www.maricopa.gov/parks (no report)
www.maricopa.gov/parks/estrella (Posted Saturday, 5/2/2008)
Oh Goodie! I’m jumping for joy to be at the Estrella Mountain Regional Park and on the Baseline Trail again after a long work week. Looks like the hungry roadrunner is jumping too as I drive up to the trailhead and park. It’s great to be out and about. Let’s see what we can find this week as we walk along.
I don’t know about the birds, but the bees are quite happy between the ironwood which is starting to show its lovely, fragrant, pale purple blossoms and the mesquite with its long, pollen laden flowers. Soon there will be mesquite beans and cactus fruit for the desert animals to banquet on.
Here is a hedgehog cactus with its plump, red, tasty fruit already on offer. I haven’t seen many of them since the animals devour them as soon as they appear.
What is that owl doing out in the middle of the day? It looks like its asking me the same question. You never know wwhhooo you might meet on this trail! If we look under and around the creosote with its puff ball seeds we might see something fun. What’s that? Hopefully not a rattlesnake...no, it’s a collared lizard scampering to a nearby rock for a little sun.
The trail is lovely with ironwood which is a protected plant here in Arizona and one of the hardest woods in the world, hence the name. The seed pod of the ironwood and the other two desert tree (palo verde and mesquite) is edible as all three are in the pea family. It tastes pretty good too.
What’s that shadow overhead? A red tailed hawk looking for something to eat as it leaves its rocky perch near a creosote bush. I have to say, it’s still lovely in the desert with ironwood, palo verde, mesquite and some cactus still in bloom.
Definitely come out and see it before it gets too hot and it’s all gone in a few weeks. In the meantime, all this hiking and talk about food is making me hungry I think I’ll go get myself a nice ocotillo tea and a mesquite cookie. Yum!
