Yucca, Sotol, and Beargrass
These Iconic Plants of Southern New Mexico WereNature’s Grocery Store, Pharmacy, Fabric Shop, and Hardware Storefor the Native Americans of Southwest New Mexico SHOWTIME IN THE HIGH CHIHUAHUAN DESERT Beginning sometime in June, and generally peaking in early July, the Juniper and Piñon dominated High Chihuahuan Desert landscape surrounding Casitas de Gila Guesthouses often delights […]
Spring Wildflowers in Southwest New Mexico
Following a Moist Late Winter and Early Spring, an Amazing Extravagance of Wildflowers Emerges at Casitas de Gila Guesthouses in Southwest New Mexico THE EXCEPTIONAL BLOOMING OF SPRING FLOWERS AFTER A WET LATE WINTER When there is rain in Southwest New Mexico during the late winter months of January and February and the spring […]
Fall in the Gila Country — Light and Leaves
October and November are spectacular months in the Gila Country of Southwestern New Mexico. With the ending of the monsoon rains, the days are noticeably shorter and the skies have taken on a deeper shade of cobalt blue as the noonday sun tracks ever lower in the southern sky. The nighttime sky is changing too: […]
FLOWERING CACTUS IN SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO
THE MARVELOUS LATE SPRING FLOWERING OF CACTUS IN THE HIGH DESERT OF SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO During the Driest Months of the Year, Cactus Blooms Accent a Landscape Parched and Waiting for the Rains WAITING FOR THE RAINS TIME Once again it’s Waiting for the Rains Time here at Casitas de Gila Guesthouses. Similar to the […]
ANCIENT CROPS IN SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO
2000 YEARS OF HARVEST TIME ALONG BEAR CREEK HARVEST TIME AT THE CASITA GARDENS It’s late August and the rains of the 2013 Southwest Monsoon season have shown no sign of weakening. As of this morning, Casitas de Gila Guesthouses has had 8.54 inches of rain since the monsoons began on July 1. Despite the […]
With the Rains Come the Wildflowers …
For many parts of New Mexico and Arizona, this year’s Monsoon rains have remained spotty and below average (see the CLIMAS Southwest Monsoon Tracker) But not so here at Casitas de Gila Guesthouses! As of today, we have received over 9 inches of rain since early July (which marked the beginning of this year’s Monsoon […]
Waiting for the Rains Time
It’s the “Waiting for the Rains Time” in the Southwest. After a mostly-dry and colder-than-usual La Niña Winter, and a cool and even drier Spring, the entire Southwest is exceptionally dry, and every living thing — humans, animals, birds, and plants — is waiting. Waiting for the annual North American Monsoon or Southwest Monsoon rains […]
