Life Amid the Palms

Living in Tucson Arizona, we know many who have palm trees planted as part of their home landscapes. A friend of ours recently told me the story of a palm tree in her East Side Tucson yard that has had its struggles to survive.

But Survive It Did!

Tucson Arizona Has Many Palm Trees.
The City in the Valley With the Santa Catalina Mountains as a Scenic Backdrop.

TUCSON HOME PURCHASE

Pam has lived in Tucson a long while. She and her husband bought their home back in 1964. (It's still the family home today!) They were both employed at the local university. We met Pam because her daughter is our daughter-in-law.

Pam told me how there already was a very young palm tree planted in the front yard of their new home. Way back then. She was happy to see it there!

It was barely 5 feet tall, when the winter of 1964 into 1965 brought in a few rare Tucson snowstorms. In January, the snow fell so thickly and wet, that the fronds slumped down under the snow's weight.

SO HEAVY FOR THE FRONDS...

Image Credit: Pam S. in Tucson
Two Neighbor Girls Inspect the Chilled Palm Before Heading Off to School

But like most other palm trees Tucson has around town, it survived as well. And kept growing. Pam remembers that it was about another ten years that it got to 12 feet tall.

During the July 4th Holiday of 1975, the family took a trip to Estes Park Colorado. Which is the main access to Rocky Mountain National Park.

ON NO! WHAT HAPPENED?

While they were away, the growing palm tree was attacked! Some roaming vandals in town decided it would be a good idea to set fire to this wonderful palm tree.

Why Oh Why Does This Happen to Innocent Plants??

The family returned home. Shocked to find what remained was only a burned out char of a stump!

Image Credit: Pam S. in Tucson
The Charred Stump A Short Time After Being Burnt

It was a happy day! This palm, despite fire & ice was determined to survive.

By 2006 it was still showing remnants of that fiery attack. Like a scar of war survival! But it overcame and continued on. Growing and providing for others.

Some Remote Scarring Remains

As it grew further, birds began appreciating this Tucson palm tree's offerings. Local woodpeckers found it was a good home to begin their families. Other birds sometimes used the openings they created. Others also loved it, and the crown of fronds. Like sparrows, finches, humming birds and hooded orioles.

Image Credit: Pam S. in Tucson
Three Holes Made by Woodpeckers - Maybe an Attempt at One More?

Pam said another incident happened one year. A springtime wind storm came through. A sparrow nest was swept from the palm. Only one egg was intact. Pam's husband Roland found a small nest-size basket. Imitating a natural nest, he made a plushy lining with cotton.

He took their tallest ladder, propping it onto the trunk. Carefully he attached this recreated nest. They were amazed to see the sparrow parents discovered it, recognized their egg, and nurtured it. And the hatchling arrived!

Image Credit: Pam S. in Tucson
A Look Upward - What Could Be Living in Those Fronds?

Today the palm has about nearly reached its maximum height. Despite the early trials & tribulations!

What else it's had to contend with is drought. Over the years Pam says it's done well without irrigation. Just sourced needs from local groundwater. Plus summer monsoons & winter storms.

But more recently, with the serious Western Drought, Pam's been concerned. She prefers xeriscape planting style. This palm aligns with that, and so has done well. It's still going strong!

Pam says "Over the past fifty years, we've become very fond of it."

More Recent Photo of Pam's Front Yard Palm