All posts by

Arizona White-Throated Pack Rat

Photo: Gregory Smith
Recently homeowners have expressed concerns about Pack Rat actively and the potential of rodent infestation around their home and neighborhood.

The Pack Rat, White-throated Wood Rat, is a medium sized nocturnal hoarding rodent with big ears and liquid eyes, and a furry (rather than hairless) tail. They are a necessary part of the Sonoran Desert food chain, a key element in the diet of owls, hawks, bobcats, coyotes, ringtails and other wildlife. Thus the reason not to use poison.

Though this rodent maybe cute, it can become a destructive nuisance for homeowners and their cars if preventative deterrents are not taken. Most exterminators provide non-poisonous solutions, AND there are things homeowners can do themselves to prevent Pack Rats from being around and in their home as well as their cars…..READ MORE

Vegetation in the Sunrise Presidio Village

Landscaping in SPV: Several Members at the last HOA Board Meeting asked about the increase of mistletoe in the trees and the issue of dead trees. Chula Vista Landscaping has been our Village’s landscaper for the last few years and have done a great job at keeping our common area clean of dead vegetation. That being said, they limit their activities to three primary areas; the entrance, intersections (for traffic visibility), and overhangs along our roads. If you see some vegetation issues, please contact the board so we can alert the landscaper to take of it.

Mistletoe: Mistletoe infestation issue is one that we can only manage, not eradicate. According to several arborists I have spoken with explained the reason for the infestation this year is due to the fact that this past winter was not cold enough (below 32 degrees) to control the growth. Without the killing frost the mistletoe never died back and kept putting out berries that birds tend to consume and spread around.

In the 2019 budget we are proposing to initiate a more aggressive management approach to mistletoe identification and removal on common area lands. Members are responsible for removal of mistletoe on their private lands. SPV does maintain a list of reputable landscapers and arborists that you may contact. Chula Vista Landscapers will focus on the area within 15 feet of roadways. If there is an infestation that is not along the roads let us know and we can figure out an appropriate approach.

Follow this link to learn more about Mistletoe

Center Village and Craycroft: Lastly, several Members identified a concern with vegetation in the median of Craycroft Road that interfered with a clear line of sight when trying to turn left from Center Village Drive onto Craycroft. Pima County was contacted and they did come out to trim the vegetation back. The bigger problem for visibility is that there is a slight dip in the south heading lane which tends to “hide” small cars heading downhill momentarily. Trimming vegetation helps a bit but it does not solve the bigger problem of the dip. Be safe!

Let us know if you see a vegetation problem in the village and we will do our best to address it. Contact Us

What Is Mistletoe?

What's HappeningWhat Is Mistletoe?

Not Just for Kissing: Mistletoe and Birds, Bees, and Other Beasts

American mistletoe fruit and flowers, Laurens County, Georgia. Photo courtesy of Alan Cressler, USGS.

Mistletoe can take many forms other than the American mistletoe with berries seen around the holidays. It provides essential food, cover and nesting sites for an amazing number of critters. In fact, some animals couldn’t even survive without mistletoe.

Mistletoe spreads by seeds — the seeds in some mistletoe explode from a fruit and disperse themselves. Many North American types of mistletoe are distributed by birds either in their feces or due to the stickiness of the berries and seeds. They also may be cleaned from bird beaks onto the branches of trees where they grow. Once mistletoe germinate and become established, they have material similar to a root for a ground-dwelling plant. This material moves under the bark and that is how the mistletoe gains energy as well as nutrients from its host tree.

Pruning out all branches with the mistletoe material as soon as the plant appears should control the mistletoe and prevent its spread. First cut close the mistletoe, then look at the branch structure and prune approximately one foot below where the mistletoe physically appears in order to rid the host tree of the mistletoe plant.