The Sand Dollar Cactus of South Texas

[@WhitneyWasson]

Turned this on tonight and my jagoff husband said, "oh great, the plant yeller!"

[@katiekane5247]

I probably pissed off a big hort channel today by referencing your recent videos. There's a way to honor both native landscape and plant beautiful yards. The extensive use of imported atrocities isn't necessary to have the "look" that ornamental horticulture has promoted and profited from. Humans have the capacity to do better, they need the desire before TSHTF. We can hope! Thanks for all you do Joey, gfys bye

[@geoffbreen2386]

Please see my comment above.

[@triple_gem_shining]

😂

[@kerstin3267]

"Steal anything that's not nailed down" well, of course. They know that crime pays, but botany doesn't :)

[@scottmcandrew9642]

Gorgeous Lophophora Williamsii Gorgeous Astrophytums asterias Chihuahuas . What more could you want

[@juanramos.jr.7948]

Loved the vídeo. I live on texas and it gives me joy to see all our native flora in its natural habitat. I did it! Killed my grass and am planting Texas native!

[@1716frank]

Love to hear it.

[@AesopPlok]

Its wild to see South Texas flora being so loved on, most people dont give a crap about the clay & brush. Its a special biome, a special place ❤

[@morningstar8187]

Just in time. My Lophophora williamsii seeds from Texas just started sprouting. :)

[@roguebotanist]

Mine took 9 years to flower but I didn't mother them like I should have. They definitely like dapple shade and do poorly when precipitation drops to 12 inches a year.

[@Alsatiagent]

Tony's work belongs in the Library of Congress.

[@timjozwiak2293]

Great video! I live in Wisconsin and took out the front lawn. The lawn was very bumpy because of tree roots. Shady plants are thriving. We planted ferns and other native plants. Turned out great! Keep spreading the word!!

[@calamagrostis88]

The problem is getting people to see the beauty in these humble places. People need to see that extremely rare plants are gems that are more precious than the fanciest garden rose or petunia. These places are so flat, low growing, grey and thorny that it is a tough sell. We need to teach people to see.

[@nulldude782]

Wow. Those Astrophytum look just like Echinoderms. Life is fascinating.

[@blurfs3763]

Red Harvester Ants (Pogonomyrmex barbatus) I eliminated non-native Fire Ants from a county park in Central Texas in one growing season. Red Harvester Ants also lived in the park. I scratched a trail from the Red Ant main entrance to the Fire Ant mounds, then sprinkled Fire Ants mound dirt along the scratched trail, and dumped some live Fire Ants at the Red Ant perimeter. The guard ants alerted the mound, and raced back along the scratched path to the Fire Ant mounds, breaking each Fire Ant in half; just killing them, not eating them. They then invaded the FA mound and decimated enough of the FA populations to collapse the colony. I repeated this with each FA mound to great success.

[@MailleGrace]

That's brilliant! Great work 😁

[@_smithcraft_]

Was gonna say red harvester as well. Wonder if they're responsible for some of the seed dispersal he was talking about.

[@venisontron]

Ah, the haunting calls of the native and endangered wild Chihuahua

[@toffthe]

Im in a completely different world - southern England - but I love your channel and the enthusiasm and knowledge you have of local flora and the fauna they attract

[@Northerncacti2021]

My favorite habitat. I agree man, it’s sad how under appreciated these regions are. Agree, agree, agree. Thank you for taking the time for this awesome video.

[@mmusic5873]

Thanks for showing all these majestic cacti. And as a rock hunter, spotting all the rough agate on the ground was making me drool lol. I live in SWTX and kill my lawn everyday. I walk my yard and pull out straggler grass plugs almost daily. It's neverending and these POS try to take over my cactus gardens and veg boxes, but still fighting the good fight!

