My Native Backyard, an Overview.

I reside in Tonto Natural Bridge State Park, Arizona, at an elevation of roughly 4500 feet. I am located in the Arizona/New Mexico Mountains Level III Ecoregion and the Madrean Lower Montane Woodlands Level IV Ecoregion. The Park averages 20 inches of rain per year and less than 1 inch of snow, although there are heavy (5-20+ inches) snow years every 4-5 years. 40% of the Park's annual precipitation occurs during the monsoon.

The foliage of my yard includes a canopy of Arizona Singleleaf Pinyon (Pinus spp. Var. fallax), Oneseed Juniper (Juniperus monosperma), Emory Oak (Quercus emoryii), and Arizona Cypress (Cupressus glabra). The dominant tree in my yard is the pinyons, which attract a variety of wildlife, including Arizona Gray Squirrels, Cliff Chipmunks, and various species of birds.

Below the Canopy is an understory of Chaparral Species. The tallest of these is the Common Hoptree (Ptelea trifoliata). The dominant shrub species is the Sonoran Scrub Oak (Quercus turbinella). Other shrubs found in the chaparral layer of my yard include Eastern Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus breviflorus var. breviflorus), Mojave Ceanothus (Ceanothus pauciflorus), Red Barberry (Berberis repens), Hollyleaf Redberry (Rhamnus ilicifolia) and Pointleaf Manzanita (Arctostaphylos pungens).

Gaps in the Chaparral allow for the growth of grasses, herbs, forbs, and allies. This includes (as of 8/28/2022):
Shrubby Deervetch – Acmispon rigidus
Silver Wormwood - Artemesia ludoviciana
Sideoats Grama - Bouteloua curtipendula
Wright’s Buckwheat - Eriogonum wrightii
Broom Snakeweed - Gutierrezia sarothrae
Oak Creek Ragwort- Packera quercetorum
Toadflax Penstemon - Penstemon linarioides
Mexican Hat - Ratibida columnifera
Silverleaf Nightshade - Solanum elaegnifolium
Dakota Mock Vervain – Glandularia bipinnatifida

There is a species of Globemallow and a species of beardtongue I have not yet identified but hopefully, with further research and the iNaturalist community’s assistance.

Posted on August 30, 2022 04:59 PM by rangermicah