The Anthropocene Layer

Walking through a nearby city lot today, I found this shale-like mound of decomposing asphalt roof shingles, part of the thin geologic formation known as the Anthropocene layer. Geologists speculate that this layer, comprising all the sediments, debris, mineral effects and ruins of human civilizations will ultimately be a relatively thin layer of rock once it is all buried and compressed, a mere blip in the Earth's vast time frame.

The asphalt roofing reminded my of these thin shales exposed on Treasury Mountain in the Elk Mountains of Colorado at about 12,000 feet.  This outcrop of Mancos Shale is part of a ~5,000 foot thick layer of sediments that were deposited in shallow seas that flooded much of Colorado between about 145 million years ago and 65 million years ago.

Given a few million years, plus some intense heat and pressure, both the shingles and shale could be transformed into slate, a much harder type of rock that is also used for roofing!

Stone Flowers

Before....

After....

Succulent stone plants (Lithops spp.) are native to southern Africa, where they are well-camouflaged in arid pebbled landscapes. There are about 33 wild species, all of which have been widely distributed around the world as horticultural curiousities. This one is happy in a small pot in my back yard, where it has so far survived 115 F temps in the summer and 23 F temps in the winter. 

(Have you seen the bridge?)

"I wanna tell you bout a good thing..."

On the northern fringe of Phoenix, this masterpiece of concrete and rusted steel crosses the I-17 at Jomax Road just south of the Central Arizona Project canal. The Jomax Bridge project was completed in August 2012, and cost taxpayers close to $2,000,000, 95% of which was federal funds.  

"And let me tell you more, oooh!"

The bridge spands 10 lanes of freeway plus two frontage roads, connecting trails in Deem Hills Recreation Area on the east side to a complex of neighborhoods north of Happy Valley Road called Norterra. Once you figure out how to navigate through Norterra, you can hike, bike or ride on another network of trails in the Sonoran Preserve. From trailhead to trailhead though, is about six not-so-scenic miles of suburban sprawl, power lines and barbed wire fence along the canal which would deter most leisure hikers from making the journey. Whether the city has plans to create more appealing routes between the bridge and the trailheads is not known, but if you love bridges, this one is a beaut!     

(Here's the view from that confounded bridge...)

It's an impressive site from inside and out and a good thing there's a sturdy cage all around it. That safety feature alone cost an extra $120,000, ensuring that both motorists and bridge crossers are less vulnerable to one another or themselves. Some folks call it Arizona's version of the Bridge to Nowhere, but I'm glad to have another option for non-motorized recreation close to home, and could see this becoming part of a marathon route or other long distance adventure.  

(Titles and subtitles taken after "The Crunge," with apologies to Led Zeppelin)

Waterlight

The ripples of water and sunlight mingle in my pool 

to create sinuous undulating patterns like this,

...and this.

Leaves floating on the surface cast shadows
on the pebble surface of the pool, 

creating a collage of leaf, rock, water and light.

Elephant Bush

Elephant Bush (Portulacaria afra) is a popular landscaping and potted plant in Phoenix. The plant was imported to North America from South Africa, where, true to its name, wild populations of this evergreen succulent shrub are an important food source for wild elephants, as well as other wildlife. In Africa, they call it Spekboom. The cut stems of Spekboom easily regenerate into new plants, a characteristic that may have evolved as a symbiotic relationship with elephants, since they scatter plant fragments as they feed. There is some speculation by scientists that growing spekboom on a large scale may be useful to store carbon dioxide in order to reduce atmospheric level of the gas that contributes to global climate change. This would dovetail nicely with objectives to improve wildlife habitat in Africa.

Robbins Butte

There's something dystopic about wandering the desert with steam plumes of a nuclear power plant on the horizon. This was our primary view for the day as we surveyed Robbins Butte Wildlife Area, near Buckeye, AZ, for winter birds on December 27th during the annual Christmas Bird Count. Palo Verde nuclear generating station is the largest of its kind in the U.S.

Desert Lavender

You can almost always count on Desert Lavender (Hyptis emoryi) to be blooming at the dawn of the New Year in the Sonoran Desert. Sure enough, we found many of these woolly-leaved shrubs buzzing with nectar and pollen-gathering bees on our hike in the Deem Hills yesterday. In a reverse of the phenology typical of most plants further north and at higher altitudes, the flowering season for desert lavender is between October and May. In the hotter summer months, these and many other desert shrubs drop their leaves to conserve moisture, and come back to life following monsoon rains in the fall. Desert Lavender leaves also morph according to soil moisture, growing larger, thinner, and less furry when there is more water, and thus expanding the photosynthetic capabilities. When drought sets in, the thin leaves dry up and new leaves produced are small, thick, and felted, which helps to conserve water, while still allowing the plant to photosynthesize.

If you crush the furry leaves between your fingers, you can benefit from the relaxing and healing aromatherapy attributed to other types of lavender, also in the mint family. This is a good enough reason to include desert lavender in your desert garden. Hummingbirds and butterflies are also attracted to lavender, another perk that helps celebrate the winter season in the desert.