The villain in this show is the grass Enneapogon cenchroides or soft feather pappus grass. There are many invasive exotic grasses that have changed our wild landscapes and make no mistake, they are here to stay. Prior to this last sentence, by the way, I had written a several hundred-word diatribe about the species of introduced non native grasses we now find out in the wild. I changed my mind. Who needs a diatribe?
There are still marvelous vast areas of native grasses here in the borderlands. We need to get out and enjoy them and protect them if we can. Oh, and did I mention that good native plant nurseries grow and offer native bunch grasses that would look great in your personal habitat. Grow native!
The photos are mine of a couple favorite grasses. I could have posted dozens of photos of grasses, but I let us both off the hook and picked two. The photo with my ever present hand is of Bouteloua hirsuta or hairy grama. And below a photo of Muhlenbergia emersleyi or bull grass. Beautiful, right?
Desert Rosemallow is the official common name I think, though I see it called Coulter’s Hibiscus as well. The latter name makes a lot...
Mala Mujer or Cnidoscolus angustidens is an interesting plant in Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family. It’s found in southeastern Arizona and south into Sonora on...
This poem was originally written as part of the 2012 poetic inventory of the Saguaro National Monument East. Writers, poets and at least one...
