-
Featured post
Plant Spotlight: Barrel Cactus
Posted by Stacy Doolittle · September 01, 2022 2:40 PMContinue reading → Add your reaction Share
Photos 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."
Featured post
Plant Spotlight: Ocotillo
Posted by Stacy Doolittle · August 01, 2022 12:00 AMContinue reading → Add your reaction Share
Photo 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 Share
California 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 Share
Photo 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 Share
Photos 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 Share
Photos 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 Share
In 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?
© 2021 GitHub, Inc. Terms Privacy Security Status Docs Contact GitHub Pricing API Training Blog About
MBCA Joins Statewide Advocacy for CEQA
MBCA is among 109 organizational allies requesting that the state legislative bodies and the Governor protect and preserve the California Environmental Quality Act. The letter is presented in response to special interests seeking to scapegoat the Act as an impediment to progress in California, particularly in housing development. Within the letter are many examples of data proving the successes and value of the Act to environmental justice, climate change, preservation...MBCA Requests State Assistance on Delayed County Program 4 STR Report
In an effort to move San Bernardino County forward with its unfulfilled commitment to complete a "Program 4 Study" of short-term rental (STR) effects on housing in unincorporated communities, MBCA has sent a letter to the Governor and the state's Housing and Community Development Department. The letter also contains a history of the County and MBCA actions on this topic over the past several years.MBCA Comments on E Solar Project in Twentynine Palms
MBCA's comment letter on the proposed 184-acre E Solar Project in 29 Palms questions some aspects of the plan and cites concerns with fugitive dust, lack of local air monitoring sites, and destroying the area's carbon sequestration value, illustrated with photos and maps. The document contains links to scientific data sources, and also references documents including 1) the report "Why do birds crash into solar panels?", 2) "California Desert's Role...MBCA Comment on Easley Solar Project in Support of Lake Tamarisk Community
If expanded as planned, the Easley Solar Project would surround the small Lake Tamarisk Community in Desert Center, negatively affecting every aspect of their lives including air quality, views, and wildlife passage. The community has offered alternative suggestions to the developers to allow them some relief and MBCA has sent a letter in support of their plan. Read more in this article in the Coachella Valley Independent.The Water Flows Always - Native American Land Conservancy Video
Tuhaymani'chi Pal Waniqa or The Water Flows Always is a video from the Native American Land Conservancy and the Wayfinders Circle highlighting tribal connections to water in the desert and documenting the Cadiz corporate water mining project in particular. A father-daughter family story is also portrayed.MBCA Joins 21 Groups to Correct Inaccurate Desert Land Classification in California’s Climate Smart Strategy
In a recent update to California’s Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy, a group of 22 organizations including MBCA have replied to the state’s request for comment with serious concerns about how desert lands are inappropriately classified as “Sparsely Vegetated Lands.” This inaccurate classification greatly reduces the carbon sequestration and other critical values gained by conserving desert lands in the state’s response to climate change. Our February 27 letter clearly...Wonder Inn Appeal Pulled by Developer
According to the grassroots group that fought the Wonder Inn for several years, the developers have retracted their appeal, so it appears that the ill-suited resort project in its current form has been stopped. Congratulations to the volunteers of the Stop Wonder Inn organization! More details here from radio station Z107.7.Report Outlines Critical Role of Desert Region in 30x30 Effort
The report, “The California Desert’s Role in 30X30: Carbon Sequestration and Biodiversity” presents a comprehensive explanation of the vital role the Desert Region plays in carbon sequestration and biodiversity as part of California’s goal of “conserving and protecting 30% of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030.” The report’s recommendation is: “intact desert lands need to be left undisturbed.” MBCA is proud that Board members Pat Flanagan and Arch McCulloch were...Slide Shows from Annual Meeting Now Available
About 80 people attended MBCA’s 55th Annual Meeting on February 3, 2024. Ten presentations covered topics focused on “Keeping It Local” and also addressing wider issues of desert preservation and government regulation.Here is the Annual Meeting program, and below are brief summaries and links to PowerPoint presentations where available for each topic.
Showing 1 reaction
Sign in with
Facebook