A reader of my previous post asked me some questions about relict trees on my property. So I thought I'd go into a little detail here. A relict tree, or group of trees, is a species that was once plentiful in a given place and is now extinct except for one specimen, or a small population of them. In that category, the dead juniper was probably the last holdout of its species due to the continuing desertification of this region. There are two other species that are still alive here, but of relict status. One is a small cluster of Mexican Blue Oak that are gone from the Big Bend area except for a couple of small stands. My patch is high on the slope above my oasis. I'll post some photos of them when I get them from my Alpine computer. I hope this drought hasn't killed them.
Interestingly, Lucifer Hummingbirds favored nesting places are cholla, high on slopes, near oaks. That's the only place where we've seen their nests on my property. I wish it wasn't such a rough climb, or I'd go up there more often. (refer to post of June 30, 2010 for nest photos)
The other relict species here is one small cluster of Faxon Yucca. Again, I hope the drought doesn't impact them. Here's a photo from today.
4 comments:
I really enjoy seeing pictures of the plants that inhabit your area. I hope you continue to include these in the future. I have only been to the general area a few times and unfortunately was not able to spend much time there. I do so love the desert tho. I spent some time in the Phoenix area many years ago before it became the metropolis it is today.
Glad you enjoy them. I promise in the future I'll post lots of plant photos. I love plants about as much as I love birds.
Carolyn - thanks for sharing the info on the relic trees. Very interesting! I'd love to see the Mexican Blue Oaks above your oasis the next time I'm out that way.
You're so welcome. I'm glad someone is interested in the Blue Oaks. I forgot to post pictures of them. I'll do so today. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I'll me happy to show them to you when you're able to get out here.
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