Deep

 

"Pay heed to the tales of old wives. It may well be that they alone keep in memory what it was once needful for the wise to know." J. R. R. Tolkien

This coopers hawk was spotting trying to work out how to catch a roadrunner that would keep darting into the bushes. After 20 minutes of swooping and diving, it gave up after only catching tail feathers.

"The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can" Tolkein

The cold weather is quite bitter, but is the perfect temperature for the sandhill cranes who are visiting while the weather is to their taste. They travel north in the summer, following the cold as far north as Russia.

Plants do not travel. The cold spell this year started earlier than most trees were ready for. Leaves falling from a tree are actually following a very complex process called abscission. A special layer of cells has to be formed by the influence of hormones which then are broken down by enzymes. This year the leaves were still on the tree when the snow came, breaking branches from the extra weight.

The enzymes cellulase and polygalacturonase were missing this year, causing marcescence.

"War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all" Tolkein

This is some kind of mint species, often become a weed because it can persist growing during a mild winter. It is likely catnip. This plant is not actually planted because it gets cats "high" (it only works on about two thirds of felines) but because it is shown to repel mosquitos.

The top of the catnip plants show the flowers after they have died back, their function fulfilled. The seeds remain and are shaken out by natural processes like wind blowing, or rain. The are quite prolific and often can't be eradicated once planted.

"but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.” Tolkein

Asters are a very hardy flower and persist long after other species have died back from the cold. There are very few typical pollinators around now, but there are still some. Especially beetles and flies.

“He told them tales of bees and flowers, the ways of trees, and the strange creatures of the Forest, about the evil things and the good things, things friendly and things unfriendly, cruel things and kind things, and secrets hidden under brambles.” Tolkein

Mammals are very effective at staying ot of sight of humans. This is likely a raccoon track because of the large, well spread out, long toes. These animals spend much of the night time following mud tracks looking for anything edible.

The size of this footprint suggests it is a squirrel. The plantigrade (heel print) print shows that it is a rodent of some sort, not an animal built for running like a dog or cat.

cats tend to have very circular paws shapes, unlike the more oval pattern of the canids. They have a much softer footfall, so they often are much less likely to leave a pattern in hard surfaces, especially as they don't have extended claw marks to help did into the ground.

Rubber rabbitbush is a very common plant throughout the southwest. It is ignored mostly because it is not preferred by livestock. Apparently it has a high concentration of rubber. It is also an aster species, producing flowers late into the winter season. It is heavily browsed when other food is scarce, one of the crucial "starvation foods" that so many wild animals rely on as a reserve.

"

The one small garden of a free gardener was all his need and due, not a garden swollen to a realm; his own hands to use, not the hands of others to command." Tolkein

This is probably Mentzelia involucrata. The blazing stars are of interest because of their pretty flowers rather than any utility they have to humans. Still, the flower industry in the US is estimated this year to be worth 52 billion dollars. These flowers are usually found near to a water source like a spring, or a arroyo in the hills.

"I am wounded with knife, sting, and tooth, and a long burden. Where shall I find rest?'"Tolkein

Kingcup cactus are fascinating because they are not known for their beautiful flowers, but they should be. They are nectar powerhouses and produce occasional bright, very showy flowers. The rest of the time they just look like a prickly pebble, of course.

Silvery lupine is a shrub with beautiful flowers that is native to the western US. It is a member of the pea family, and grows in poor soils which it supplements with nitrogen produced in its own roots.

one of the many ipomopsis species this is called many flowered. It is a native of north america and is in a family of plants called skyrockets. They are very attractive to hummingbirds and bees.

One thing gardeners prize as much as a beautiful flower is endless, diversonary variety. This is another species of ipomopsis known as flaxflowered because of similiarity to flax flowers.

"But in the end, it’s only a passing thing… this shadow. Even darkness must pass."" Tolkein.

Like many others, I suspect that the public's scapegoating of coyotes is a symptoms of a much deeper malady of negative self reflection. Putting the blame of our own ills toward pet ownership and fear of our place in the natural world into a convenient guilty party. The problem is that the scat of a coytoe in Corrales is almost excusively vegetable matter. An obligate meat eater, like a cat, produces scat like the one above, dark and oily from digested blood and fat.

"I may be a burglar...but I'm an honest one, I hope, more or less" Tolkien

Flat top broomrape is one of the many maligned parasitic species. This plant seed lies dormant in the soil and forms when the molecules of a suitable plant species is detected. Some bloomrapes are specific to one plant, but others can link with and subsume nutrients from many species of plant root. In a monoculture like farming these parasites can completely destroy a crop, just like a small enclosed space like an aquarium, or a chicken coop can foster viruses, or fungal growth, or bacteria.

