Roadtrip Diversion: Larrea tridentata in Central New Mexico

A rare stop instead of speeding to or from Albuquerque and points north. Time to document one of the last remaining stands of the iconic, fragrant Larrea tridentata - aka Creosote Bush, Gobernadora, Chaparral, Hediondilla, or Greasewood.

Many motorists travel through the middle of this stand, where the soil changes into a few distinct types that favor Larrea more than other soils at similar elevations nearby. Yet there are hardly any records of these few miles on either side of I-25.

Few herbaria or iNaturalist records have been made of several plant species common in central New Mexico including Albuquerque, which indicate the Chihuahuan Desert in this part of the American southwest. The climate indicators of the same area will outlast some of the flora and fauna, given this ecoregion's continual urbanization, especially erased in the built-up areas of metro Albuquerque. I added a couple other species for now: Psorothamnus scoparius, with the native range centered in the northern Chihuahuan Desert, and Neltuma odorata (formerly Prosopis torreyana), with a native distribution in warmer portions of the arid, interior west.

There are other indicator species I'll get records of in this location, plus other locations I learned for over 30 years that are located between La Bajada Hill and Elephant Butte Lake: the beginning of the Rio Abajo or the central New Mexico valley.

Publicado el septiembre 13, 2023 09:13 TARDE por desert-dac