Petey is very excited about spring, but avocados are on his mind. Please stay out of the produce section Petey!
It is very exciting to think that avocados come from a plant native to the Americas. A wild native in the Laurel family, Lauraceae. A family that includes other interesting species like cinnamon, and bay laurel. And though we can’t grow an avocado tree (Persea americana), here in southeastern Arizona we can sure enjoy the pulpy fruit and spicy leaves of this very cool plant.
Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) makes up for its lack of milky sap with the copious amount of nectar found in the flowers. Stand back...
There are a dozen species of Melampodium and I wonder which one Linnaeus was looking at when he honored Melampus with the genus name....
Petey whines a little about the wildflower display near his home, but finds a flower that calms him down.
