tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post7855186583055809581..comments2024-02-06T10:31:24.491-07:00Comments on Watching the World Wake Up: Sonoran Twin B Getaway Part 2: Why So Spiky?Watcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-82414606617208945042010-02-11T23:20:31.075-07:002010-02-11T23:20:31.075-07:00I'm a little behind on my blog reading. This ...I'm a little behind on my blog reading. This isn't one of those blogs you rush through...<br /><br />I have to say that the whole time I was reading through this entry, I kept picturing myself spinning that cat round and round. I'll be thinking about that cat during my next boring meeting at work. I think you did that to us poor unsuspecting readers on purpose.<br /><br />Oh yeah, and all that stuff about cactus and spiky thorns and ... that was interesting too. :)Paul Wissenbachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15103813102014065246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-48319971015727491872010-02-01T20:11:49.625-07:002010-02-01T20:11:49.625-07:00Michelle- Thanks for stopping by. Checked out your...Michelle- Thanks for stopping by. Checked out your blog and really enjoy it. Nice to see someone else finding their passion after 40!Watcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-75075759422620471542010-02-01T09:35:56.864-07:002010-02-01T09:35:56.864-07:00I was checking out the Berry-Go-Round posts and lo...I was checking out the Berry-Go-Round posts and looked around. I found commonality with your reasons for the direction your life took. I did the same thing on a smaller scale when I was diagnosed with MS in my 40's. I realized that I need to do what I wanted to do while I could. We moved to a house with a pond and woods 5 years ago and I have been blogging about what I find in my own little world and what a surprise that so much is going on....Michelleramblingwoodshttp://ramblingwoods.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-42639458827906324942010-01-30T20:47:31.266-07:002010-01-30T20:47:31.266-07:00"Chollaballs. I hate Chollaballs."
-I..."Chollaballs. I hate Chollaballs."<br /><br /><br />-Indiana Jones PhD.<br /><br /><br />Very educational post.Enelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00967981896718833776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-43304189010967652992010-01-30T08:22:36.737-07:002010-01-30T08:22:36.737-07:00Shelley- I knew about (and nearly mentioned) the s...Shelley- I knew about (and nearly mentioned) the summer precip patterns in the Sonoran, but couldn’t figure out an obvious link to spininess. More water accumulation/ competition in the hottest months makes sense. Thanks for pointing that out.<br /><br />I did <i>not</i> know about the Acacia/Prosopis increase due to fire suppression, but it makes perfect sense. Thanks for the book recommendation; it sounds right up my alley!<br /><br />Patrick- Thanks for the catch! I appreciate you calling it to my attention, and have now fixed it.<br /><br />BTW, for all readers- this blog has tons of typos. I know it, I catch as many as I can myself, but I’m always extremely grateful when a reader alerts me to one. (KanyonKris has been my most reliable editor of late!) I don’t really have an excuse other than that between a busy job, family and such, most of the work on this project gets done late nights and early mornings. Anyway, thanks.<br /><br />(I’m also aware of several outright errors, primarily back in the 2008 posts, when I knew very little about plants. I hope to carve out some time for updates/corrections in the next couple of months.)<br /><br />Kris- I’d seen those shots before. I can hardly stand to look at them- ouch!Watcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-37573663170336512332010-01-29T19:21:15.362-07:002010-01-29T19:21:15.362-07:00I think there's a typo in your Monocot/Dicot p...I think there's a typo in your Monocot/Dicot post. You say "So while on a maple tree the oldest part of the leaf is on the edge, on a blade of grass the oldest part is the tip." I think you meant to say that on a maple the oldest part is at the base.Patricknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-74224512463303101172010-01-29T15:55:07.352-07:002010-01-29T15:55:07.352-07:00Here's another detail for the thought experime...Here's another detail for the thought experiment: some years ago, Tucson hosted a meeting of the world's desert botanists, scientists who'd studied places like South America's Atacama, parts of which haven't seen rain since the conquistadors arrived 500 years ago. During the drive south from the Phoenix airport, these experts in the world's harshest places looked out their windows, and said, "So where's the desert?" (I guess this is desert-botanist talk for "where's the beef?") They refused to accept the idea that the landscape before them was desert.<br /><br />Does it matter whether we call the Sonoran a desert or thorn scrub? Maybe not. However, it must be significant that this dry, spiky region differs from the Mojave and Great Basin deserts in one important respect: it receives much of its precip during the summer months when plants can use it for growth. Those other deserts, by contrast, get most of their water in winter. <br /><br />More usable rain had led to more species richness, both of plants and animals. Yet the place is still arid, and if plants like stem succulents are going to go to the trouble of hoarding water, they're going to have to protect it. So, I agree with you that the water is a scarce resource plants "fight" over, but desert annuals, with a much different strategy, do exceedingly well, too. I guess the moral of the story is that you can either invest in lots of long-lasting seeds or lots of long-lasting spines and thorns.<br /><br />By the way, thorny plants like Acacia and Prosopis were much less common in the Sonoran 200 years ago. (See the photographic, ecological study "The Changing Mile" by Turner & Hastings.) Human invasion has led to suppression of fire, among other things, which would have eliminated many seedlings before they had a chance to mature.<br /><br />~ShelleyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-62842005093248335172010-01-29T13:49:45.964-07:002010-01-29T13:49:45.964-07:00"But I’m also lazy and disorganized..."
..."But I’m also lazy and disorganized..."<br /><br /><br />hahahaha, yes we believe you!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18311987239250712221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-36145046152676582312010-01-29T12:43:26.624-07:002010-01-29T12:43:26.624-07:00I guess I'd not thought past the "for Pro...I guess I'd not thought past the "for Protection" reasoning for spines, but as you explored the subject indeed it is a bit of a mystery.<br /><br />Here's the result of <a href="http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Article/049332-2009-04-25-arizona-4-wheeling-has-its-dangers-and-cholla-cactus-is.htm" rel="nofollow">ATV rider versus Cholla</a>.KanyonKrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954169751206336705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-91898585237452727382010-01-29T11:29:50.703-07:002010-01-29T11:29:50.703-07:00Rob- you got yourself a WatcherSticker! Send maili...Rob- you got yourself a WatcherSticker! Send mailing address to adventureREMOVECAPSbotanist@yahoo.com, removing the caps, and display it proudly on the streets of Corvallis.<br /><br />Actually I would have accepted either 4 or 5, since cactiguide.com <a href="http://cactiguide.com/state_search/?country=Canada" rel="nofollow">lists 5 species</a>, but other sources list 4.<br /><br />(And googling is just fine. I wasn’t expecting anyone to actually drive around Canada and count them or anything. Not with the current snow-cover anyway…)Watcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-10842279170903992292010-01-29T10:26:50.792-07:002010-01-29T10:26:50.792-07:00Rob is correct with four, but I also applaud the u...Rob is correct with four, but I also applaud the use of fecundity twice in one summary sentence!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04708594177548427999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-61563280129425768612010-01-29T09:54:24.600-07:002010-01-29T09:54:24.600-07:00Lurker from Corvallis, Oregon here.
According to ...Lurker from Corvallis, Oregon here.<br /><br />According to herbarium.usask.ca there are four Cacti native to Canada. I didn't know this. I just did a quick google search. Lame, I know, but I really wanted a "Watcher Sticker."<br /><br />Hope I win!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14231819957657498471noreply@blogger.com