De-Na-Zin wash we have been collecting in
Exposed sagebrush root on bank of De-Na-Zin wash
In Farmington, New Mexico, news about the weather is informative to the news about the plants. The news is, we have received some rain, about 40 miles south of town near the De-Na-Zin/Bisti Wilderness badlands area. A wash that we had started monitoring two months ago was yielding young shoots of a couple species. When we returned last week, those little forbs in the wash were completely buried in a blanket of sand brought forth by a rushing flood that barreled through the desiccated desert. The dusty, smooth slopes of the sandy wash had been transformed into violently cut jagged banks. Hearty sagebrush plants had been ripped out of their bed and left to dangle on edge, calmly billowing in the wind. Heaps of disheveled soil were scattered around curves of the wash. Portions of the sand bed had been transported elsewhere in the flow, leaving areas deeply sculpted into fragile miniature canyons. Despite this destruction, many native plants were flourishing on the edges of the wash. Seeing how the wash had transformed was one of the highlights in the past couple weeks. It was a reminder that the earth is an organism- and this particular wash just went through a molt.
Cute Little Tarantula of the De-Na-Zin
Blister Beetle- Genus: Megetra. If handled, adults exude an oil called cantharidin that causes dermal blistering and can be fatal to livestock if entire beetle is ingested
As hours passed by collecting broom-like ragwort, hoary tansy aster, and galleta grass, the movement of a black, leggy patch caught my eye. It was the first tarantula I have seen in the United States. I went on a short (yes, Sheila, short) arthropod chasing safari at the De-Na-Zin site. For me, part of being a botanist is noticing the other biota of your surroundings and becoming fascinated by an organism that you don’t quite understand and taking a little time to observe.
The De-Na-Zin/ Bisti wilderness area has a reputation for being an abyss of eerie phenomenon. So far, the photo below depicts all strangeness I have seen. The wind and water of the De-Na-Zin can be quite powerful as well as artistic.
Fall is here in Farmington- the cottonwood leaves are firing up. We are racing to collect seeds before the frost sets in. I see that many others are finishing up their internships. Please get in touch if you would like to visit the four corners area or are passing through! I will be here through December.
Deidre Conocchioli
Farmington, New Mexico, Bureau of Land Management