Hi-Country Real Estate - Hi-Country Estates II

Canyon CrittersThe Horned LizardBy Terri WilliamsI was talking to a man that grew up in this area. He said he used to hike in Hi-Country Estates II before there were many homes. Walking along theupper trail by Camp Williams and our upper water tank in area D, he saw many “horned toads” basking on the dirt road on hot summer days. They arenot toads, but are Horned Lizards. Their dragon-like appearance make them a very interesting lizard. There are 14 different species of the HornedLizard (Phrynosoma) and are found only in the western portions of the United States and Mexico. Of the 14 species, only two are found in Utah, thePhrynosoma douglassi (Short Horned Lizard) and the Phrynosoma platyrhinos (Desert Horned Lizard). The one most likely to be found here is thedouglassi. It is 2 ½ to 4 ½ inches and has short head spines, and a single row of lateral abdominal spines. It has a short spiny tail and is slaty, brownish,buff, reddish, or yellowish in color. It’s habitat is semiarid short-grass plains, sandy and rocky terrains, and can reach 10,400 ft. elevation.Horned Lizards are very unique. They were here long before humans and have evolved through millions of years of environmental changes. TheHorned Lizard is an “ant specialist”. Ants are small and much of the ant is indigestible, so a very large amount of ants are needed to be consumed. Aterrible introduced pest, the red imported fire ant can kill almost anything and they are fierce competitors against the native ants which Horned Lizardseat. Horned Lizards do not eat fire ants, probably due to the different venom in the sting of the fire ant.Unfortunately, Horned Lizards can not cope with the development and rapid changes to the landscape occurring now. Developments mean pavedroads and fast cars. Horned Lizards, like many other reptiles, like to bask on roads, and it’s primary defense against predators is not to move. Habitatloss is the most obvious source of population loss. Then people move into the area and kill the pesky ants, depriving Horned Lizards of their onlydependable diet. The Department of Fish and Game has been given the authority to limit the possession of Horned Lizards. It is best to look andexamine one if you are fortunate to find one, and then release it where it was found. If they are taken and kept as a pet, the Horned Lizard will soon die,because of improper diet and habitat.http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/horned-toad.html has a video of a Texas Horned Lizard that squirts blood out of its eye toprotect itself. If you get a chance look it up, it is really cool!Canyon reminder: The hummingbirds should be arriving soon. Last years first showing was April 21 st . Get your feeders ready, they will bevery hungry in this cold weather. The recipe for their food is 3 parts water to 1 part sugar. Heat until sugar is dissolved. Food coloring is notneeded.Growing Good Things in Rose CanyonGetting Ready for the GardenBy Annette Emmer(Not an expert, but always learning.)First let me say from personal experience that you cannot grow a vegetable garden in Rose Canyon without taking special precautions against the deerand rabbit populations. I have tried many things in the past and finally gave in a few years ago and fenced off a rose garden and a vegetable garden.Let me also emphasize that any fence put up in Hi-Country Estates II must be pre-approved by the ACC. Approval is not hard to get, but it must bedone. Check on the Hi-Country web site for the specific regulations for fences.Many people here in Rose Canyon have fenced off gardens, put up green houses and have had success with their gardens. There are many ways to doit. This is how we did it in our yard.Our vegetable garden is about 40’ wide by 30’ deep. The fence is approximately 8’ high. We made our fence out of treated 4 x 4 posts, covered in largesize chicken wire (some people will not put treated lumber in their vegetable gardens but we couldn’t afford 10’ long redwood). This type of fence isnearly invisible from a distance, so it makes as little of an impact as possible on my neighbors view—but has so far kept all deer out. We took the framefrom an old chain-link gate that was given to us by a family member who was throwing it out. We removed the chain link fabric and wrapped it withchicken wire so it blends in. We also made a large removable panel out of 2 X 4’s and chicken wire on one end so that we can drive our ATV pulling atrailer in easily.My rose garden is close to my home and is just a little smaller. We used chain link fencing on the back and side, with metal posts; and wood posts withchicken wire on the front facing the house. It is easy to see through the chicken wire to enjoy the beauty of the roses. The only problem we have hadwith this arrangement is when the gate was accidentally left open after a yard party and the deer did get in. Our dogs startled the deer the next morningand in their haste to leave one actually went through a chicken wire panel! It is an easy fix. But I don’t think I will be leaving the gate open again.The next thing you need to be aware of is that the soil up here is not as fertile as you might think. It seems to be low in iron and mostly clay with rocks.We added a full dump truck load of well rotted manure to both the vegetable garden and the rose garden when we first set them up. I have addedanother dump truck load—divided (half in each garden) after two years. What ever your favorite garden soil amendment is—add plenty!Finally consider how you will water your garden. We have a drip system that we lay on the ground so that it is easy to move and adjust year to year. Itsaves water and is easy to set up. You do need to check it from time to time throughout the season to inspect it for leaks and faulty drippers.We have been fairly successful with this set up. Last year was a late snow year so all we really got was a handful of tomatoes and a few zucchinis, butin previous years we have grown so many pumpkins, watermelons, squash and cucumbers that we were begging people to take them!Please send in your own experiences with gardening in Rose Canyon. I will publish as many as I can. Thanks!3