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?
Out in the borderlands near me I find mariola (Parthenium incanum) on the gravelly slopes and plains of the Desert Grassland and Chihuahuan Desert....
I think I talked more about Toumey oak (Quercus toumeyi) than yellow bells. It is an awfully sweet little native oak. I’m pretty sure...
This episode is a reminiscence sparked by some old photos. I’m pretty sure my father took the photos, because I can’t remember him ever...
