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Plant Spotlight: Barrel Cactus
Posted by Stacy Doolittle · September 01, 2022 2:40 PMContinue reading → Add your reaction SharePhotos by Susan GillinghamA native cactus of the Mojave Desert is the barrel cactus, or Ferocactus cylindraceus. The Latin name Ferocactus means fierce or wild cactus.The bright pink-red spines of the cactus are particularly apparent after a rain. Older plants form a medium or tall column. Flowers are yellow, appearing in spring and early summer, while the fruits are bright yellow.According to ethnobotanist.com, the "Havasupai collected seeds from the fruit and ground them into an edible, porridge mush. These people also warmed the red spines by fire, then bent the spines into finger rings." The fruit itself is described as "not very tasty."
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Plant Spotlight: Ocotillo
Posted by Stacy Doolittle · August 01, 2022 12:00 AMContinue reading → Add your reaction SharePhoto by Chris Hunkeler from Carlsbad, California, USA, <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia CommonsOcotillo is a native plant that creates structure and height in our Morongo Basin landscapes. Ocotillo means "little torch" in Spanish, probably inspired by the orange red flowers at the plant's tips. The plant can grow up to 15 feet tall and wide. It prefers full sun and likes our heat.Fouquieria splendens, or ocotillo, for much of the year appears to be an arrangement of large spiny dead sticks, although a closer look reveals that the canes are partly green. Either through irrigation or rain, water makes the plant come to life with small green leaves all over the stems.Tips about growing and irrigating these plants varies widely. Morongo Basin writer Maureen Gilmer notes that getting them started in your yard can be "devilishly difficult." She recommends buying them potted instead of bare root for best growing success.Ocotillo in Landers, CA. Photo by Marina ChavezFeatured post
Plant Spotlight: Red Yucca
Posted by Stacy Doolittle · July 01, 2022 12:00 AMContinue reading → Add your reaction ShareA non-native grass-like plant that does particularly well in the Morongo Basin is red yucca, or Hesperaloe parviflora. Its grassy evergreen leaves provide interest during all seasons, with plants having a purple cast in the winter cold.Creative Commons photo by Fritz HochstätterAs a native of the Mexican Chihuahuan Desert, red yucca can withstand our high temperatures. The deep rose-pink blooms usually start in June and last for a long time, provided the plant is regularly watered. The bloom spike can reach 5 feet in mature plants. If watered irregularly, it will either not bloom or the blooms will be few.This is a low-maintenance plant beloved by hummingbirds!Featured post
Plant Spotlight: California Buckwheat
Posted by Stacy Doolittle · June 01, 2022 12:00 AMContinue reading → Add your reaction ShareCalifornia buckwheat with Russian sage in the background. Photo by Stacy DoolittleAn outstanding small shrub for Morongo Basin landscapes is California Buckwheat, a native which is likely to volunteer in your yard. Long-lived creamy white flowers eventually turn into attractive rust-colored seed heads. It is attractive all year long.Eriogonum Fasciculatum var. polifolium is the grey-leafed variety we see in the desert, and according to Calscape is sometimes available in nurseries. (See our native plant nurseries for potential sources.) It is also easily grown from seed.Buckwheat at Mojave Desert Land Trust demonstration garden. Photo by Stacy Doolittle.Virtually pest-free and able to withstand long period of times without water, buckwheat is used for slope stabilization and as low hedges.Featured post
Plant Spotlight: Apricot Mallow
Posted by Stacy Doolittle · May 01, 2022 12:00 AMContinue reading → Add your reaction SharePhoto by Arch McCulloughA favorite springtime native flower of many Morongo Basin residents (and hummingbirds) is the Apricot Mallow. With its upturned, bright orange-cupped flowers, and grey-green foliage, mallow fits into most any landscaping scheme. With any luck, you won't need to plant it as it will volunteer in your water-wise garden!Sphaeralcea ambigua is common along our Basin's roadsides in spring, with its flowering dependent upon seasonal rains. Though most mallow flowers are apricot-orange, there are also pink, purple, red, white and shades in between. Prune once a year after blooming to 6"-12" above ground to help eliminate unproductive woody growth and reseeding. Do not try and shear this plant regularly as it will not respond well. Wear gloves when pruning as its leaves can be a skin irritant.Featured post
Plant Spotlight: Mojave Yucca
Posted by Stacy Doolittle · April 01, 2022 12:00 AMContinue reading → Add your reaction SharePhotos by Stacy DoolittleOne of our most glorious native plants is the Mojave Yucca (Yucca schidigera). With blooms beginning purple and opening to white or cream-colored blossoms, a yucca in bloom is a desert beacon. It's tree-like structure adds solidity to the landscape.According to CalScape, "the flower is pollinated by only a single species of Yucca Moth, and many of the flowers go unpollinated." Although a member of the Agave family, yucca's do not produce pups but instead reproduce by seed.Featured post
Plant Spotlight: Beavertail Pricklypear
Posted by Stacy Doolittle · March 25, 2022 12:00 AMContinue reading → Add your reaction SharePhotos by Stacy DoolittleOpuntia basilaris or beavertail pricklypear as it is is commonly known, is native to the Morongo Basin and other areas of the southwest. It is a small to medium sized cactus with the potential for hundreds of pads on one cactus. These pads are usually a blue-green without spines. Instead, beavertail has glochids which are small barbed bristles or thorns. These easily detach so caution is recommended.A truly desert-wise plant, the beavertail doesn't need supplemental water except a small amount in the heat of summer. But be careful, overwatering can lead to rot. It does not need any supplemental water the rest of the year, even though it can appear parched.Featured post
