Another Mountain fire revisit

I took another walk up the wash I visited just before, and a few times after, the Mountain fire on the Tonto National Forest last June. What a difference! The wildflower display was exceptional. Glandularia gooddingii was especially abundant and scented the air the whole time I was there. Mexican poppies and Texas toadflax also had good shows. Non-native filaree was abundant (as during my last visit) though done flowering and now distributing its corkscrew seed everywhere.

The fire released many nutrients into the soil and the annual plants there are making good use of the bounty. But no flowering was seen on the shrubs like Quercus turbinella, Rhus aromatica, Rhamnus ilicifolia and others. I suspect that flowering occurs on second-season growth on these shrubs, and they haven't had a second season; all living tissue is regrowth. As noted before, though, almost all the individual shrubs survived at the crown and are returning.

The animal life is returning as well. In January I saw exactly one other animal life form besides me, a single honeybee. Today I heard a Northern Mockingbird, heard and saw a pair of Mourning Dove, and heard some Black-throated Sparrows calling. Common Buckeyes lived up to their name. Other pollinators were there as well, and one Pallid Grasshopper stopped long enough for a couple of photos.

Many Homo sapiens were in the area, though not up this wash, as the wash is fenced at the road. If not for the fence, they would have been up there as well. Numerous OHVs were going up and down the unfenced washes on the north side of Horseshoe Dam Road. Near-constant traffic. Tonto National Forest is a popular destination for those seeking to relieve their CoViD-19-induced boredom.

I found and removed a couple of dozen Oncosiphon piluliferum plants; all individuals, likely arising from seed blown into the area by wind. Slowed the invasion I hope, but did not, and cannot, stop it.

About half the locations are approximate; the lithium batteries in my GPS stopped lithing.

Posted on April 10, 2020 01:48 AM by stevejones stevejones

Observations

Photos / Sounds

What

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 12:27 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Whispering Bells (Emmenanthe penduliflora)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 12:28 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Southwestern Mock Vervain (Glandularia gooddingii)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 12:30 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Texas Toadflax (Nuttallanthus texanus)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 12:32 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Southwestern Mock Vervain (Glandularia gooddingii)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 12:30 PM MST

Description

White color morph

Photos / Sounds

What

Chia (Salvia columbariae)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 12:33 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Blackfoot Daisy (Melampodium leucanthum)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 12:34 PM MST

Description

Just hanging on; erosion from the flooding nearly uprooted it.

Photos / Sounds

What

Bajada Lupine (Lupinus concinnus)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 12:34 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Palmer's Bluestar (Amsonia palmeri)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 12:36 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Sixweeks Grass (Festuca octoflora)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 12:40 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Mexican Poppy (Eschscholzia californica ssp. mexicana)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 12:42 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Western Tansymustard (Descurainia pinnata)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 12:42 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Stinknet (Oncosiphon pilulifer)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 12:45 PM MST

Description

Single plant - removed

Photos / Sounds

What

Gray Buckeye (Junonia grisea)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 12:47 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

California Cottonrose (Logfia filaginoides)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 12:49 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Sand Pygmyweed (Crassula connata)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 12:50 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

California Cottonrose (Logfia filaginoides)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 12:51 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Fairy Mist (Pterostegia drymarioides)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 12:54 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 12:56 PM MST

Description

Felled by the fire

Photos / Sounds

What

Bearded Cryptantha (Cryptantha barbigera)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 12:56 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Woolly Plantain (Plantago patagonica)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:02 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Red Brome (Bromus rubens)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:03 PM MST

Description

Common, but not nearly as dense as pre-fire

Photos / Sounds

What

Foothill Deervetch (Acmispon brachycarpus)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:04 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Wingnut Cryptantha (Cryptantha pterocarya)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:06 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Streambank Springbeauty (Claytonia parviflora)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:06 PM MST

Description

Basal leaves linear-lanceolate

Photos / Sounds

What

Rancher's Fiddleneck (Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:08 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Common Goldfields (Lasthenia gracilis)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:11 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Lesser Yellowthroat Gilia (Gilia flavocincta ssp. flavocincta)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:15 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Pointed Cryptantha (Cryptantha muricata)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:18 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Gila Manroot (Marah gilensis)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:21 PM MST
Other Animals

Photos / Sounds

What

Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:22 PM MST

Description

Host Marah gilensis; not sure if it's insect damage, fungal or viral disease or something else.

Photos / Sounds

What

Pallid-winged Grasshopper (Trimerotropis pallidipennis)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:23 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:27 PM MST

Description

Most likely; buds only

Photos / Sounds

What

Western Pocket Gophers (Genus Thomomys)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:28 PM MST

Description

A couple of colonies of these covered nest entrances; presumably nocturnal critters.

Photos / Sounds

What

Miniature Suncup (Camissoniopsis micrantha)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:28 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Slender Phlox (Microsteris gracilis)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:30 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Wright's Thelypody (Thelypodium wrightii)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:30 PM MST

Description

Near the location where I encountered the species pre-fire

Photos / Sounds

What

Crucifer Aphids (Genus Lipaphis)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:31 PM MST

Description

Host Thelypodium wrightii

Photos / Sounds

What

Shrubby Deervetch (Acmispon rigidus)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:32 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Southwestern Pipevine (Aristolochia watsonii)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:32 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:37 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Arizona Popcornflower (Plagiobothrys arizonicus)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:41 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Common Pussypaws (Calyptridium monandrum)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:48 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Cleveland's Desert Dandelion (Malacothrix clevelandii)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:55 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Arizona Brome (Bromus arizonicus)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 01:59 PM MST

Description

Upper glume about as long as the lowest lemma

Photos / Sounds

What

Bigelow's Bluegrass (Poa bigelovii)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 02:00 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Desert Noseburn (Tragia ramosa)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 02:01 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Canyon Clarkia (Clarkia epilobioides)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 02:06 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Golden Corydalis (Corydalis aurea)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 02:08 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

New Mexico Thistle (Cirsium neomexicanum)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 02:10 PM MST

Photos / Sounds

What

Sleepy Catchfly (Silene antirrhina)

Observer

stevejones

Date

April 9, 2020 02:14 PM MST

Description

Flowers closed - open in AM

Comments

Keep these coming, Steve. We're not able to be in the field right now so I'm living vicariously through you.

Posted by cactus_hugger almost 4 years ago

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