Jeff Schalau is the Backyard Gardener and Courier columnist.
Reliable soil testing is not expensive, and can be of great value where plant nutrition problems could be limiting production.
Stapelia is a genus of perennial succulent plants from South Africa.
Scorpions are abundant in Arizona, and one or more species can be found in virtually every habitat from mountaintops to desert floors.
Puncturevine (Tribulus terrestris) is a warm season, broadleaf annual weed sometimes called “goat head.” It grows in disturbed areas and vacant lots and can be found throughout Arizona at elevations below 6,500 feet.
Harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex spp.) are most noticeable in wildland areas by the 4- to 35-foot-wide circular bare spots they create on the soil surface.
