Observations by pgcastillo2

Short, thick bodies covered in hair, golden yellow- brown segmented body; about 15 mm long, eusocial creatures, consist of a caste system in which the queen bee is the sole reproducer and the worker bees divide various tasks within the hive, there are few males called drones that mate with the queen; major pollinators of flowers; distributed worldwide

Bumble bees are black with yellow fur; the queen comes out of diapause and finds a suitable place to create her colony; then she builds wax cells in which to lay her eggs which were fertilized the previous year; the eggs that hatch develop into female workers, and in time, the queen populates the colony, with workers feeding the young and performing other duties similar to honeybee workers; compared to honeybees they are larger with rounder bodies; bumble bees forage nectar for consumption; most form colonies of between 50 and 400 individuals

Large, robust doves, about 11 inches; brownish-gray with white wing patch; the adults have a blue ring around their crimson eyes; both sexes are similar; their native range ranges from the southwestern Unites States through Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean; year-round inhabitants of Texas, some are migratory, wintering in Mexico and Central America; dwell in desert, scrub, woodland, urban and cultivated regions; feed on seeds, fruit and grain; Western white-winged doves migrate to the Sonoran desert to breed during the hottest time of the year where they feed on pollen and nectar and then on fruits and seeds from the saguaro cactus

Light brown body with dark brown legs although shades can vary, legs can grow to four inches and the arachnid can weigh more than3 ounces; common species that thrives in the southern United States; the female can lay up to 1000 eggs which remain in a secure web and are guarded by the mother; females can live up to 30 years and males rarely live past a year after they have reached maturity

Moderately large, with orange- brownish wings that have small white spots; wing span ranges from 2.8 to 3.5 in.; females typically lay small white eggs- one at a time- on larval host plants; Found in North and South America; mainly feeds on nectar from flowers and dead foliage, can also feed on rotting fruit or dung; males typically look for females throughout the day to mate, females can mate up to 15 times

Has lavender-blue flowers on tall spikes; requires low amounts of water; can grow in dry soils and is drought resistant; can live up to 5 years; germination starts around 64 to 75 degrees; attracts butterflies and hummingbirds

Leaves are 30–100 cm long and have short or nonexistent trunks; flowers range from 5 to 13 cm long; the seeds are 3–8 mm long and wide, 1–2 mm thick; produces cylindrical fruit, 8–18 cm long and 6 cm across; receives 20 to 30 inches of annual rainfall; can be grown in sandy soil, average soil, and low fertility soil; low life span; germination rates of 84 percent occur when in room temperature; elk consume the fruit produced from Y. baccata

Small bird about 6.5 to 7.5 in. in length; primarily colored black and white, has a barred pattern on its back and wings, it has a speckled rump with black and a white underpart common in dry bushy areas, has a large range; can be found year round in the southwestern part of the United States; nest in cavities dug from tree trunks or a large cactus; females lay 2 to 7 eggs; feeds on insects and fruit

Medium sized song bird; gray with flashes of red, tall crests and long tails, they have short bills with a curved culmen; both sexes are about 8.3 in. and weigh about 24-43 g; they are year-round residents of the desert shrub, mesquite forests, also favor cactus gardens for nesting; found in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and woodland edges of Mexico; relatively nonmigratory but may stray from its territories; feeds on seeds, fruits, and insects; during courtship the male brings the female food, females typically lay 2 to 4 eggs and incubates eggs for two weeks

Able to reach 25 feet or more in length; it has cordate sometimes triangular leaves 2.5 to 7.5 cm long; produces pink or white flowers; it forms underground tubers and large rootstocks, the fruit and seeds are eaten and spread by a wide range of animals such as pigs, raccoons and birds; low water intake’ can grow in almost any soil; life span is less than 25 years; seeds can germinate even in drought conditions