9 April 2021

Route: Loma Alta Trailhead - SAGU East
Hope Camp - Coyote Wash - Ruiz Trail - Hope Camp
Started: 7:38am
Ended: 1:00pm

Weather: clear, low humidity, minimal wind.
Distance: 6.4 miles

No critical invasive species found.
Scouts: Jenna Marvin

Notes: Rock hibiscus, Hibiscus denudatus, was the queen of the trail today. With only a few leaves on the branches, the plants put out showy pink flowers, while perched on very dry slopes. A monster crested saguaro and a nearby crested barrell were found on Coyote Wash. The wash is where most of the flowering plants were found. Most of the soil on the trails is limestone and some mixed alluvium. There were vines in the wash, including Hartweg's climbing milkweed, Funastrum heterophyllum. I will try to return to see if another vine we could not identify has since bloomed. Lucy's warblers, white-winged doves, pyrrhuloxia, Gila woodpeckers, and others kept us company in the wash, as I scouted for plants, Deb scouted for skats and tracks, and Peggy kept us moving. Apparently there were a lot of bobcat marks and possibly fox.

Publicado el abril 15, 2021 10:55 TARDE por jmarvin