Making 'mexican' Trees

[Yggdrasil]

Hey Guys.
I'd like to build some trees for my gaming table but I really don't know how to get started?!
The Trees should fit right into a 'desert' like Setting. Thinking of Mexican or Southern Texas.
Could anybody help me?

Greetings

[Mason]

This link might prove useful....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chihuahuan_Desert#Flora

Just drift around the article and click on the flora links.

[Elbows]

Google "Mesquite" trees.  Greyish body, green foliage, short (maybe 10' tops).  Insanely strong wood.





Contrary to popular belief, most of the deserts in the Southwest are not large featureless areas.  New Mexico and Arizona etc. are full of Mesquite trees, saguaro cactus, etc.

 

Plenty of trees.  The cactus are only found in the Sonoran desert (ie. the desert crossing Mexico and our Southern states).

The below picture is precisely where I worked for four years.  Lots of paddle cactus and lots of saguaros with a load of mesquite trees and small bushes.



I think you'd be fine with normal trees just keep the foliage a yellow/bright green colour.

[Yggdrasil]

Thank You for these awesome inspirations!

I've got plenty of this 'seemoos' stuff left. This should be perfect for making small Mesquite Trees, shouldn't it?

@: Elbows: Wow. This Place is beautiful!

[Elbows]

It can be pretty...but like Australia, everything out there will kill, poke, or bite you.

(fun fact: desert foliage is so strong certain thorn bushes will pop tires on a full size SUV)

[shandy]

Thanks Elbows, this information comes incredibly timely - I'm just preparing a Mexican table for Mexican Revolution skirmishes...

[Elbows]

You have a lot of variety in the South West but some people seem to think it's all barren with tumbleweeds (which are actually dried up bushes which just break loose and collect other junk as they get rolled about).

There are some water sources (particularly during monsoon season) some large dune-like desert bits, like some of the stuff around Yuma.  Some serious mountains, large grassy plains, etc.  I just find most people ignore trees/brush/grass and there is plenty of it throughout most of the area.  The large open areas around Tucson would be covered in 3-4' bushes, so you rarely had huge expanses of open desert.

Of course Texas is a bit different from New Mexico, Arizona, etc.  California has some unique features and the further into Mexico you go, it changes up a bit.  The famous saguaro cactus is only found in that actual Sonoran desert area of the Mexico/U.S. border.  There are similar ones found in South America, namely in the higher altitudes.

[carlos marighela]

Of course Texas is a bit different from New Mexico, Arizona, etc.  California has some unique features and the further into Mexico you go, it changes up a bit.  The famous saguaro cactus is only found in that actual Sonoran desert area of the Mexico/U.S. border.  There are similar ones found in South America, namely in the higher altitudes.

Not just high altitudes, the interior of large tracts of North-eastern Brazil is made up of semi-arid bush known locally as Caatinga. Lots of cacti as well trees and bushes covered in very sharp thorns, so sharp that the Brazilian army units stationed in the region are issued with gloves and leather reinforced uniforms to deflect the thorns, despite the heat. Some of the cacti are quite tall. 

[Elbows]

Yeah it was not uncommon for people to wear brush-pants when working in AZ.  Everything there is tough as nails.  Literally.