Blooming now

All Photos by Matt Ball 8/30/2014

These big blossoms are ubiquitous along the road into Sabino Canyon. Jacquemontia (Jack-uh-mon-tea-uh, more or less) (Jacquemontia pringlei) is in the Morning Glory family. Really : -)

Bush Spiderling (Commicarpus scandens) flowers, on the other hand, are quite small. The whole cluster is smaller than one of the Jacquemontia flowers. You'll need to look carefully for these, as they are often growing vine-like among other plants. In the Four O'Clock family.

Mystery plant is revealing

Photo by Matt Ball 8/30/2015 

Sue L. sent me photos of a mystery plant on the Phoneline trail. I set out with my camera-carrying husband to see what I could see that he could photograph. After convincing myself that this plant was in the Mint family (square stem, check; opposite leaves, check; 5-fused petals, check; aromatic, check; looks like a mint to me, check), I spent way too much time looking at all manner of mints. After much ado, I (finally) realized it's not a mint at all. Doh! In fact, it's a plant I should have remembered from last time I did this, namely: Wright's Beebush aka Wright Lippia (Aloysia wrightii) in the Verbena family. (As my family likes to say about me: Every day is a new day!)
The moral of this little story is this: As people who think scientifically (and that's what we all should strive to do), we mustn't allow ourselves to fit the data to our favorite theory. (I admit that I'd like to see some DNA on this one, though!)
Thanks, Sue, for putting me on this trail.
If you find a plant you can't identify (in Sabino Canyon ONLY, please), feel free to send me a photo or two and a general location. I won't get to it immediately. (I continue to work full time - for pay - and will do so for the foreseeable future.) But I do enjoy these mysteries. Again and again.

Pleasant evening perch

Photo by The Serpent Princess of
Dancing Snake Nature Photography
August 2015

I've noticed that my plant posts aren't nearly as popular as any animal post. I am grateful that Rene allows me to bring the people what they want today!
Young Greater Roadrunner takes a break in a mesquite at sunset. Be sure to click on the photo for a closer look.
And tune in tomorrow for more plants!

Two new yellows (for me, anyway!)

Photos by Matt Ball 8/30/2015

I'm pretty sure this is Creeping Wood-Sorrel (Oxalis corniculata). Growing low in shady areas on the Phoneline trail.

I like learning new plants, of course, but particularly new peas! Nissolia (Nissolia schottii) is really thick in some places along the Phoneline trail, vines over vines.

Yellow Bells

Photo by Matt Ball 8/30/2015

These beauties are often used in landscaping, but they are natives and grow in Sabino Canyon as well. You can find Yellow Bells (Tecoma stans) blooming on the Phoneline trail now. Hummingbirds like them, as do Carpenter bees.

Another bloomin' yellow

Photo by Matt Ball 8/30/2015

Many, many yellow flowers in Sabino Canyon! If you look closely at this one, you'll see that each petal overlaps the previous one, like a pinwheel. The flowers are generally about the size of a quarter. Cockroach Plant (Haplophyton cimcidium var. crooksii) abounds along the road and on the Phoneline trail.

Senna-rama!

You don't have to go far on the main trail to see fields of blooming Desert Senna (Senna covesii). Really beautiful!

All Photos by Matt Ball 8/30/2015