For Ever Green

When we climbed trails up in the Chisos Basin of the mountains of Big Bend NP, there we found plenty of evergreens.

View from Lost Mine Trail

I am not very good at evergreen identification, so I don't know the exact species of the next pine tree but I think it is a pinyon pine.

Pinyon Pine

I did learn that the only place north of the border where the Mexican Drooping Juniper, Juniperus flaccida, grows, is in Big Bend NP.

Mexican Drooping Juniper

We also saw the Alligator Juniper, Juniperus deppeana, which is easily identified by the bark on its trunk.

Alligator Juniper Bark

The The Golden-cheeked Warbler depends on mature Ashe Juniper habitat, Juniperus ashei, found in the Texas Hill country on the Edwards Plateau. This warbler only uses the shedded bark of this tree as nesting material. Only trees 40 to 50 years old, shred their bark.

Ashe Juniper has blue fruit

Mature Ashe Juniper Bark

Even among evergreen trees and plants, you can find color as the red seed pods on the Evergreen Sumac, Rhus virens, and the blooming evergreen Mountain Laurel, Sophora secundiflora. I found Mountain Laurel in Big Bend NP but the photo is taken in Lost Maples SNA.

Evergreen Sumac

Free wallpaper (desktop background) for personal use
Click on above picture, then on next picture right-click and set as background

Mountain Laurel

Free wallpaper (desktop background) for personal use
Click on above picture, then on next picture right-click and set as background

The references and gear I used for this blog are:
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon EF100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM
Camera: Canon EOS 10D
Lens: Canon EF28-105mm F/3.5-4.5 II USM
Steiner 10x42 Predator Binoculars

All images © MSCI

Cactus Flowers

Cactus greens, yellows, purples, oranges, reds ...

Near the end of our stay in Big Bend NP, the cacti were starting to bloom. Here are some of my photos.

Blind Prickly Pear buds

Blind Prickly Pear

Blind Prickly Pear flower turn orange with age

Purple-tinged Prickly Pear buds

Purple-tinged Prickly Pear

Purple-tinged Prickly Pear, spines are 4 inches long

Purple-tinged Prickly Pear

Purple-tinged Prickly Pear

Rainbow species

Hedgehog species

Christmas Cholla with red fruit

Cane Cholla with yellow fruit

Engelmann's Prickly Pear

Engelmann's Prickly Pear

Free wallpaper (desktop background) for personal use
Click on above picture, then on next picture right-click and set as background

The references and gear I used for this blog are:
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon EF100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM
Camera: Canon EOS 10D
Lens: Canon EF28-105mm F/3.5-4.5 II USM
Steiner 10x42 Predator Binoculars
Peterson Field Guides: Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Native Plants of South Texas

Cactus Green

Cactus greens, purples, yellows...

Of course there are lots of cacti growing in the Chihuanhuan Desert of Big Bend NP. I was surprised at the colors of the plant and at the number of different species, more than in any other park. On top of that, the various species of prickly pear cacti hybridize with each other, so you sometimes can't tell at which species you are looking. So, in general, I have identified the following photos with my best guesses.

Cactus grow every where, where it can get a foothold. It needs some soil and some moisture, and it doesn't have to be very much.

Chisos Mountains from Dugout Wells
with Engelmann's Prickly Pear in front

Blind Prickly Pear

Blind Prickly Pear

Blind Prickly Pear

Pitaya or Hedgehog cactus

Pitaya or Hedgehog cactus

Spiny-fruited Prickly Pear 75 feet up

Spiny-fruited Prickly Pear found only in Big Bend NP

Spiny-fruited Prickly Pear in the setting sun

Purple-tinged Prickly Pear

Purple-tinged Prickly Pear, spines are up to 4 inches long.
I measured it!

Engelmann's Prickly Pear

Engelmann's Prickly Pear

Pineapple species

Prickly Pear with yellow spines in Chisos Basin

None of these photos show the cactus in bloom. When we arrived in Big Bend NP, it was too early but near the end of our 2 week stay, some cacti were blooming. See next blog.

The references and gear I used for this blog are:
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon EF100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM
Camera: Canon EOS 10D
Lens: Canon EF28-105mm F/3.5-4.5 II USM
Steiner 10x42 Predator Binoculars
Peterson Field Guides: Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Native Plants of South Texas

The First Green 2

Last blog, I also mentioned two other evergreen plants: sotol and century plants. I found these green plants be fascinating.

Sotol from Sotal Vista

Sotol leaves

The dried flower stalks were used as building materials and,
today, as walking sticks.

Close-up of dried sotol flower

Century Plant is the largest Agave species in Big Bend NP.
It blooms once in 20-50 years with bright yellow flowers in and then dies.

The leaves are not really green but rather a blue-gray color.
The hearts of the plant were baked, dried and stored as winter food
by the Native Americans.

Dried stalks can be over 30 feet tall

Close-up of dried century flower

Dried dead plant

Stay tuned for more evergreen plants.

The references and gear I used for this blog are:
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon EF100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM
Camera: Canon EOS 10D
Lens: Canon EF28-105mm F/3.5-4.5 II USM
Steiner 10x42 Predator Binoculars