[@Unkn0wn1133]

Theres several cactus youtubers talking about making a non profit conservation, you guys should collaborate A posse of guard chihuahuas for the cacti would be excellent too

[@Unkn0wn1133]

@@OutboundShane I think his last video he was talking about starting a conservation, I like his videos too

[@byrdhemenway369]

Dude love the idea let's make visitors centers for all the rare plant sights

[@thecowman6807]

Have you ever thought about doing a soil analysis series of the habitat soils that cacti grow in? Like showing in detail what they look like, digging up a hole (nearby where nothing is growing as to not disturb any cactus) to show what it looks like deep down, a ph test, the soil jar test, maybe a test to see how much carbonates they have etc. There is a large group in Italy trying to replicate the exact habitat conditions, including the soils, and they have great results. Lots of reputable people in the group. These kinds of videos would help out a lot.

[@Tony.795]

There must be some papers floating around regarding that type of stuff.

[@MenwithHill]

Love to see all these thriving 'yotes. This is such a nice charming bit of brush, so glad it's protected.

[@connielentz1114]

Tony, have you ever done a video on the Paramo in the continental divide of Central America? Above the tree line at 11-12000 feet are the most amazingly diverse low growing plants.

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

No but I need to. Been fixated on Espeletia for a while

[@Amy-ph3if]

It seems like you often pay attention to this kind of videos. Where is this?

[@Shadowfax2121]

Oh man, this video is making me really want a trip to south TX, this explosion of life in the desert is amazing to look at.

[@N0NE47]

Awesome video, I know nothing you are talking about but I can definitely tell you do and you do a great job making it interesting to watch. Much respect from Oklahoma my guy.

[@ianwise2457]

I don't live near a desert ecosystem, but still love these desert videos, they spark me to learn more

[@bobsiddoway]

Astrophytum is my fav genus!!! Behind Trichocereus and Lophophora, anyway. 🤣🙏🤙🔥

[@michaelhockus8208]

Absolutely incredible video. This is one for the archives. Love your work

[@flyemhard]

Y'all may start a trend down there with the conservation plans...I will come check it out someday, hopefully...buena suerte

[@crime_wavez]

love seeing the sun and green this time of year when i'm sitting in PA cold and my plants are in the basement. thanks

[@flygande_ren]

Much appreciated Rhinophrynus dorsalis cameo. Excellent little fossorial frog. Nice bathrooms & burrowing frogs sounds like a perfect summer.

[@samcrawford9996]

The lawn thing…YES! Go native!!!

[@necrophagus9]

I have a few lophs from seed that are between 5 to 10 years old now. Beautiful plants!

[@chrissonnenschein6634]

Not mentioned, only figured CPBBD was aware: Photosynthetic process. Plants from more temperate moist areas have the textbook method and plants from arid climes tend to a C-4 Process or some such. thus why salt tolerant arid plants can be found along bays seashores in more temperate areas. Anyway, another great episode, GFYSB😅

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

Actually grasses predominantly have C4. CAM photosynthesis seems to be far more predominant in hot arid climates

[@myrmepropagandist]

The termites are super cute. And there were some little red ants harassing them... ants tend to eat those guys.

[@minustaco42zero24]

This is like the 7th video and I've learned so much from these videos and learning about plants that belong here is simply amazing thanks for teaching others in such an important subject.

[@Toddis]

Now that's what i call astrophysics 🤙

[@pamgjertson8258]

When I lived in Tucson, there was a group of volunteers who would go in and save native vegetation from development sites. They have a wonderful nursery where they sell what they have collected. Is there an organization like this in Starr County? I might be moving to this region for a job and would love to volunteer for something like this.

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

We're trying to start one

[@leesvision]

Such beautiful plant life. I'm from the east coast so things like this are new to me . Really amazing. Much love ❤️ 🙏

[@azideazideazide]

Beautiful succulents

[@chrisphillips2731]

I always learn something new here. Thanks man

[@junkettarp8942]

Thanks Joey......Thats a great presentation....and all thoes awesome cacti...Wow.

[@toanao1]

Love this content man. Awesome so see those big healthy mounds of cacti

[@user-vk7cp1op9p]

Great video. One of your very best! I enjoyed this very much and sent this one to a friend. I hope you succeed with those Visitor's Centers!