Plant Spotlight: Agave
Posted by Stacy Doolittle · February 10, 2022 10:22 AMContinue reading → Add your reaction ShareIn the cool winter days of February when nothing much seems to be going on in the landscape, agaves stand out in the garden with their grey-green palette and strong structure.Quite a few varieties of agave thrive in the Morongo Basin. Due to the differences in altitude, an agave that does well in Twentynine Palms may be too cold sensitive for Pioneertown's chilly winter temps. Experiment and talk to other gardeners about what works for them. Agaves are great "pass along" plants as they often produce offspring or "pups".Don't rely on the big box stores to have vetted cold hardiness of agave for our area. They may sell plants in the Morongo Basin that cannot take our low temps. (Note: an agave can sometimes recover from cold damage to leaves.)Photos by Stacy DoolittleFeatured post
Plant Spotlight: Creosote
Posted by Stacy Doolittle · January 01, 2022 12:00 AMContinue reading → Add your reaction ShareThere is not a more perfect landscaping shrub for our Morongo Basin yards than the ubiquitous creosote bush, Larrea tridentata. Native and very common throughout the Basin, creosote is not fussy about soil and can be trimmed into a specimen topiary or into a hedge/windbreak. With regular water it becomes denser.Small yellow flowers cover the plant in the spring.Featured post
Plant Spotlight: Hollyleaf Cherry
Posted by Stacy Doolittle · December 01, 2021 12:00 AMContinue reading → Add your reaction ShareHollyleaf cherry (Prunus Ilicifolia) is a native and drought-tolerant shrub for home landscapes in the Morongo Basin. It is the most widely distributed native subspecies of holly in California.This shrub can be pruned into a quite tall hedge and should be trimmed to shape twice a year if need be. The red cherries appear in fall and are edible if you get them before the birds do! The plant is evergreen with glossy leaves that smell like almonds when crushed. The leaves and branches are useful for holiday wreathes and arrangements.See All Plant SpotlightDo you like this page?
Lovemore Ranch Appeal Denied by Supervisors
After hearing three hours of public comment, the San Bernardino County Supervisors unanimously denied the appeal of the Planning Commission's approval of the Lovemore Ranch housing project. The appeal was filed by MBCA and supported by the Joshua Tree Village Neighbors group and others. Public comments were almost entirely in support of the appeal. You can view the entire hearing by clicking "video" on the April 8 line of the...Eblast: April 7, 2025
Appeal of LoveMore Ranch Hearing Set Attend California Desert Coalition Meeting on changes to NEPA Desert Wise Living Landscape Tour April 27, 2025Announcing Desert-Wise Landscape Tour 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDate of Event: Sunday, April 27, 2025 Contact: Steve Bardwell: 818-516-1437 Laraine Turk: 760-799-2951 MORONGO BASIN CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION 2025 DESERT-WISE LANDSCAPE TOUR Morongo Basin, CA – March 25, 2025The annual Desert-Wise Landscape Tour offered by the Morongo Basin Conservation Association is scheduled for Sunday, April 27, between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM. The public is invited to visit five creatively landscaped home sites and two public gardens...Eblast: March 04, 2025
Video and PowerPoint slides from 56 th Annual Meeting available! MBCA joins in appeal of approval of Lovemore Ranch Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act Workshop March 10, 2025 Attend California Desert Coalition Meeting on changes to NEPA Desert Wise Living Landscape Tour April 27, 2025MBCA Comments on Proposed Changes to Wind Turbine Specifications
In this letter to San Bernardino County Senior Planner Maryn Wells, MBCA expresses concerns about a proposed Development Code amendment that would permit expansion of the generating capacity of wind turbines Countywide. With the potential for placement of 100-foot tall wind turbines within the Rural Living Zone, MBCA is calling for the imposition of a Conditional Use Permit for the permitting of wind turbines throughout the County. Especially in desert...MBCA Joins National Parks Conservation Association Requesting Reversal of Workforce Reductions
MBCA is one of 495 organizations which have signed on to this letter from the National Parks Conservation Association to Senators and Congressional representatives. The letter requests immediate reversal of the recent federal workforce reductions, "particularly those individuals who had been employed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), USDA Forest Service, (USFS) and the National Park Service (NPS). The letter states that the...MBCA Appeals Planning Commission Approval of Lovemore Ranch
On February 3 MBCA filed an appeal of the January 23 Planning Commission approval of the Lovemore Ranch Development in Joshua Tree. (Relevant County project documents prepared by the developer and reports by the County can be found by clicking Lovemore Ranch on this page.) The appeal is based on, among other things, a deficient staff report by Land Use Services and an inaccurate CEQA initial Study, not presenting comment...Energy Distribution and Conservation Topics Highlight MBCA's Annual Meeting
Keynote Speaker Bernadette Del Chiaro provided an audience of over 70 gathered on January 25 for MBCA's Annual Meeting with a message that "Rooftop Solar Is Essential To California’s Clean Energy Goals." She provided detailed and incisive information (view her PowerPoint slides) about California's power distribution system and the imbalance between utility company profit goals and the need to speed up renewable energy with rooftop and distributed solar. Compelling evidence was presented...
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