Aaron, blue sky...yipppeeeee! 😆

That open pit mine...they just leave it that way?
I thought mines had to close them in afterwards and replant the surrounding area to native grasses, etc.

Feels like Africa

Looks like the savannah too, without the elephants and giraffes to chew on the yuccas 😀
Beautiful indeed.

Dry hills around our place look like that too, only with Diffused and/or Spooted Knapweed growing everywhere 😥

I can easily see why you're in love with Arizona.
Barb

That open pit mine...they just leave it that way?
I thought mines had to close them in afterwards and replant the surrounding area to native grasses, etc.

Dry hills around our place look like that too, only with Diffused and/or Spooted Knapweed growing everywhere 😥

Barb

That mine was from the 40's I think, not much they can do with it now. It does make for a nice tourist trap though. 😀

Spotted Knapweed grows everywhere here too. 😡

Spooted 😆 sorry.

That stuff is a curse, destroying native bunchgrass.
And even sheep and goats won't eat it.
Darn.

Barb

Spooted 😆 sorry.

Barb

It cant get worse than the spooted variety. Not much fun to step in. 😀

I know I talk about my neighbors in AZ, so here is a pic of them and my parents.

This was taken in one of their old horse barns. From left to right is my Mom and niece, Carleen my neighbor, my Dad, and Bill my neighbor. I love my Dads big sunglasses. 😀

Sitting in a horse barn for shade in AZ...wonderful!

Understand why you don't want them hauling buckets of water to look after plants at your place...

Understand why you don't want them hauling buckets of water to look after plants at your place...

Yea...they mean well, but I would have more cactus smashed than watered. 😆

a pic of y. elata down the road from my place

...so you're saying you bought the wrong property ? 😆

Man oh man, they are stunning indeed.
I'd be out there pruning the skirts...

Barb

...so you're saying you bought the wrong property ? 😆

Barb

😆

Man oh man, they are stunning indeed.
I'd be out there pruning the skirts...

Barb

A trimmed elata just dont look like an elata to me, but when they are trimmed they look nice. 😉

Wickenburge AZ

Aaron, yup.

But last year I found a black widow spider in my Yucca rostrata.
You probably heard me yell from there.

So now it's OFF with every old branch PRONTO so the buggers can't hide easily.

Barb

But last year I found a black widow spider in my Yucca rostrata.
You probably heard me yell from there.

Barb

I dont blame you, everything here is welcome in my yard, except yellow-jackets and black widows (and one badger I could'nt move). Further south you go the more widows you see. I love wildlife but them two I just cant keep up with.

A cool vid of people hikking in the Dragoon Mountains east of my place. It is only 2 days old 1-25-11. I wish I could hike around this time of year without freezing. 😡 Lots of cool plants.
http://www.youtube.com/user/PrestonTheYeti#p/u/0/bMe2tDpgqP0

Wow did you see those yuccas up there? 😯 😯 😯 😯 😯

While it was 7500 feet elev., there weren't any sheer cliff-faces, looks like a great hike.
Except for having to smash through that brush.
Would've been easy to carry a small shovel and a burlap sack or two...(who said that????) 😉

Thanks for the link, Aaron.
Barb