[@MrsMoon-qs2gf]

So much diversity! I love the plants of the deserts but just couldn't live there because of the heat! 🌵🌵🌵

[@infowarriorone]

Frikkin' gorgeous.

[@anthonysanchez7343]

Hah! I took Billie Lee Turner's Biology 101 "Ecology, Evolution, and Society" (if I remember the official title correctly) during my first year at UT Austin,. His is the only class I really remember from that year, and I followed your channel specifically because you reminded me of him more than a little. Thanks so much and gfys.

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

Wish I could've met that guy, he sounded like a wildass

[@Dean-h4r]

Love your nonprofit idea. An all green building with the latest glamping green toilets (use a bale of hay) and a green roof. You could do a chain. Solar panels, maybe a small windmill? Sell the peace and love!

[@sicko_the_ew]

One of the things I like is hearing familiar genus names far far away. So the tree down the road has got family in Tasmania or Texas or Tijuana. Something like that. What made me think of it? Ziziphus and Celtis. (I've always heard the first as "ZizziFOOss" and always forget the species name, so it's my personal incorrect Latin name for a thing that goes by the common names of "Buffalo Thorn" - not the best of these - and " _Haak en steek_ - which sounds more like one word: HAAKnSteeYUK, said quite fast - just like the Zizzi version of Ziziphus is said fastfast. Haak en steek - Hook and stick - as in stab - as in prick. But it also means a tree that won't let go of you if you walk into it, so that's the kind of hooking and "sticking" being done. The thorn pairs grab a hold of you, and the only way out is to accept a bit of torn skin. I've been grabbed by a Zizzifoos before, hence the instant memories. Been grabbed by them a few times, so I must be an idiot. Oh well, the world seems to need idiots in addition to the normal people. Just wish it could be someone else who got to be the idiot, that's all.) Celtis has kinder associations. _Celtis Africanus_ or "The White Stinkwood" is quite common in moister places, where the bush manages to keep fires out of gullies, and makes little "forest" patches. "Woods" might be the right word. Valley Bush is the one we use. In open areas the fires manage to propagate, and grass predominates, but in the little gullies or steeper valleys, the bush kind of "seals out the fire". You see this when you go to fight fires sometimes. As soon as it gets to the bush you don't have to worry any more, because the bush -- hippy moment might be appropriate here -- -- Ay like bru, the bush becomes an Organism, not just lots of different trees. They are ONE. (I'm kind of half serious here.) A Single Consciousness (OK that's pushing it.) A collection of different species of trees and shrubs act together as a fire suppressing Single Entity. (That's nothing. Years and years ago. We're talking Seventies, even. It was a very old edition of _Custos_ I read it in. Years ago an observant naturalist figured out that trees had to be talking to each other. So the mechanism had to be biochemical - pheromones or something. I forget. How? At some small nature reserve, the Kudu kept mysteriously dying. They were worried, did autopsies, found nothing. And then someone noticed their guts had too many tannins in or something. The trees in the small reserve had high tannin levels. And some Hippy suggested that maybe when a tree is wounded it cries out in pain, and its brother trees hear the cry, and respond by upping their tannin production. Turns out the idiot was right. This happened in South Africa, and it happened a very, very long time ago - since I read it in a magazine that was already yellow when it got in my hands. Some game ranger and some vet figured out that plants defend themselves against "predators". I mention the place, because I've heard people stealing the credit for the discovery a few times on the Internet. I suppose I might as well shout up my own arras if they've done a good enough job of that Conspiracy.) OK, enough bloody madness! Celtis. It's a nice, tall, shady tree. Nice to get under if the Sun has too many spikes coming out of it on a day. And it's got a brother that moved to Texas. Cool.

[@dougblack9638]

Awesome, sorry i missed you at Pauls Desert yesterday, left a little too early

[@carlosseptiencuevas1613]

Magic Place!

[@cuejens]

Hell yeah! Shout out to the Green Room.

