San Miguelito (Antigonon leptopus) is quite the Mexican native plant. I read that it’s found in habitat not only in Sonora and Chihuahua and southward, but also Baja California. Unfortunately, where this tough Mexican vine has been introduced as an ornamental in more mesic areas like the southeastern US, it has become an invasive varmint. Sad, but true, so don’t go sending seed back to friends in Florida. They already have some.
And finally; this episode of Growing Native is a tribute to Tucson and the surrounding wild landscape. It’s where I first cut my teeth on native plants and animals and I’ve been on a marvelous journey ever since.
The photo of the flowering San Miguelito is not mine, but stolen from Spadefoot Nursery’s website, so a thank you to them.
The scientific name for our gopher snake (or gophersnake. I’ve seen it written both ways) is Pituophis catenifer. The genus looks like a combination...
Velvet mesquite is the predominate native mesquite of southern Arizona. If you go west toward California, you will start running into western honey mesquite...
Petey may be turning his skin into a field guide. A Peteyson Field Guide?! Oh dear. Curve billed thrashers, zone tailed hawks and box...