"Some of my kin look just like trees now, and need something great to rouse them; and they speak only in whispers." Tolkien

In evolutionary terms, both humans and fungi belong to a larger group called Opisthokonta, we both have a 12-amino-acid insertion in the translation elongation factor 1α gene. This shared characteristic indicates a common ancestor, placing fungi and animals closer together on the tree of life than either is to plants. This mushroom is the reproduce apparatus of a distant relative, who is feeding on the trunk of a very distant relative.

This mushroom is called the Destructive Pholiota. It is not edible and prefers cottonwood trees. It is not actually a Pholiota species of mushroom. It is not often found this far south.

"To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed" Tolkien.

I am still trying to find the identy of these mystery seeds, found out in the hills on BLM land in New Mexico. I doubt they were transported there by people but its possible. It is odd that no matter how long a person can study something like nature in their own backyard, them more questions arise, than answers.

A common weed in the Corrales bosque is one of these amaranth species. This is doubly odd as the amaranth has been cultivated by people for about 8,000 years, just not in the last few generations. Humans actively encouage its evolution into a rapid growing, hardy species that can take heavy mowing and thrives in marginal growing conditions where there is no competition.

The unique conditions in the Corrales bosque seems to encourage visitors, but not many of those stick around. There are many species of raptors who come and go as they travel along the Rio Grande river. The cooper's hawks seem to be the most at home, having learnt long ago that bird feeders feed them as well.

The large herons are often around when the water levels in the clear ditch are rising or falling. They seem to be very good at predicting when things are about to change.

The mallards feed well at carrie tingley ponds on white bread from people who like ffeding ducks. They also feed in the ditches of Corrales, but here they aeem more intent in feeding for the purpose of bonding, or just because dabbling is what ducks like to do.

"Therefore with my eyes you shall see, and with my ears you shall hear, and nothing shall be hidden from you." J.R.R. Tolkien

The dry flowers often hide all sorts of insects that seem to recover on warm days in the winter . This is a soldier beetle. They have forewings that are leathery, instead of the more common tough elytra covering of a typical beetle.

grown fat with endless brooding on her feasts, weaving webs of shadow; for all living things were her food, and her vomit darkness.  J.R.R. Tolkien

Dry sunny days in winter seem to encourage some of the hunting spiders to come out and stalk about a little. This is a Western Parson Spider, and is nowhere near as scary as a spider's reputation would lead us to believe.

This spider is also in the group Gnaphosidae, like the Western Parson Spider above, but it is very difference in appearance. Spiders are hugely diverse and are not even classified as insects, which are in a different subphyla; Hexapoda

It is quite unusual to still be seeing ants outside. This is a pretty common species the bicolored carpenter ants. In fact, they are often sold as an easy to grow colony and know for having docile natures. Their diet and habits are quite varied but they live in the soil and hibernate for 2-3 months of the year in the coldest part of the year.

""It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule."" J.R.R Tolkien

These ants are one of the types that farm insects that produce honeydew secretions. Not only aphids, but also scale insects and whitefly. These ants also collect fallen seeds, like cottonwood and elm seeds. In the summer they are quick to scavenger fallen insects, such as grasshoppers. Their wide range of behaviors means they have a wide range of habitiats they can thrive in.

Many plants spread their seeds during the cold winter months. The cattails appear to use their fluff to make it difficult for birds to cllect the tiny seeds. The downside to this is that the seeds do not have much time to survive poor conditions, but this does not seem to be a problem for them most of the time. The vast number of seeds produced (220,000) means that usually some plants will spread as long as conditions are favorable.

The Corrales bosque is a very managed environment, with land built up, river courses stabilized and vast amounts of soil shifted about to control the lanscape. This is not always easy to see. The protective levees reduce property damage and are pretty solid in this part of New Mexico. Of course, the last big flood event in Corrales was only 10 years ago, at the end of July, 2013. I t is illuminating to read the reports from back then and how the journalists talked about the "post dam" era after Cochiti dam had been built. I reflect on this as the El Vado dam repairs are pushed back to at least 2026. The new step off dam feature at the Corrales siphon is likely to have unpredictable effects as well.

Uncertainty can cause predictably confused results. As part of the issues seen in Albuquerque's south valley's notoriously inadequate earthern levee, increased attention has been paid to the levee protecting Corrales from the kinds of flooding seen 1868, 1874, 1904, 1929, 1941, 1962, 1975, 1988, 1991, 1999. Even though the risk of flooding in Corrales is deemed slight, it includes 43% of Corrales properties as of the current flood maps. As usual, this is somehow translated into removing more trees. The link is well argued, but still turns out to be a bit tenous.

