It is 4½ inches long and consists of three ornaments dangling from each other by gold cord. The first ornament is a 1½ inch long Cattle Skull decorated with a couple of Chili Peppers that drape across the forehead by a red cord. The second is a nearly 1¾ long lone Gray Wolf wearing a red bandana and howling at the moon. The third is a nearly ½ inch long red Chili Pepper decorated with multi colored Christmas lights. Select this link to view our Western Christmas Ornaments.
Wolves.
Though once abundant over much of North America and Eurasia, the gray wolf inhabits a very small portion of its former range. Considered as a whole, the gray wolf is regarded as being of least concern for extinction according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Today, wolves are protected in some areas, hunted for sport in others, or may be subject to extermination as perceived threats to livestock and pets.
Gray wolves play an important role as apex predators in the ecosystems they typically occupy. Gray wolves are highly adaptable and have thrived in temperate forests, deserts, mountains, tundra, taiga, and grasslands. Select this link to view our Dangling Cactus Ornament.
Chili Peppers.
The chili pepper, chilli pepper, or more simply just "chili", is the fruit of the plants from the genus Capsicum, which are members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Even though chilis may be thought of as a vegetable, their culinary usage is generally as a spice. The name, which is spelled differently in many regions, comes from Nahuatl via the Spanish word chile. The term chili in most of the world refers exclusively to the smaller, hot types. The mild larger types are called bell pepper in the United States, Canada (and sometimes the United Kingdom), sweet pepper in Britain and Ireland, capsicum in India and Australasia, and paprika in many European countries. Select this link to view our Dangling Fiddle Ornament.
Jalapeno Chilis.
The jalapeño is a medium to large size chili pepper which is prized for the warm, burning sensation when eaten. Ripe, the jalapeño can be 2–3½ inches long and is commonly sold when still green. It is named after the town of Xalapa, Veracruz, where it was traditionally produced. 160 square kilometres are dedicated for the cultivation of jalapeño in Mexico alone; primarily in the Papaloapan river basin in the north of the state of Veracruz and in the Delicias, Chihuahua area. Jalapeño is also cultivated in smaller scale in Jalisco, Nayarit, Sonora, Sinaloa and Chiapas. Jalapeños are also known as cuaresmeños, huachinangos and chiles gordos.
As of 1999, 5,500 acres in the United States were dedicated to the cultivation of jalapeños. Most jalapeños were produced in southern New Mexico and western Texas. Select this link to view our Western Wolf Dangling Ornament.
Jalapeños are a pod type of Capsicum. The growing period for a jalapeño plant is 70–80 days. When mature, the plant stands two and a half to three feet tall. Typically, a single plant will produce twenty five to thirty five pods. During a growing period, a plant will be picked multiple times. As the growing season comes to an end, the jalapeños start to turn red. The fresh market is for green jalapeños and red jalapeños are considered inferior. Growers often either discard the red jalapeños into the ground or use them for the production of chipotles. Select this link to view our Chili Pepper and Saddle Dangling Ornament.