Quetzal
International
Beauty Salon
An ideal place for him & her
W hite C rAne
A CupunCture
C LiniC
Acupuncture
•
Herbs
•
Bodywork
• Mary Kay Products
• All-Nutrient Organic Products
• Credit & Debit Cards
Mon-Sat 9-12 & 1-7
905 W. San Antonio, Marfa
432-295-0025
Shanna Cowell, L.A.
505 E Sul Ross • Alpine
432.837.3225
Socorrito Mena
Proprietor
- 40 years experience -
Mon. - Fri. by appointment
Photo by Cathryn Hoyt
Ferns that appeared brown and dead during the summer suddenly abound, green and glorious among the rocks.
desert plants – especially the
ferns. Ferns aren’t usually the
first thing that you think of
when someone mentions desert
plants, but they should be. Take
a peak along rocky cliff faces
that face north or east. Seek out
shady canyons or explore the
cracks between large rocks.
You’re sure to find one of the 78
species of ferns that calls the
desert home.
For most of the year, our
xeric-adapted ferns may not
look like much. In fact, they’ll
probably look dead. Gone. A
victim of Mother Nature.
Curled tightly in upon them-
selves, the fronds are brown and
crispy. Dry as the desert itself.
But give the ferns a little
water and the fronds miracu-
lously come to life – often
unfurling and turning green
overnight. This ability to resur-
rect from the (seemingly) dead is
one of those wonderful adapta-
tions that makes ferns so suc-
cessful. Special cells on the
upper surface of the fern’s frond
absorb water when it’s available
and collapse (causing the fern to
curl) as conditions become drier.
Most plants can lose about
25 percent of their moisture
content before they begin to wilt
and need water. The amazing
ferns? They can lose up to 94
percent of their water content
while waiting patiently for the
next rain.
Some plants, according to
old wives’ tales, can even be
used to predict the beginning of
the rainy season. The cenizo,
often called the barometer bush,
is said to put on a stunning dis-
play of purple to pink blossoms
to announce the coming of the
rainy season. Not so fast, say the
experts. Cenizo are most likely
to bloom immediately after a
rain in response to the high
humidity and increased soil
moisture. Although – those
same experts will admit – the
cenizo can bloom in response to
high humidity even before the
rains begin. So the old wives
aren’t totally misleading us.
In the spring, hundreds of
visitors arrive at the Chihua -
huan Desert Nature Center
having just traveled through the
glorious bluebonnets and paint-
brushes of Central Texas. The
golden browns of our winter-
dry grasses don’t impress them.
In fact, they feel bad for us.
“We’re so sorry,” they say, “that
you’re having such a terrible
drought.” It takes a golden
tongue to convince them to
come back in the summer when
the rains bring out the very best
of our wildflowers.
Scarlet bouvardia and yel-
lowbells splash the rocky hill-
sides with yellow and brilliant
red flowers framed by deep
green leaves. The beebrush,
with its insignificant white blos-
soms, fills the canyons with the
most exquisite fragrance on still
summer nights.
But shrubs, while showy,
aren’t our only wildflowers. The
sunset-orange of a flameflower
or the tangle of tiny pink spider-
lings and sky-blue morning glo-
ries will question your whole
sense of what a “natural color”
really is.
Invite a friend to visit the
Chihuahuan Desert region in
August, and they’re likely to tell
you that you’re nuts. Visit a
desert in the summer? No way.
But if you can convince them
that our fifth season is the most
spectacular, they’re likely to
never go home.
NEcTAR
cOMPuTERS
Servicing West Texas with comprehensive
and experienced support since 2003
800 N 5th, Alpine Texas • www.nectarcomputers.com
432 837 3021 • Support Cell: 432 386 7811 • Mark Hannan, Owner
a facility of the
Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute
Est. 1974
Events this Fall & Winter:
Guadalupe Peak Field Trip
The Earth Rocks!!! Field Day
free
Open House
Nov. 26 & 27!
located on ST HWY 118
Storytelling & Night Walk 4 mi. S. of Fort Davis
Fall Bird Count
Thanksgiving Open House
Christmas Bird Count closed major holidays
Banquet for the Birds
Cenizo
Fourth Quarter 2010
Open 9-5, Mon.-Sat.
www.cdri.org
432-364-2499
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