Finally... something flying here this morning.

12 years ago

Two genera... Felines and Canines.

Thor has banged what few clouds we've had here this summer together a couple of times, but it didn't produce anything for the trouble in the area of the valley where I live but a lot of noise. This morning he finally got it right in my neighborhood. Typical on the desert it dumped buckets for 10 minutes then subsided to a drizzle that lingered for an hour before moving on. Was enough for the very bottom of "Lake Ladobe" to have standing water in it. But in another hour or so there will be no apparent traces left behind of its visit. At least what we did get will help the plants even if it is far too late for the leps.

I've been on the desert for over twenty years now and love it for its plant and animal diversity, and the shirt sleeve winters, but a twenty year drought does get old and makes me long for the high mountains. Guess that's why its those habitats I usually refer on the forum instead of the desert. Any, made for a nice morning out sitting in the rain like a kid. ;)

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Comments (4)

MissSherry
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Is there any way you could possibly move to a better lep place, Larry? You say there's been a twenty-year drought, but in 1963 when I went through Nevada, it was a bleak, vacant desert - Las Vegas was right out in the middle of nothing then. I don't like even the temporary droughts we have here occasionally - no water, no life. If people hadn't figured out a way to move water from one place to another, there would be no Las Vegas.
Maybe if you set your mind to it, you can figure out how to move to those gorgeous mountains you show in your pictures?
Sherry
ladobe
Original Author
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Sherry,

The Mojave Desert is anything but bleak or vacant. It teams with life, so much that in fact there is a far greater diversity of life on it than where you live, in my favored alpine habitats. Same with almost every desert on earth, you just have to learn how to recognize their treasures, their flora and fauna to see it I guess.

Las Vegas (the Meadows in Spanish) was named that in 1829 when it was discovered for a reason. The valley was an oasis with all of its artisian springs (that still supply some of the water here today). First permanent white man settlement wasn't until 1855 though, by Mormons. So even without modern methods for water city folks have lived here just fine for over 150 years. It is however still isolated, it just sprawled out to cover almost the entire 600 square mile valley, and the population grew from about 60K in 1960 whebn you were here to 2 million now (plus our 40+ million tourists per year). So it is much different than your or my first trips here from 1959 into the early 60's when casino's on The Strip like the Sands, Flamingo, Dunes and Tropicana were miles apart on the highway with nothing but dark desert between instead of those locations being in the middle of town now. Back then Fremont Street was the main casino district. Now casino's are door to door running many miles farther south on the strip, which back then was just the little highway heading across the desert to CA. Casino's are all over the valley now. They have been here continuously since 1901, but the hay day most probably think of is the Mob 50's.

I pretty much lived anyplace I wanted to all of my adult life. Not for family or employment, just because we wanted to "experience" them. The ex wouldn't leave the US permantly like I wanted to, she had closer family ties than I did, so I respected that. Anyway, these last 10 years alone I could have lived anyplace I wanted to worldwide. I did think seriously about moving to Costa Rica 8-9 years ago, and probably would have if a long time friend there hadn't passed away. Also the Solomon Islands for a time, and for a while New Zealand was calling my name. I also came fairly close to buying a very nice large but remote cabin with hundreds of acres of natural forest and a river through it near Dixie, ID a few years ago. But being snowed in 7-8-9 months of the year (literally) changed my mind. My nearest neighbor in winter would have been 16 miles away by snowshoe over a pass, and over three times that far by snowmobile. Not a good idea with health issues starting to effect mobility. Living in the high country is in reality a hardship except during the short summers up there. You have to love extreme cold and very deep snow even in towns, and pretty much total isolation to live where I would want to up there. Anyway, I never got around to moving before my health suddenly went south to stay. I'm still here only because its easier to stay than trying to move now.

No need to move for the leps anyway. I was lucky to be able to enjoy doing them seriously for over 40 years... saw and did more during that time than most will ever get to in their entire lives. I just can't share pictures with no lep activity at my place is all. ;)
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imabirdnut
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Larry, are you the nice gentleman that emailed me to say you have some Ruta odorata seeds & a couple of other heat resistant Giant Swallowtail host plants?
You don't have an email listed is why I'm responding to your post. I lost an email that I was going to send a SASBE to & have been trying to figure out who sent it ever since...that's why I'm asking!
We have had the worst heat here in North Texas with a record number of 100+ temps this year! No or very little rain all summer...the cities & towns are on strict water rationing for outside watering & luckily, we are on well water!
Let me know if you are the nice gentleman!!!???
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ladobe
Original Author
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Lila, I responded to your thread host plant questions about a week ago, but it wasn't me that had seeds to offer. Sorry.

Finally... something flying here this morning.

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