Mister Mesquitey tip toes out of work and gets in some botanizing on a micro-vacation in the Dragoon Mountains.
Mexican Passionflower is almost always found climbing in trees or shrubs near a stream or some source of water. The earth below large boulders and rock faces in the Dragoon Mountain retains water. It’s hidden water and a local plant like Mexican passionflower benefits. All three species of Passiflora found in Arizona are the larval food for Gulf Fritillary Butterflies, so they are great vines to have in a pollinator garden. Please don’t forget what “larval food” means. Caterpillars eat the plant! Be generous, the plant will recover and you will have butterflies all around your habitat. Pretty cool.
Growing Native- Black Swallowtail The scientific name of the black swallowtail is Papilio polyxenes. Papilio is Latin for butterfly and the specific epithet polyxenes...
Lotus greenei has the common names of deer vetch, deer clover or, red and yellow pea. I like the last one best as it...
I’m pretty sure I first encountered the plant called mala mujer in the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson around 30 years ago. I...
