Plants | - Part 3

Why Do People Paint Citrus Tree Trunks White?

March 31, 2010 By Andrea Aker 5 Comments

Q: Why do people paint the trunks of their citrus trees white?

A: HA! At last, a question we actually knew the answer to without having to look it up or ask somebody. It’s to protect them from the sun.

We are soooooo smart.

To celebrate, we asked an actual newcomer in the office if she knew why citrus trunks are painted white, and she said it was to repel insects. These comical newcomers.We were going to laugh at her until we remembered she is much higher up the food chain than us and holds what passes for our career in her elegant and well-manicured hands. So we didn’t laugh.

Just to double-check, and to look busy, we called Ralph Backhaus, a professor of plant biology at Arizona State University.

Filed Under: Natural Surroundings, Odd Observations, Valley of the Sun, Weather Talk Tagged With: heat, plants, weather

What’s That After-Rain Aroma in the Valley?

February 24, 2010 By Andrea Aker 2 Comments

Q: What exactly causes that fresh/earthy scent when it rains in the Valley? It’s a real distinct scent, not flowery or sweet, but more like a fresh, clean smell.

A: Your question worked its way to the top of the pile at just the right time — Tuesday, when we had that delightful morning rain. As soon as the skies cleared we leapt into the Valley 101 mobile research lab, and set out to find the source of the scent.

You are right. There was a truly remarkable aroma in the air, which we soon traced to a half-eaten Big Mac under the floor mats in the backseat of the Valley 101 mobile research lab. While we would not describe this as “fresh/earthy” it was definitely distinctive.

After a stop at the car wash, we sought advice from the estimable Carolyn O’Malley, executive director of the Desert Botanical Gardens and an honorary member of the Valley 101 faculty.

Filed Under: Natural Surroundings, Odd Observations, Valley of the Sun Tagged With: plants, weather

Frequently Asked Questions About Saguaros

January 22, 2010 By Andrea Aker 1 Comment

Here at the Valley 101 Research Center and Windshield Squeegeeing Service, we have amassed a collection of three questions about saguaros, those noble cactuses that symbolize Arizona just as surely as do recall elections.

And we now endeavor to answer these queries with, as always, the help of Patrick Quirk of the Desert Botanical Gardens, who has forgotten more about saguaros then you’ll ever know.

Filed Under: Natural Surroundings Tagged With: desert, plants

Saguaros Refuse To Tell Their Ages

September 14, 2009 By Andrea Aker Leave a Comment

Today’s question is about the saguaro, so those of who you have lived in Arizona for more than a few years are free to talk quietly among yourselves or put your heads down on your desks and rest a bit.

The rest of you, the newcomers, should pay careful attention because, like indicting a governor or driving badly, few things are more purely Arizonan than the saguaro, the bloom of which, after all, is our official state flower.

Filed Under: Natural Surroundings Tagged With: cactus, plants

Wickenburg’s Botanical Incarcerator

September 8, 2009 By SamLowe 4 Comments

Right in the middle of downtown Wickenburg, there’s an old mesquite tree that folks around town say has been there longer than anyone can remember. Local historians who check into such things say it’s more than 200 years old, and claim they have evidence to prove it. They also say it once served as the community’s only jail.

Filed Under: Dose of History, Natural Surroundings Tagged With: history, plants, wickenburg