Butler Canyon 1
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Anza-Borrego Desert Animals & Plants
Butler Canyon, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
© W.P. Armstrong 9 April 2009
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Malvaceae: Sphaeralcea ambigua var. ambigua (Apricot Mallow)

Solanaceae: Lycium andersonii (Box Thorn)

Hydrophyllaceae: Phacelia pedicellata (Spector Phacelia)

Asteraceae: Chrysothamnus paniculatus = Ericameria paniculata (Black Banded Rabbitbrush)

The stems and leaves of Chrysothamnus paniculatus are glandular punctate: They are dotted with numerous resin pits that exude copious amounts of sticky, glistening resin.

Magnified view of stem surface showing circular resin pits (punctae). Magnification 1000x.
According to Edmund Jaeger (1941), the black bands are caused by a smut fungus. The Jepson Manual (1993) gives two possible causes for the black bands: A fungal or insect attack. This species is listed as Ericameria paniculata in the Flora of North America, and the black bands are described as a fungal infection. Under 400x magnification, the black banded areas appear to be associated with fungal hyphae and spores. See the following three images:

The above two images show microscopic views of scrapings from a black banded area on the stem of Chrysothamnus paniculatus. The black band appears to be associated with fungal hyphae and spores. Magnification 400x.

The above image shows dark fungal hyphae from a black banded area on the stem. The numerous circular objects (black arrow) are resin pits embedded in the stem tissue. Magnification 1000x.

Banded Rock Lizard (Petrosaurus mearnsi)

  Collared Lizard At Petrified Forest National Monument, Arizona  

Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos) Hiding Under A Shrub

Orb Weaver Of The Genus Aculepeira

An orb weaver spider (Aculepeira packardi, Araneidae) on Tiquila palmeri.
Determined by Jim Berrian, entomologist at San Diego Natural History Museum.

See Another Species Of Araneus In San Marcos
Cross Orb Weaver In Vancouver, British Columbia
  Shamrock Spider At Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park  

Thread-Waisted Wasp (Sphecidae: Ammophila)

Family Meloidae: Cysteodemus armatus (Inflated Blister Beetle)

  More Images Of Inflated Bister Beetles  

Unknown Moth

Desert Bighorn Ram On Ridge Above Canyon

Skull and horns of a bighorn ram in Butler Canyon.

James Dillane performing the Butler Canyon "Ram Ritual."

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