This type of milkweed is considered the Jewel of Delta County. It is low-growing on a southeast facing rocky slope at Rivendell. The brilliant red pod-like shapes are 1/4" to 1/2" tall.
Experience the wonders of Rivendell through our Nature pages.
Then schedule a real-life visit.
The small “slide show” below gives a taste of what awaits your discovery.
Then stroll through these galleries:
Barrels of Blooms—Cactus City West.
Stroll through the new Ravenhill Trail!
Visit Rabbitbrush Village and its busy inhabitants
Rivendell has astounding ecological diversity. Although surrounded by agricultural fields, we are an island of pinion-juniper forest, sagebrush flats, and riparian thickets and hillsides.
The dry and semi desert sagebrush and juniper ridge tops are prime deer winter range. Hillsides are home to sumac, yucca, and ancient juniper.
The first wildflowers to announce spring are usually the small barrel cactus, following in quick succession by wild four o’clocks, claret cup cactus, sego lily, Indian paintbrush and many others. Color fills the gardens from the early hyacinths of April to the Maximilian sunflowers of September.
Every year the population of each flower species varies. Last year we saw more yucca blooming than ever before. Two years ago we were awed by the abundance of sego lilies. This year, wild mustard and the homestead irises have just bloomed and bloomed and bloomed.
One of our favorite spring flowers at Rivendell, Townsendia Daisies began blooming April 10 this year along the Strider Loop Trail.
Springs and seeps and their resulting creeks support junipers reaching skyward 40 to 50 or more feet. We searched for and selected four in 1997 to use as interior posts in building our home.
Cattails, watercress and wild roses flourish along the creeks. Native and introduced flowers and grasses thrive throughout all ecological niches.
Our variety of vegetation creates a diversity of wildlife habitats. The nearby agricultural areas harbor the open-loving birds: meadowlarks, mountain bluebirds, magpies, band tailed pigeons. To attract more birds, we have planted a diversity of native and non native flowers.
Our forested areas are home year-round to black-capped and mountain chickadees, white breasted nuthatches, red and yellow finches, pine siskins, Rufus-sided towhees, plain titmice, gnatcatchers and great horned owls.
Overhead year-round are golden eagles, red-tailed and Coopers hawks, merlins and kestrels.
Spring and summer nesters include lazuli buntings, hummingbirds, black headed grosbeaks, swallows, Bullocks orioles, and wild turkeys.
I ran for the camera to catch this late January sunset, and caught several versions of glorious color over just a few moments standing in the cold without a jacket!
Other seasonal visitors include nighthawks and vultures in the summer, robins, juncos, and bald eagles in the winter.
Butterflies and moths, praying mantis, uncounted bee and wasp varieties, dragonflies and damselflies visit the flowers and other flora of Rivendell.
Although we do have deer year round, the summer fawns and does stay hidden from May through August.
In winter, deer bed down in areas Joe has cleared for defensible space.
The stream bottoms and hillside thickets offer hiding places for bobcat, fox, an occasional raccoon, and rarely, winter visits by a big cat.
We’ll capture them all in photos some day!