Latest Episodes
Petey’s Fall Hunt and Gather
White-tailed deer in southwest North America are Odocoileus virginiana couesi or Coues white-tailed deer. The naturalist Elliot Coues is probably rolling in his grave...
Mearns Quail and Mexican Blue Oaks
The scientific name for Mearns quail is Cyrtonyx montezumae. The genus refers to its big claws for scratching around in desert soils. It has...
Brickellia floribunda
I can’t believe I almost let November go by without at least mentioning desert broom (Baccahris sarothroides). It is the native plant the folks...
Petey in His Biome
It’s nice to have a yard full of native plants. Most of the time I have an idea what and where I want to...
Asteraceae in the Chihuahuan Desert
Xanthisma gracilis is an annual and found all over the southwest and into Mexico as well. Duh. A common name is slender goldenweed or...
Phlox in the Hills
I like the way the family name Polemoniaceae just rolls off the tongue. What a delicious word to say. Oh, and I love the...