Tumbleweed and careless weed are here to stay and though careless weed is an Arizona native (Amaranthus palmeri) it certainly appears, at least to me, that it has become more prolific and widespread. But really it is the introduced exotic grasses that make me grumpiest. Many of the introduced grasses were thought of as beneficial…think Lehmann lovegrass (Eragrostis lehmanniana)… or showy in an urban landscape…think green fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum). I mean, Yikes!!! Anyway, the featured varmint in this show is Natal grass or Melinis repens, (formerly Rhynchelytrum roseum or sometimes R. repens, but always, oh dear.)
In the back of many seed catalogs you can find a section on ornamental grasses. I think that section should be called “invasive varmints”. But listen, go native my friends, because we don’t need anymore non-native grasses in the desert, the grassland or the sky islands of the borderlands.
The photos are mine and of natal grass out in the Galiuro Mountains.
I read in HORTUS THIRD that there are about 150 species of Vaccinium found in “cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere,” 40 of...
In the early 1990s when this story and song came about I was poking around the West Branch starting at Ajo Road and north...
Petey says it is the year of the Desert Cottontail and tells us all about the furry little rascals that breed like rabbits.
