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.
I suppose what I’m getting at in this episode is that monarch butterflies sure get a lot of publicity because milkweeds are host plants...
The loose rock fandango can get pretty elaborate with elements of modern dance, hokey pokey, ballet and of course some jazz hands thrown into...
I sure talk about a lot different flora and fauna. From three species of quail, to canyon wrens, to Yarrows spiny lizards, to bristlehead...