"It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set" J. R. R Tolkien

Corrales is a difficult place to understand when looking under the hood. A place that appears to be wild and carefree can also be seen in the context of different societies riven from within and threatened from without by divisions and fracas. It is nonethe less held together by a band of shared interest. How we use this land is clearly seen differently by differnt groups. We are still the stewards of our place of residence, whether we are directly involved, or not. 

    It may not be easy to figure out what is right, but at a minimum, ask yourself who is responsible for picking up the dog poop bag shown in this picture?

Birds

 "That patience now doth seem a thing of which

He hath no need. He is by nature led

To peace so perfect that the young behold

With envy, what the Old Man hardly feels."            Coleridge

What something is, compared what a person might think it is can be so different as to be exactly opposite. Coleridge often considered this idea. His poetry is amazing if there is time to actually delve into the concepts. That is also a large part of what this nature blog is all about.

Our waterways teem with mammal life. Muskrats, nutria, otters, and beaver. Most of the time we don't get a chance to see these creatures, and even worse, is the circumstances when we do. This large female was dead on the side of the road in a curve of the road entering Corrales that is notorious for roadkill.

No one will ever know what happened, but I can say there was a beaver dam right nearby where an excavator was dredging. This female probably was forced away from the dam along the off shoot that goes under the road. She likely had kits, who hopefully were on the cusp of being weaned.

Skunks are another shy mammal that is often around Corrales after dark. Contrary to their reputation for being bold and standing their ground, I often see or hear them charging off into the darkness. They are more prevalent around buried drainage pipes, maybe the foraging is better there, but I suspect they just like the cover.

Coyotes continue to divide opinions, but they are another shy, retiring mammal that is seen far less often than most people expect. They are a prey species and know how to behave around humans. My personal opinion is that they are opporuninsts, but would much prefer to be left alone and away from humans if they can help it.

The crazy song dogs appear to try eating anything once, not unlike our own pet dogs, who are alternately defenseless prey and fierce hunters of wildlife. I suspect this in in a large part a reflection of the owners and often not connected in any way to objective facts. The fact is the coyotes can be studied by their scat, and the scat is that of an opportunistic omnivore, with a sweet tooth.

Rock squirrels thrive around humans, even when persecuted extensively. They clear out bird feeders often and love to explore new crops. This one was killed because it damaged chile crops. This is odd because chile is specifically evolved to deter mammal tast buds. However no animal, man included, will turn down trying to eat something that exists in abundance.

"Water, water, every where,

And all the boards did shrink;

Water, water, every where,

Nor any drop to drink.

The very deep did rot: O Christ!

That ever this should be!

Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs

Upon the slimy sea" Coleridge

Refugia is a term for where an ecosystem holds out against chance and change. Sometimes it is enough to protect a species. Here, the tracks of the heron as it hunts the trapped frogs in a pond tell the story of terror. The young frogs have transformed into frogs in a bid to escape the feeding as the puddle shrinks by darting into the tall grasses. Normally they overwinter and transform the following Spring. The cold could soon freeze the surface. However, they have survived as the snow and rains north of us raised the water table enough to return water to the ditch, for a while.

The frogs survive by feeding on small insects attracted to still water bodies. Other animals attracted to these include many species of marsh spiders who can dart across small patches of water in the sedge grasses. It is amazing how many species of creature is a dedicated predator. I know this as some sort of wolf spider, but can't seem to figure out the genus.

"But by my looks, and most impassioned words,

I roused the virtues that are dead in no man,
Even in the assassins' hearts! they made their terms,

And thanked me for redeeming them from murder."

There are many other assassins hiding in Corrales. This one is waiting for feeding honey bees. One of the true bugs, it has turned its piecing proboscis to hunting nectar seeking insects. This one is a wheelbug, called that because of the cog shaped hump on it's back, that sadly did not come out well defined in this picture.

"“The first great requisite is absolute sincerity. Falsehood and disguise are miseries and misery-makers.” Coleridge

This leaf footed bug is also a true bug. Also, has a proboscis designed for piercing. But it is a dedicated vegetarian that the wheel bug is probably mimicking to try and hunt more effectively.

"What if one reptile sting another reptile? Where is the crime? The goodly face of nature hath one disfeaturing stain the less upon it" Coleridge

Wireworm are the insect larvae of click beetles, of which there is about 1000 species in the US. The adults usually tunnel into crops while the "worms" feed on dead vegetation like the damp leaves from trees. Because they do no one any good, most people are content to see them removed, but their presence indicates a healthy biomass, plus, the more they are exterminated the more they develop resistance to all attacks.

The tree crickets are a group of insects with a complex series of behaviors. The young emerge in spring from holes drilled into tree bark before the winter and begin to feed on aphids, changing to plant material as they grow older.

