Earlier this year the Zoo was granted Botanical Garden status through the American Public Garden Association.  Because of the El Paso Zoo’s dedication to maintaining a collection of plants for the purposes of public education and enjoyment, conservation, and higher learning, this was a natural next step.  The Zoo will continue our dedication not only to the animals in our care, but also the plants and birds, butterflies and bees that visit our zoo every day.

The Zoo encourages residents of El Paso and other communities in the Chihuahuan Desert to landscape with native plants and to create backyard habitats that will attract birds, butterflies and other wildlife. These mini habitats, when connected with other natural areas in the neighborhood, can make a real impact in helping wildlife such as birds needing trees to build their nests and butterflies needing nectar from flowers. Backyard habitats landscaped with native plants from our local Chihuahuan Desert also help the community conserve drinking water. Examples of drought tolerant plants include desert willow, yellow bells, acacia, sotol, ocotillo, wooly butterfly bush and ceniza.

Ceniza

Ceniza is a popular landscape plant and not just because it is so colorful during the rainy season.  This shrub is native to our region and because it is drought tolerant, once it gets started it needs very little water.   Summer time is not the best time to plant large plants like trees and shrubs, but it is a good time to start planning.  

This silver-leafed shrub is often called barometer bush because it blooms quickly after summer rains with either pink or purple flowers.  Not all desert shrubs are covered with thorns and the ceniza is one of them.   The sweet scent of the flowers attracts many desert pollinators including non-stinging native bees, butterflies, moths, bee flies, beetles, and tiny wasps.

Our friend Betty Alex was kind enough to share with us the all the ceniza images we used for this post.  Betty is retired from the National Park Service where she oversaw all the plant research in Big Bend National for many years. 

According to Betty there are three different species of ceniza blooming right now.  To find out what species are available for landscaping contact a nursery like Sierra Vista Growers in La Union, New Mexico, a short drive from West El Paso. When we checked with them this week they said that they have different varieties of Leucophyllum frutescens.  The variety also called “Green Cloud”  was developed by Texas A&M and has distinctive green leaves with the violet-purple flowers.  It is also called Texas sage, needs well drained soil, full sun and plenty of room to grow up to 8’x8′.  The “Heavenly Cloud” variety is a cross of 2 plants, has medium green leaves and lavender flowers.  It is also known as the Texas ranger and is fast growing to 6 feet tall and wide.

Cover on July 13, 2020  Violet Silverleaf, Big Bend Silverleaf, Cenizo Leucophyllum candidum.   Courtesy Betty Alex