The common name of cacomistle (cacomixtle) for the ringtail is from the Nahuatl language. It translates to “half cat.” I can see that, especially when you watch them scurry around. “Look a kitty!” Another common name is miner’s cat, from the fact that miners/prospectors liked to have ringtails around for the same reason I do; they eat rodents. Yay!
The photos are Ms. Mesquitey’s and taken one early morning in our greenhouse. Yes, that is a scat on top of the irrigation clock. Well, I took that photo… of course.
SPECIAL BONUS! Here’s a link to another episode about some nearby ringtails:
https://kxci.org/podcast/literary-ringtails/
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...
Bristlehead (Carphochaete bigelovii) is a small shrub…a subshrub…that I’m not sure I would have recognized without the flowers and bristles. I wonder if I’ve...
The glossary in the back of a flora is full of wonderful words that you may never had heard or seen before, especially if...
