Scenes From Walks In The Past - Shadscale AKA Shadscale Saltbush (Atriplex confertifolia) This sort of fluffy looking bush, (well to my eyes anyway), is called Shadscale. I first noticed it when I was photographing the “Agua Fria Monolith,” (my name for that large black object). It looked fluffier than other spiny bushes so I decided to look into it. I got the identification from iNaturalist. “Shadscale saltbush provides forage and cover for wildlife in arid environments. A small number of leaves are shed in the fall, but the majority of leaves remain during the winter providing a valuable source of food when little else is available (Holmgren et al. 2012). The fruit and leaves are browsed by deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, rodents, jackrabbits and birds. Small mammals and reptiles use the spiny shrubs for cover from predators and the sun.” - United States Department Of Agriculture #Shadscale #ShadscaleSaltbush #AtriplexConfertifolia #HighDesertFlora #WildlifeCover #Forage (at Agua Fria, New Mexico) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTxh2auvdT9/?utm_medium=tumblr
