Because of its weight, braces hold up some of the branches of the Great Mesquite Tree at the Roy P. Drachman- Agua Caliente Park. Photo by A.E. Araiza/Arizona Daily Star A.E. Araiza / Arizona ...

In Arizona, the most common native mesquite trees are velvet, honey and screwbean mesquites. Other varieties, brought in from South America for their landscaping value, don’t taste as good.

How to decorate trees with Christmas lights Palo Verde and mesquite trees are common in Arizona, and they are also great to wrap with lights thanks to their long branches.

The mesquite seed pods are highly nutritious, Cross-Killingsworth said. However, the only readily edible part of the pod is the spongy pith that lies between the rigid outer skin and the hard seeds.

Supporting his theory, Sun points to mesquite trees in Arizona that survived this same period. This could be due to the summer rains, or monsoon season, that Arizona typically experiences.