National Poetry Month

Desert Ghosts I

I
I feel
I feel the
I feel the presence
I feel the presence of
I feel the presence of those

who came before me.

Canyon de Chelly

National Poetry Month

This is National Poetry month, so in its honor...

the pitter pat
of my little cat
as she quickly bats
at my fallen hat

and she skitters and slides
under beds where she hides
and from there she presides
on the whole of her pride

Miss Kitty

Horned Lizards

Commonly known as "horny toads": at least, that is what we called them when I was growing up.  It is a confusing name, because they are not toads at all, but lizards.  Flatter and rounder than your common lizard, they do have a more toad-like body.  Almost.

There are 13 species of horned lizard in North America, with five of those being found exclusively in Mexico.  The following are found in Canada, U.S. and Mexico:

Texas horned lizard
  (Phrynosoma cornutum)
Coast horned lizard
  (Phrynosoma coronatum)
Pygmy horned lizard
  (Phrynosoma douglasii)
Short horned lizard
  (Phrynosoma hernadesii)
Flat tailed horned lizard
  (Phrynosoma mccallii)
Round tailed horned lizard
  (Phrynosoma modestum)
Desert horned lizard
  (Phrynosoma platyrhinos)
Regal horned lizard
  (Phrynosoma solare)

These five are found only in Mexico:
Giant horned lizard
  (Phrynosoma asio)
Short tailed horned lizard
  (Phrynosoma braconnieri)
Rock horned lizard
  (Phrynosoma ditmarsi)
Mexican horned lizard
  (Phyrnosoma obiculare)
Bull horned lizard
  (Phrynosoma taurus)

Flat tailed horned lizard

Of these, the two that are found in the Coachella Valley are the Desert horned lizard and the Flat tailed horned lizard.  Of the two, the desert is the most common, and is found across the desert floor.  It is found in the Sonoran, Mojave and Great Basin deserts of North America.  The flat-tailed horned lizard is rare in the Valley, this being the northern-most reach of its range.  More commonly found in the Imperial Valley, this lizard has been a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act. That status was withdrawn in 2011. It remains a Species of Concern.

Desert Horned Lizard

The Coast horned lizard range sometimes overlaps that of the desert horned lizard, but found mostly on coastal North America.  This species is also a Species of Concern. Many of the horned toads have restricted ranges and are highly specialized for eating ants.  Harvester ants are there main diet, and the invasion of non-natives ant species, particularly the Argentine ant, have severely impacted many of these lizards.

Priest of the Prairie Dogs

This enigmatic little owl is found scattered across the Coachella Valley.  Called by the Zuni, the Priest of the Prairie Dogs, it presides here over a host of ground squirrels and other burrowing mammals.  It is also called the ground owl, for its unusual habit of living in a hole in the ground.  This habit sets it apart from other owls that live in trees.

Burrowing owl at dusk.

It eats a variety of things, insects to rodents primarily. It will eat other things, like lizards, birds, snakes and toads if they are available.  They stay in their territory most of the year, and will use the burrow at different seasons for different purposes. They lay up to 12 eggs in the spring, and raise the chicks until they leave the family home in the fall.  In the fall and winter, they use the burrow primarily for escape from predators.  They may use the same burrow year after year, but they may change to another burrow during the year.

The babies start trying to fly by 3 weeks, and by 5 weeks are hunting with the parents. By 3 months they are pretty independent. These comical families will sit on the doorstep of their burrow and watch you with great curiosity.  This makes this species a particularly interesting one to most people.

Baby owl scurrying to cover of the burrow.

These animals are listed on the Depart of Fish and Wildlife  and the US Fish and Wildlife as a species of concern.  There numbers are decreasing across their range.  Although they are found from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast, and from interior Canada to Central Mexico, there are areas where once these comical birds no longer grace the landscape. This is a sad occurrence for those of us who remember seeing them in our neighborhoods and around the outskirts of town.

Owl in field of grasses.