In its various islands and discrete regions, Baja California has provided the necessary isolation to stimulate the evolution of unique flora and fauna, mutually dependent on each other. Ian McTaggart-Cowan presented a fascinating account of some eighteen forays into this area and his expertise as a photographer allowed the audience to witness his zoological and botanical discoveries. The Baja climate is that of the desert. With temperatures cycling from 140 to 32 F each day, the evaporation rate is exceedingly high. Annual rainfall may range from 1½ to 3 inches, often occurring all on one day. The arroyos may be dry for 362 days in a year, and run 4 feet deep in the rainy season. (Think of Victoria in ’01). But when the rain comes, the results can be rapid indeed. Overnight the desert will bloom. Yellow seems dominant as with solanum and the ‘belly plant’ oenothera (so named for the necessary posture for its viewing). But with the orange desert mallow, and the lovely mauve sand verbena, and spectacular washes of California poppy, a broad colour range is offered. There is so little time to attract the pollinating moths, so the display must be vivid indeed.
Survival discipline posed by the iron rule of ‘get water/ hold water/ get fertilizer/ set seed’ varies in fascinating ways. The passion flower depends on a deep tap root to reach scarce moisture; the coyote vine develops a melon-like ‘water tumour’; the elephant tree produces tiny leaves for a maximum food producing surface area. Birdlife flourishes: historically, the region supported a guano industry; in addition to providing this nutrient source, seeds are eaten, and processed through avian digestion for wider dissemination. Some plants can be patient: the yucca and cacti conserve their resources to flower after many years.
We were shown the fauna: the red rattlesnake without a rattle; a king snake which dines on lizards; a pinto iguana, fearfully warming itself in the morning sun; a fearless spiny tailed iguana; Various mammals: a ground squirrel, a kangaroo rat, a jack rabbit whose ears function as radiators. And the wily (sic) coyote, cousin of the nastier jackal.
The breadth of bird species shown was tempting for the amateur bird fancier. A gila woodpecker which resembles our flicker; a canyon wren which hunts spiders in canyon walls; a green tailed towhee, a black vulture, and the raven – one breed ranging from the tropics to the Arctic. Aerial predators: three flamboyant species of flycatchers: ash throated, scarlet, and crested; and the black tailed gnatcatcher: spectacular names to match plumages. And among many seabirds, we saw the brown booby and brown pelican.
This is a mere summary of a masterful presentation, recorded from scribbled notes which may include an error or two. Though the subject ranged well beyond the bounds of rhododendronody, the thread of interdependence of living things was of clear relevance to the listeners’ interest.