Petey gets a Pleistocene moment in some man made wetlands near his home.
Sandhill Cranes have only been wintering over in the Sulphur Springs Valley for around 60 years, so we won’t be finding any million year old fossil remains as found in Nebraska near the Platte.
Ironically, the cranes winter over in the valley because of the intense agriculture giving them fields to glean during the day. Also, it helps to have the White Water Draw wetlands and the Willcox Playa giving them shallow water for loafing and roosting. Otherwise, they would certainly fly on by to another more exotic location.
The flat agricultural lands of the Sulphur Springs Valley hardly qualify as exotic, but those Sandhill cranes make them look quite beautiful.
Leslie Newton Goodding had a busy career. It was when he worked for the U. S. Department of Agriculture that he collected the type...
“A muggy monsoon mosey in the Mule Mountains.” Whoa Petey, you are the king of alliteration! Cnidosculous angustidens or Mala Mujer is a fascinating...
I’m telling you, late summer and fall are great times to get out into the hills, especially if you want to find interesting plants....
