Bouvardia and Senticolis

“Oh, Wilderness were Paradise enow!” I know, often overused, but that line from the Rubaiyat fits the way I’ve always felt about getting out to gather seed and having wildlife encounters as a bonus. Thank you, Omar.

When I first saw Bouvardia ternifolia out in the wilds I thought for sure it was an escaped ornamental. The clusters of red flowers are spectacular. Even Arizona Flora says, “a handsome shrub worthy of cultivation.” I think that’s a good idea.

Oh, and the Senticolis triaspis. Well, that is the beauty of just getting out into the woodlands; you have so many wild flora and fauna encounters. The green ratsnake is a borderlands species in Arizona and only found in the Madrean Evergreen Woodlands of a few mountain ranges along the Sonoran and Arizona border. The fact that I had never seen one in habitat only sweetened the day.

The photos are mine. The red flowers in the clasp of my granddaughter’s hand have not quite opened up. Definitely look up Bouvardia at http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/. There are many photos to be seen at the site. The green ratsnake was feisty. When we spotted one another it slithered over to me and struck my boot two times before climbing onto the branch where I photographed it. I take my spelling of the common name ratsnake from Amphibians and Reptiles in Arizona by Brennan and Holycross, a well used field guide.