We have thousands of velvet mesquite trees covering the foothills and mountains of Winchester Ranch. Velvet mesquite is a small to medium sized perennial tree, native to the Sonoran, Mohave, and Chihuahuan Deserts. It grows larger in areas with plenty of water, smaller in open, dry grasslands. The taproot sinks deep into the earth, deeper than the height of the tree, extending to 50 feet or more. Often not much grows around velvet mesquites as they consume so much water. In years of drought, we are grateful to have the mesquite as cattle eat the leaves in early spring and the seedpods are an important source of food later in summer for both cattle and wildlife .
