Olive Harvest!

For the second year in a row the UofA's LEAF (Linking Edible Arizona Forests)  program sponsored a harvest of the historic olive trees on campus. Many of the trees are among the oldest in the city and were planted in the 1890s by Robert Forbes, the first head of the Agriculture Experiment Station, whose goal was to find varieties that might do well in this region.

 

UA Students, employees, and other community members joined forces on Veteran's Day to harvest the fruit of the beautiful trees located east of Park Avenue on both sides of James E. Rogers Way.

 

Equipped with ladders, telescoping pole rakes, large blue tarps and buckets, teams of four spread out and plucked the olives from the trees.

 Large blue tarps caught the fruit that fell which was then collected in buckets for weighing. Records were kept of the output for each individual tree.

 The olives will be sent to the Queen Creek Olive Mill which will press them to extract the oil. There, experts will assess the product for taste and quality and make adjustments in the mixture adding in some of their own oil to create the perfect blend.

 The plan is to have the oil bottled and returned to the U of A where it will be made available for anyone to purchase at the campus bookstore.

 The total weight of all the harvested olives was about 370 pounds, surpassing the goal of 300.

Check out the U of A LEAF Facebook page for future harvests of olives and other edible plants on campus.

Sun Meets Moon

The UofA is home to one of the world's leading optical sciences programs and is famous for its telescopes. A logical mecca for astronomy buffs, the campus was the best place in town to catch a glimpse of a rare partial solar eclipse today.

 With multiple telescopes specially fitted with solar filters available to the public as well as astronomy experts on hand to explain the rare phenomenon it was amazing and the first time many had ever witnessed an eclipse. Through one of the more specialized telescopes outside the Flandrau Science Center you could even see sunspots and solar flares!

 For those preferring a simpler viewing method, solar eclipse glasses were on hand which were still good enough to make out the sunspots (near the center).

A simple low-tech alternative involves simply poking a small hole in a sheet of paper (or a tortilla, as I did) and holding it above another flat surface. This allows you to see the dark shadow from the moon cover up the bright spot from the sun.

Voila: A solar eclipse a la Mexican!

Get Figgy

People have been eating figs for thousands of years. They are one of the earliest known cultivated fruits. Adam and Eve even had them growing in the Garden of Eden. Despite their long history with humans, many people in Tucson have never had a fresh fig. That's probably because they are hard to find in grocery stores and are expensive when you do find them.

2 Common Fig (ficus carica) trees at NW corner of Saguaro Hall Building

 If you are on the UofA campus however, you've got no excuses. We've got at least 4 Common Fig Trees growing here and they are all currently producing fruit. FREE FOOD GROWS ON TREES: Check out this tree map from the UA Arboretum. It shows you exactly where they are.

 Most people on campus are oblivious to the free figs on campus but the birds certainly are not. So move quick before they've eaten all the fruit!

Common Fig (ficus carica) in UA tree

 The figs are in season now with new fruits becoming ripe daily. Get them before the season ends.

Common Fig (ficus carica) in UA tree

Look up. We've got hawks!

3 Cooper's Hawks in Pine tree in front of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority on 2nd Street

We've got more than pigeons, helicopters, and military planes flying over campus. We've got hawks! This week I've been tracking a group of 4 Cooper's Hawks on campus, 2 juveniles and their parents. They younger ones still like to cry out to be fed and their unique sound is a good clue that they are nearby.

Cooper's Hawk in Eucalyptus tree west of Education Building

I've spotted them several times in the area northeast of the 2nd Street Garage in the large Pines and Eucalyptus trees.

Cooper's Hawk in Eucalyptus tree west of Education Building

Listen for the sounds of the hawk if you want to find them.

Cooper's Hawk flying across 2nd Street near Education Building

Cooper's Hawk in Pine tree in front of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority on 2nd Street

Although they're not the biggest raptors around they are still quite impressive flyers!

Cooper's Hawk in Pine tree in front of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority on 2nd Street

I've also spotted the group hanging out by the Anthropology Building. It seems they like to stick in the tall old trees there.

Cooper's Hawks in Pine Tree west of Anthropology Building

Cooper's Hawk in Pine Tree west of Anthropology Building

Cooper's Hawks at water on north side of SALT Center

Today I spotted them just north of the SALT Center and on the power lines behind the sororities on 2nd Street. It seems that this SALT Center water exhaust drip provides a hidden oasis were passersby seldom tread.

I've spotted this group of hawks on campus the last 4 days in a row. So if you want to see them too, just keep your ears and eyes open. They are here!

Cicada Time!

For weeks now, the cicadas at the U of A have been sounding the alarm that the monsoon season is approaching. Just as they do every summer, thousands of the flying insects have emerged from their homes underground and are emitting a high pitch "song" which can peak at about 120 decibels. They are the loudest insects on earth. For comparison,  a jack hammer 50 feet away is only 95 decibels and physical pain in humans begins at 125 decibels. In other words they are loud! So I wouldn't recommend using them as ear plugs. 

Although they can be found anywhere on campus (and most of Arizona) I like to observe them on the east side of the Administration building. The long shady row of Velvet Mesquite trees there seems to be a popular hangout for the would-be lovers. Their loud mating call is only produced by the males who actually have to turn off their own sound receptors so as not to render themselves deaf.

Cicada drawn to a light on northwest steps of ILC

In other regions of the United States they have "periodical cicadas" which emerge after having spent the last 17 or 13 years underground in a nymph state developing and feeding on sap from tree roots. The varieties in Arizona are slightly different. They are "annual cicadas" (mainly of the varieties Tibicen, Diceroprocta, and Okanaga) with insects emerging every single year after having spent between 2 and 5 years underground. Once they emerge, they shed their outer shells which can easily be found still clinging to tree trunks and boulders around campus. Once they take flight they are quite clumsy navigators and sometimes crash into things (fun for cats to chase around if you get one in the house).

Cicada exoskeletons on tree trunk west of Modern Languages Building

After mating, females burrow into tree branches to lay their eggs. After six to eight weeks, they hatch and newborn cicadas fall to the ground and tunnel downward to feed and start the cycle all over again.

Most locals are so accustomed to their presence now that the sound is just another background noise, but for first time visitors the sound is quite impressive and bewildering. Luckily for us it's only seasonal.

Although I'm not gutsy enough to try my hand at cooking them, many people do eat cicadas. There are recipes for chocolate covered, sauteed, roasted, in pies, etc. Below are just a few if you are daring enough and looking for some free protein. If you cook 'em however, invite me over and I'll try them too.
Cicada Tacos
Harvesting & Cooking Guide (including recipes)