Written by Jeff

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

One of the wonderful benefits of living in the current era is the sense of “community” that has developed among those who are life-long learners and enjoy learning new things. My wife and I often hike through the Sonoran Desert where we currently reside, but in the summer we seek relief by going to the “high country.”

High country is the term used for the mountain region of Arizona such as Payson, the Mogollan Rim, Prescott, etc. We recently headed for the mountains of Prescott which offer a 10-20 degree cool down from our desert home. We had heard about the Watershed Trail near Goldwater Lake and we were interested in seeing that area. We were off to a late start and we weren’t sure if we would get to finish the entire trail, but we would do what we could.

As we were ascending the mountain, I looked at some of the dying Alligator Junipers. They get the name from their alligator-like bark (see picture below).

On one of the trees I noticed this large black and yellow beetle. While I find some bugs creepy, this one was rather attractive. I took a couple – of pictures so I could try to identify it once I returned home.

Listed below are a few of the websites I used to try and I.D. the beetle!

What’s That Bug – http://www.whatsthatbug.com/
BugGuide.Net – http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740
What’s Bugging You – http://arthurevans.wordpress.com/

I looked and looked, but couldn’t quite narrow it down. Luckily, What’s That Bug has a request form for those who would like to have a positive ID of a certain insect. Of course there is the customary proviso that they cannot answer all requests which is quite understandable. Since I wasn’t getting anywhere with my personal quest, I decided to submit a query. Here is the email:

Beetle Identification
Location: Prescott, Arizona
August 20, 2010 1:28 pm

Dear Sir (or Madam): We were hiking in Prescott, Arizona and saw several of these beetles on the bark of Alligator Junipers/Pines. Would you be able to identify them for me? I found similar looking beetles (on the web site) that were solid black, but none with the yellow-stripped sides. Thank you for your consideration.

Signature: Jeff Ross

AND low and behold, here is the response:

Hi Jeff,

We do not know why Chalcolepidius apachianus, which we identified on BugGuide, does not have the common name Apache Click Beetle. Bugguide has no information on the species, but indicates it has been photographed in Arizona and Utah. Since there is not much information to be found online for the beautiful Chalcolepidius apachianus, we will propose a second name: Skunk Stripe Click Beetle.

So… Chalcolepidius apachianus! Of course! I don’t know if I like Skunk Stripe Click Beetle though. How about you? Isn’t it wonderful that we can find this wonderful information? Now I can update my photographic tags to include the correct name. I encourage everyone to write to experts in the field when presented with a situation like this. More often than not, I have had success.

I will write about another incident in the North Country of Minnesota in my next post. Until then, keep observing those living things around you and enjoy learning about them. Have you had any similar experiences in finding people to help ID bugs or plants?

When we returned to the parking area we were greeted by a field of orange Globe Mallow and Sunflowers. They were a bit wilted, but still a heart-warming site after a long trek up hill!

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Written by Jeff

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

In the first part of this article which you can read here, I addressed the many special views of the granite dells to be found just outside of Prescott, Arizona. Today I am going to show you a few more interesting sights and I hope this tempts you to visit the area on vacation or if you are local, on a day trip!

Without further ado, here are some more pictures:

The lake looked very cool and inviting especially since the temperatures were near 100.

There were many people taking advantage of the park’s offerings including picnicking and boating

These canoes were anxiously awaiting their turn to get back out on the lake!

Wonderful views abound around almost every nook and cranny the lake has to offer!

Another beautiful scene!

The boulders jutting from the lake’s waters look like ancient monoliths!

Some scenes had layers and layers of rocks in varying bands around the lake.

Take a ride outside of the park along nearby roads to see some interesting homes built among the dells!

I couldn’t resist taking this picture of wild yellow columbine growing alongside the road!

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Written by Jeff

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

Full Disclosure: Technically, the rock formations addressed in the blurb below are probably NOT hoodoos, but the title was too irresistible AND these formations are close enough. You can read more about hoodoos here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoodoo_%28geology%29

During the summer, life gets tough in the Sonoran Desert as rainfall is scant (almost nonexistent so far this year) and temperatures soar. To find some relief, we often head for areas in the more northern parts of AZ.

One place we enjoy visiting and find respite is Prescott, AZ, once the territorial capital. On the outskirts of the town is an amazing site; granite dells. These monoliths and hoodoos await the gaze of awe struck visitors. If you decide to go, spend a few dollars to visit the Watson lake park to get some interesting views. You can bring a picnic lunch, rent a boat or just enjoy the sites.

Here are some pictures:

Boating on Watson Lake; rent or bring your own!

Boulders rise from beneath the water!

View from the west side of the lake looking east [ I think ]

A friendly cove.

Bounding boulders!

Boulder abstract art across the lake.

Another fine view.

Now this is really like gardening on the moon!

Read part II here!

Photos by Jeff

Thumb Butte Trail # 33
(Prescott, AZ 86303)

Directions to Trailhead: From Prescott travel Gurley Road westward for about three miles until it changes to Thumb Butte Road which ends at the trailhead (day use) parking lot. Cost is $5 per car; Golden Age Passports Accepted. Wednesdays are free (at the time of this writing).

Thumb Butte Area is a is one of the most popular destinations in the Prescott National Forest and Trail # 33 likely heads the list of the hikes there. Thumb Butte is an impressive towering isolated hill that rises steeply nearly 600 feet from surrounding woodlands. The trail begins with stoned steps that ascend to the start point of Trail # 33, which is described as 1.75 miles and rated “moderate difficulty”.

Advice: The trail leads right or left….. for an aerobic workout go left and ascend the paved walkway that quickly rises (sometimes at a 45 degree angle) towards the massive butte. I’d challenge that description and say it is fairly difficult or at least mildly unpleasant; I had to rest several times; even the occasional switchbacks are not flat and there are many berms (likely for water run-off) that require careful footing.

That said, the woods are glorious! We hiked in late October, and the reds and golds of the low bush and wildflowers were a welcome change from our Phoenix home. And although this is a popular trail, we passed no more than a dozen or two hikers on this sunny weekday.

At the top, the pavement ends, and the butte still beckons several hundred yards ahead in the distant. At the crest of the trail, we succumb to the temptation of a narrow dirt path that leads off to the left up toward the Butte. This path snakes gently upward about 300 feet towards the Butte, and provides great vistas of the Sierra Prieta Mountains to the southwest. We opt to turn back when the path becomes less discernable; and feel a bit guilty in light of the signage directing hikers to remain on the path.

Trail 33 is basically a loop, and the trip back is an incredibly pleasant path (mostly hard packed) that provides a more gradual slope….hint…consider this leg of the loop for the upward trek!!!). Mid way down, the Butte disappears from view but manzanita, common mullein (Verbascum thapsus) and alligator juniper prove a worthy substitute.

If you are interested in a short trek to view the beautiful mountains of Arizona’s high country and enjoy Prescott, “Everybody’s Home Town,” Thumb Butte will not disappoint you!

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post