[@majrovits4902]

You should definitely bring Allen along out there one of these days. So he can focus stack some of those yote clusters that one in the shade was very niiice.

[@MrAdamkidding]

Waiting for the Haworthia episode!!! 🤔😉

[@fattihattener]

i love cacti but some are real pricks 🌵

[@ShunNiikura]

For the first time in my life I saw an Opuntia growing as an aquatic plant... Amazed and confused... ^^ Hope it will make it!

[@wiwingmargahayu6831]

wow you channel really have a lot story to tell Sir

[@cheryllewis-battles7664]

would love to purchase seeds through your store...thx for what you do

[@cassandrabenson9838]

Im growing 3 different types of Astrophytum Asterias myself and a Astrophytum Myriostioma and im buzzed to see how they turn out.

[@danielantoniozd26]

Incredible

[@bkbland1626]

Nothing like a great Visitor center. Great tiles, what's not to like?

[@Piocoto123]

This region is amazing!

[@ArtisticNightmares]

ouu Ill help with the floggin, and why do cacti be so cool love the living rock

[@RHYGAR1]

Great show. Thanks.. one question, Will you have the "GOOD TOILET PAPER IN YOUR BATHROOMS ?" Or that no name crap?

[@Erewhon2024]

Be thankful for TP period. You almost never see it in places like Red China (except sometimes at KFC).

[@jlfoodforest]

I'm making a cactus garden in the front yard around 3 ebony trees and other mesquites. This is the area where we don't water, my house is towards the inside of the 5 acres so got a lot of space by the gate. Let me know if some of you got extra native plants to give.

[@jeffsholtes1594]

New subscriber here. I once knew nothing about plants, thanks for sharing your vast knowledge of Botany. now GFYS?

[@MadamCacti]

🫡 educational/ visitor center!!! We need that for sure! Thank you for sharing Joey! Amazing share🔥

[@BubuH-cq6km]

Are you and Al going to be greeters at the information center like at WallyWorld❓🌵

[@raven5ism]

I'd love to rockhound there. I've done a lot of bio-work in Starr Co.

[@PenntuckytheCrag]

Thx Brodir

[@anaritamartinho1340]

Whitout buffalo grass,🎉. Is really really good to see cactus in habitat,..., i only see them in pots😮‍💨..., please love and protect this habitat🙏...why you have a Lawn?...put native trees, give you shade, put native cactus ( and then you can sell the seeds to other countries) put native shrubs ( and you have butterflyies to show your Kids)...why you have a Lawn?...

[@Erewhon2024]

Buffalo grass is (shortgrass prairie USA, not sure above TX) native and OK. Buffel grass is the evil one.

[@connielentz1114]

If you need any help I have visited that area several times, know some nice inexpensive places to stay a d how to get there. I would so love to see your take on it. I'm too old to travel to that altitude now.😮

[@Cpt_JaK]

curved-bill thrasher, not grackle...though I think they do intermingle

[@manuelhernandez2017]

"maybe he's drunk or something"

[@WastrelWay]

Those ants coming out of a hole in a cleared area are Pogonomyrmex and you stayed away from them, which is a good idea. They have a sting like a wasp, as I know personally. AKA "pogo ants" or "harvester ants" -- because they collect seeds. Their nests go very deep to reach the water table. That they are there at all means there is water, although maybe only 50 feet down, They clear out an area around their nest, sometimes 10 or 20 feet across, and defend it. I knew of a guy who wanted to study them and rented a backhoe to dig up their nests, but he was not notably successful.

[@yaddahaysmarmalite4059]

I wonder if the feral pigs predate on the astrophytum. are these rare texas plants surviving the pigs?

[@erikruggaard5790]

I'm growing astrophytum and jatropha in ground in my yard in phoenix az.

[@erikruggaard5790]

also yes termites only eat dead material

[@cometdust69]

What's your thoughts on the south texas eco tourism center ....... (if you've already talked about this place I'm just catching up on your videos. It's on fm 100 the road to spi.) I'm starting my cacti garden and just trying to get native plants... I need more space.

