WELCOME ...A new resident ? Love the desert? Gardening a passion? Live in Borrego Springs? Thought you could not have a garden in the low desert desert? Ever wonder what desert living is like? READ ON !

Raised Vegetable Beds

Raised Vegetable Beds
Raised Vegetable Beds Resting Until Fall Planting Season

Palo Verde

Palo Verde
Desert Native, Blue Palo Verde

A River Runs Through It

A River Runs Through It
View Through A Wet Window

Sunday, November 28, 2010

The Cotton Patch

What Is That Stuff?
Don't be alarmed if you see white cottony patches on your santa rita cactus! ( Opuntia violacea var. santa rita ) We often find clumps of the wooly-cottony substance on our plants. We find it more often in humid warm weather, but, today noticed a healthy- looking cluster on one of our cactus, even in the cooler weather...yesterday low, 35 degrees, here.

The cactus is native of Texas, Arizona and Northern Mexico but grows very easily here, in Borrego. A mature plant is an outstanding addition to a desert garden. Our garden contains several specimens.

Before you worry too much about what causes the patches, let me assure you, they are very easy to control! Just hose them off with water from the strongest setting your nozzle has...and keep washing until they are gone. Sometimes , you will see a whitish puddle of water containing the "cotton". If you haven't removed all and notice others, wait a few weeks and repeat the process.

The Beetles!
The Cochineal beetle sticks her nose into the cactus pad to get nourishment. She secretes the white cottony substance to hide and to prevent drying out. She stays in one place but the male has wings and can fly to females for fertilization purposes...after which, he dies. The female is wingless, but her cotton patch will grow into colonies following fertilization and spread about the leaf and plant.
Lots of Uses...
This little beetle produces carminic acid, which can be extracted from her body and eggs to make carmine dye, now used as a food coloring (E120 on the food label) and in rouges, lipsticks, jams. preserves, sauces, meats, poultry and many other places, such as the stain for slides in microbiology.
Historic Beetles!
The Aztec and Maya people long used the dye for fabrics and valued its vivid red- purple color. When the Spanish entered the picture, they saw the value in the product and took it back to Europe and kept it as a State secret. Called the "royal" color, it was available to only the rich. They controlled the market and it wasn't until late 1700 that the rest of the world was let in on the secret!
See for Yourself!
I took a metal pick and scraped off a gob of cotton. With a lens, I looked into the sticky mess and noticed the body of the beetle. I squeezed it and saw the bright red drops of a blood-like substance. It got on my fingers, along with some glochids, and dyed my thumb purple - is it indelible? I'll let you know !

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A New Borrego Garden Path

A New Borrego Garden Path
New Path Under Construction, Indian Head Ranch

Pathway

Pathway
Easy to Maintain Garden Path

It's a Boojum...

It's a Boojum...
Not an Ocotillo

Boojum

Boojum
Captivating Top Knot

Colorful Vine

Colorful Vine
In a Hidden Niche

Bees and Flowers

Bees and Flowers
Mexican Lime- Bees at Work

Citrus Blossoms

Citrus Blossoms
Exotic Aroma

Ocotillo

Ocotillo
On a Cloudy Day

Four Raised Beds, October

Four Raised Beds, October
Vegetable Garden

Desert Gardening

Desert gardening...what a pastime. Natives anxious to attack with thorns, stickers or burrs - earth always thirsty - critters always a step ahead of you - dainty moths turn into hungry caterpillars - coyote eats up part of the irrigation system - birds sample one fruit at a time - gopher pops up unexpected . Yet the first carrot, pea or tender piece of lettuce, the first lime or lemon of the season, the first cactus bloom , the first bright green mesquite sprig, the first bud on a plant...all give such a feeling of delight and satisfaction. Not to be traded for anything else! (JGP)





Super Addiction

When I started the blog, I thought a few words now and then would suffice...WRONG!

A strange pattern is emerging. Seems that guilt has stepped up to bat. Now, if I don't post every few days I FEEL THAT I HAVEN'T HAD MY FIX! I wonder if other bloggers have noticed this same phenomenom.

Beavertail

Beavertail
Close-up

Borrego Dragon

Borrego Dragon
Huge New Sculpture

The Borrego Dragon Fable

IN THE EARLY DAYS, coyote walked many paths. One day, as he was pursuing his travels, he came to a very wide valley. Others warned him as he approached the valley, " You must not enter this place...NO ONE who has entered has ever returned. It is a bad place, guarded by a giant dragon, who kills all who try to pass through. To continue your journey safely, we strongly advise you to go the long way...around this evil place." Well, coyote listened, for he was very smart and often heeded good advice. However, coyote was also lazy and was often prone to use shortcuts. He figured the valley would save him a lot of time on this particular journey. He looked carefully and saw nothing much to alarm him. He decided to enter and pass through the valley. At first, he noticed nothing amiss. However, as he traveled deeper into that still, quiet place, he thought to himself, "This IS an unusual valley, for sure...I see no movement of any type and I am getting to feel a bit strange about this place." He did notice, however, some tall straight trees which had lost all their leaves and made the place look barren, indeed. OH,NO...he also noticed, under the trees, piles of old BONES... and the more he looked, the more bones he saw. He said, " I sure see a lot of bones, but I don't see any dragon...I'll bet he no longer lives here." And, with that, he heard a thunderous voice which echoed over the valley..." HAH, COYOTE! You should have listened to the advice...You are in my mouth, which IS the entrance to the valley!" Oh,oh, caught in a trap. But coyote is smart and moves quickly...as he heard Dragon's first words, he raced to one of the dead trees and, with a mighty yank, pulled it from the earth. He wedged the tree between the Dragon's jaws and as he did this, many animals of all kinds came running forth...pumas, bears, mountain sheep and more...even the smallest animals, gnats, flies, tics, bees and more...lizards, snakes, toads, salamanders and more...all ran from the Dragon's depths to freedom. Coyote watched as Dragon's jaws closed upon the sharp tree stake. He soon died and from that time to this, many of those same animals live here, in this place...and from time to time, many of the old bones and pieces of the dead trees are found here, in this very valley!

Senita Cactus

Senita Cactus
Plump and Happy

Outlaws

Outlaws
Riders View Borrego's Wilderness (photo by Jeff Divine )