"The butterfly the ancient Grecians made
The soul's fair emblem, and its only name-" Coleridge

It can be strange to see butterflies around Corrales in the winter. There are actually still flowers around, if you know where to look. The mistletoe flowers do not look like a typical flower, yet the giant purple hair-streak butterfly still is attracted to them as well as midges and other very small insects. Butterflies also like salty fluids and can also feed on tree exudates that often form on cottonwoods infected with fungal infections.

The famous monarch butterfly is not the only migrant in Corrales. This is a related butterfly known as the Queen butterfly Danaus gilippus. There is also a King, Soldier, and Viceroy butterfly, as well as the famous Monarch. Not only does the Queens feed on flowers that can contain poisonous alkaloids, but they also convert those compounds into danaidone, which is a sex pheromone.

The Orange sulphur Colias eurytheme is one of the butterflies that exist in huge numbers in the alfalfa fields of Corrales and Bosque Farms. It is pretty rare to see these insects with their wings open unless they are flying or dead. Almost all of their brilliance is shown in the UV spectrum.

The rustic sphinx moth is found around nightshade plants in the summer. The caterpillar is known as a hornworm, and the metamorphosis happens just under the soil. The caterpillar has to grow fast as there are many species of parasitoid wasp that seek to lay eggs within its body. This is a very large moth often seen in warm weather.

The tropical least skipper is one of the smallest butterflies. It likes to stay in damp, grassy areas and is quite a weak flier, found in Arizona and New Mexico and as far south as Nicaragua.

Birds are attracted to Corrales for the quiet and ability to continue nature behaviors such as roosting, calling and migrating. Many species are also been injured or electrocuted by the high voltage wires that run through our trees. Herons visit from time to time when the water levels are low enough to make the fishing easy. They appear to appreciate to appreciate a quiet area.

"All Nature seems at work. Slugs leave their lair--

The bees are stirring--birds are on the wing--

And WINTER, slumbering in the open air,

Wears on his smiling face a dream of Spring!" Coleridge

 

In the winter, crows congregate in the river valley, maybe banding together in areas of warmth or good feeding on the nearby city dump, The often collect for a period near to nut trees such as walnuts or pecans found at the Bachici Open space.

New Mexico is a major pecan producer, and there are many other trees about the bosque. We also have walnuts and oaks thriving is some spots. This encourages many animal species, including humans to seek them out. The Mountains had a good pinon crop this year too.

There are many animal species that remain hidden from human sight, but luckily the sandhill cranes are not one of those animals. They can be easily attracted by food and a little space and privacy. Their loud calls are easy to follow, but you will not see any chick with them as their breeding grounds are far to the north as far as Russian.

With mild winters the feral turkeys are still around enjoying the food placed out for the sandhill cranes. The local flock appears to have grow at least 50% in the last year with great survivability compared to the last few years.

The high silt clay of the alluvial basin is cracking as the winter grasses begin to push up from below. They form crazy hexagonal cracks as they quickly begin to replace the damage of the constant mowing and heavy traffic placed on them.

Down by the river, the fine mud can crack into bizarre sigils, offering great nooks and crannies for seeds and small species of critters to hide in.

“What if you slept
And what if
In your sleep
You dreamed
And what if
In your dream
You went to heaven
And there plucked a strange and beautiful flower
And what if
When you awoke
You had that flower in your hand
Ah, what then?” Coleridge

This striking plant is one of the Ipomopsis species. Very striking, and also a tough little species found in many dirt types. Flowers and their pollinators form a complex inter relationship that can be very difficult to follow except in certain abstract ways. When complicated by being rare. or having unexpected behaviors, such as flowering in the winter things can be complicated.

The Chicorieae family can be one of the last to seed and are often fed on by many small birds as they work to find food once the insects have disappeared. Having the seeds float on the wind means that when birds visit they often help to spread the seeds further

Horsetails seem to be spreading in the Corrales area, tolerating both shade, sun and any soil. This plant is very hardy and spreads by spores and underground roots.

Trees are a keystone species for Corrales, their changes mark the graduation of the seasons and their erratic behavior both condemn and recharge large sections of the resident populations of humans. The natural animals and birds found here are unique and draw many people here to appreciate the ditch banks, river and miles of undeveloped space between Bernalillo and Albuquerque.

Many people are quite envious of those who are lucky enough to live in the leafy shade of the stately cottonwoods. 

    We, of course might see the flaws of trees a little too keenly, especially during periods of wet snow. Still, we do not need to forget that it is quite a luxury to be habitants of a place so full of natural charm and beauty. That is something Coleridge himself would appreciate.