook the horse purslane, but common purslane can be eaten raw. 

Here I am walking on the horse purslane mulch left over from last year. It's like walking on a wet sponge!  Now there are mushrooms growing there too - a sign of microbes in the soil!  Who says you can't have good soil in the desert!? You just need native plants and rain! 

That brings me to common purslane (also known as verdolagas.) I have waxed poetic in the past about my love for this yummy edible weed and have posted many a blog with recipes. It sorta looks like a succulent with light green or pink stems (that are also edible.)

I guess you can't really call it a weed since I propagate it in my yard (like this patch below.) Check out the cute yellow flowers - that means they have gone to seed. Perfect for planting. I actually wash them off over a bowl to catch the little black seeds. Then I pour them where I know they will be watered - like in the catchment basin shown in the picture below.

baby purslane

This should not be confused with spurge, that is probably growing right under it.  You can tell spurge because white sap comes out if you break the stem. And I think it looks completely different. 

baby spurge 

Also not to be confused with the dreaded goat head... Don't let the yellow flowers fool you! They turn into nasty stickers. Here's a clear picture I got from a Master Gardeners class. You won't want to wait until the sneaky yellow flowers appear to pull them out because you may get pricked by a hidden sticker.  

While both goatheads and common purslane have little yellow flowers, the flowers on common purslane are framed by tear-shaped leaves.  Goatheads have much smaller leaves. Common purslane also has smooth, succulent-like stems (sometimes with a pink tint.) Goatheads tend to sprawl closer to the ground. By then you will be able to see some stickers on them.  

Succulent-like green and pink stems on purslane 

Hey! How did the nasty sticker weeds creep into my good weed section? I'm not done with the good edible weeds! 

We finally got some amaranth in our easement. Yay!  (See pic at the top of the page.) 

While I was out and about I decided to pull some palo verde sprouts to help out our neighbor.  While those aren't traditionally thought of as weeds, by my definition weeds are plants you don't want. And I'm pretty sure they don't want a palo verde forest in their yard.  And I benefited too. Palo verde sprouts are delicious (like their edible seeds.) The neighbors liked them too! 

I grabbed some amaranth for supper....

First, I pulled the leaves off the stem and washed a big bowl of them thoroughly. It's important to pick quite a bit because they shrink when you cook them like spinach.  Then I sautéed them with onions and mushrooms.  Great earthy flavors!  

We love this in a egg scramble, but this time we tried something new!  Amaranth and mushroom enchiladas!  Amaranth is Dan's favorite!  Looks like Freddie wants some too! 

Now for the bad weeds that are popping up after all that rain. 

I kinda went on a quest to get rid of all the sticker weeds in the neighborhood. 

Hiding in the grass, was an innocent looking weed with purple flowers...and stickers!

Can you spot it? 

Oh! Here's the baby sticker weed! Notice that the leaves aren't glossy. 

I'll grab this little goat head while I'm at it. 

There were a bunch of tumbleweeds that were spreading from one yard into the two yards next to it. I pulled those too!

I put them in re-used plastic bags to keep the seeds from flying down the street when the garbage truck picks them up. A good morning's work, if I do say so myself! 

And don't forget buffelgrass. You don't want that growing in your neighborhood. It spreads like wild fire and burns as hot. It's pretty easy to pull when they are little. You can identify it because it grows out from the middle and often has burgundy tips. 

But once they go to seed, you'll want to carefully pick off the seeds first and put them in a sealed bag. Then try to pull them out by the roots using a shovel. It's easiest after it has rained for a few days. Then put the whole plant into a sealed plastic bag so the seeds won't spread when the garbage truck picks them up. The buffegrass pictured below spread through the whole lot then down the street and through the neighborhood. Now, when I can't get them out, at least I remove the seeds. 

Buffelgrass identification brochure: 

https://www.desertmuseum.org/buffelgrass/buffelgrass_identification.pdf

Here's a pic of some baby buffelgrass.  I'm afraid it looks an awful like some other grasses. But a big buffelgrass with seeds nearby is a good clue. 

This is what buffelgrass seed heads look like. Be careful when picking them. 

Another very invasive plant is fountain grass. It was sold for landscaping but it has spread and is also a fire hazard that can take out our beloved saguaros. Notice that it has thin, wiry leaves.

invasive fountain grass

Stinknet (also called Globe Chamomile) is a noxious winter annual composite native to South Africa. Emergence starts in late November and plants can continue to germinate and emerge through the month of May in wet years. Leaves appear “carrot-like” dark green and twice dissected and have a strong odor. Flowering starts in late February and can continue through May. Flowers are bright yellow and ball shaped. Plants grow in dense clusters and easily displace native vegetation. During growth the plants can cause severe allergic reactions, both dermal and respiratory. Infestations spread rapidly along roadways and open fields in residential areas, dried dense patches are highly flammable, and the smoke is caustic.

Be sure to use gloves and a facemask when hand pulling.

Please don't confuse stinknet with lovely Mexican Poppies. But pull it out as soon as you see the buds of yellow balls.

Mexican Poppy before flowering

I am hoping for a yard full of Mexican Poppy like this...

Find out more about poppies here. 

Weeds are in the eye of the beholder. In the 80s many people planted Bermuda grass - that is now considered an invasive plant. (Which you are well aware of if you've ever tried to remove it. It sends out seeds and aggressive runners and it can have a very deep root system....) 

To keep it under control, you can cut it back before it goes to seed using a weed whacker. I have used scissors on the Bermuda grass that grows along our property line. Then I put the grass clippings in my compost pit or as mulch in the garden. 

Bermuda grass

I purposely plant native bunchgrass in our yard to prevent erosion (like around the base of the curry plant below.). It's an integral part of our catchment basins - allowing the rainwater to sink in and acting as a sponge (along with woodchip mulch) to hold the water longer.  

Below is some native bunch grass that we left in our jujube basin. It actually prevents erosion by slowing down the stormwater in rainwater basins - particularly those that aren't rock lined. This bunch grass actually helped to heal the soil that had been poisoned by oleanders. Now the jujube trees in that basin are thriving! 

HINT: If the grass spreads too much you might want to pull some of it for aesthetic purposes. The idea is to look intentional. I have been known to give it a hair cut to keep the seeds from spreading. But keep in mind that the seeds on those native grasses supply food for birds and bunnies.

This bunch grass slows down the stormwater as it rushes out of the downspout.

I hope this helps you see "weeds" in a new light. Keep the native plants you like, pick the 

weeds you don't. And you can walk barefoot in a yard you love as much as we love ours.

Thanks to Jared from Spade Foot Nursery for helping identify some of the local wild flowers. 

More Information: 

Here's a guide to native wild flowers that grow in the Spring

Desert Flowering Plants

Monsoon Weeding Guide 

Stinkweed Removal Guide