Sticky Bushes

These awful bushes/trees/plants are about the only natural growing things in this area. They are different variety's of Mesquite. Some stay as smaller bushes, others grow into tree shapes over many years. Some get bunches of beans that can be dried and ground into a flour. The one good thing they do is hold the soil down when winds blow. Mesquites are not forgiving. You cannot walk by and brush branches out of your way, needles will tear and snag clothing not to mention skin or eyes!

We cut some back that were growing close to the gate in front horse play-pen. Oh my, they came back with a vengeance. Thick branching and huge longer spines than original ones.
The tree sized Mesquite help a variety of cactus to grow upright and tall without snapping off from their own weight. The nest was originally a huge fotball shape built by Cactus Wrens. They moved after rearing babies and a Brown thrasher moved in. Thrashers don't want a fully enclosed nest so this is what it lives on, very sparse. She raised three babies out of this nest last spring.