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/
It’s always fun to have a quest when headed into the hills. It’s okay if the search doesn’t work out. It’s like the great...
One of the positive sides of isolating and staying very close to home during the pandemic is that I am discovering new places and...
Xanthisma gracilis is an annual and found all over the southwest and into Mexico as well. Duh. A common name is slender goldenweed or...