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

They have a bunch of non-natives planted out front that's kind of silly. They planted like 60 aloe and a bunch of other weird stuff that's not really native. Cool idea though

[@cometdust69]

@@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt I'm working on my cacti seedling survival rate before trying my hand at native cacti seeds .... I'm at 20 % right now.

[@RuneChaosMarine]

have you heard of mossy earth? how do we work togeather with them, to create projects in the usa?

[@Toddis]

Bro I got more snails than I know what to do with We get the zebra ones and those longer shell ones, and I'm always finding their crushed shells, so something is eating them I imagine

[@doylesaylor]

I like your idea of reserve with a visitor center. Rather than putting up visitor signs with names provide jobs for caretakers to attach digital files to the ground. This ‘cultural’ job is great for young people to learn work that can’t be automated with AI. Naming is secondary to digital files. The work is like you do with the camera walking around. Digital files capture location information better than naming plants. The work people can do is language like providing other people knowing what real ecology actually does. Much more like lugging a camera around to position it with a space. It’s being in the space that is how we make things happen. Location knowledge is ecology structure incarnate.

[@scottyrush1523]

Tony are you familiar with the Driftless Region in Southwest Wisconsin? It would make a great location for you to visit.

[@toxicrune]

Any idea what soil mix I can make myself for my Jatropha? I got my hands on one in a plant sale and it’s not doing to good in the pot.

[@heavymetalpermaculture]

Holy shit the Green Room in Providence...that's some back in the day shit right there.

[@uwusmolbean]

Belle Starr 🌵

[@j0.ZEF-Who]

Agreed those Ants get ahold ya they probably wouldn't find a body

[@malloc7108]

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic, but i would visit the hell out of a native plant preserve with a good bathroom.

[@myrmepropagandist]

The ants might be moving the seeds? With larger seeds the ants take them home, and wait for them to sprout since they can't open them, but sometimes they forget to eat them and they just end up planting them.

[@byrdhemenway369]

I'm managing a food forest in midland texas if ur ever passing thro with any plants I have water and land would love to grow anything that will grow hear

[@christianhunt7382]

And play loud music in the bathroom. Not obnoxiously loud, but enough to drown out any doo doo sounds!

[@stormevans6897]

I want to see Texas..

[@manuelhernandez2017]

Come by, just don't do it in the summer, it's hot as hell here, the devil showed up here and asked to turn the AC up

[@xPumaFangx]

I wonder if that liver wart is a type of slime mold.

[@expediteplanb7443]

Weren’t some of those asterias almost burgundy the last time you were there? Was the reddish color caused by drought stress and not sun stress? I was surprised to see the Astrophytum growing out in full sun. Very cool.

[@seanphurley]

round and round the prickly bush

[@tie-dye-cacti]

It looks like Coryphantha macromeris runyonii is officially Pelecyphora macromeris now. It's based on DNA, it isn't really related to Coryphantha, and was nestled in Escobaria. All the DNA related species were merged into Pelecyphora. Great video!

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

Still up for debate and not accepted by APG yet. Haven't read the paper yet and can't attest to how silly it is or not. Sticking with the conventional Taxonomy for the time being

[@jimnatale9]

Will the bathrooms have trough toilets?

[@ceciliajones7816]

Just remember that the native fauna need to recognize the plants.

[@davidhamilton7628]

Love to try out one of those cacti before i shuffle off this mortal plain

[@Anubis30224]

I wish I could stomach living in Texas, but I don't sweat effectively, so I'd freaking DIE. But I'm doing what cactus and aloe conservation I can on my big ULINE shelf in my room. Aloe melanacantha, Cylindropuntia hystrix, Melocactus Aureus, Echinofossulocactus inermis, and American Chestnut so far.

[@PenntuckytheCrag]

It’s Nice to designate land to preserve; till those in control decide to do otherwise.

[@connielentz1114]

Are those lithoes?

[@gbear8207]

I can never keep astro asterias alive!