Desert Willow |
Chilopsis linearis |
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Watercolor from live specimen found along Sycamore Creek in the Mazatzal Mts., Maricopa Co., Arizona. 20 July 1992. Sponsored Links:Fibers attached to the outer seed coat aid in dispersal by the wind. Along Skunk Creek, Peoria, Maricopa Co., AZ, 24 March 2018. Sonoran Bumblebees
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TREE. Along desert washes that have a reliable underground water
source this tree can attain a height of 6 m or
more. Drooping branches and willow-like leaves, but not at all related to true
willows (Salix). Wildlife: Buff-colored cocoons about 25 mm in length are made by the inchworm moth, Eucaterva variaria. The adult moth is white speckled with black. Also, a spectacular hawk moth, Manduca rustica, is known to use this plant in the larval stage. Hummingbirds and large black carpenter
bees, Xylocopa californica arizonensis, rely on the Desert Willow's flowers for
nectar. Colorful
leafhoppers known as sharpshooters can be found drawing sap from developing pods and
shoots. Carpenter BeeChilopsis SharpshooterAnna's HummingbirdBroad-billed HummingbirdBignoniaceae -- Trumpet Vine FamilyMore Information: |
Sonoran Desert Field
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Copyright Michael J.
Plagens, page created 13 Nov. 2008,
updated 25 Mar. 2018.