Desert Plants Default Replacement + Custom Versions
One more batch of default replacements for plants from me - this one is for desert plants. You know, to make your Strangetown even more iconic 😎
This will replace the following plants: 2 saguaros (the normal one and the Christmas decorated one), agave, joshua tree and plumeria. Agave has a V1 (no flowers) and a V2 (with flowers) version, be sure to keep only one! Custom versions are also included in the archive (for both agaves and Joshua tree), they are seasonal.
Joshua tree and both agaves have meshes from the Sims 4 converted and retextured by me.
Plumeria is not a desert plant but I thought I’d include it here anyway. Its replacement was made using @pforestsims beautiful textures from this set. I used red, white, pink and purple flowers so be sure to grab other recolors from the link above to have even more variety.
The saguaro’s texture was taken from this great set of conversions by Ohbehave. I also tried adjusting the mapping to the new texture as much as my current skills allow me. And that led me to the decision to get rid of flowers. No regrets though, they were all blurry and too small to bother.
It also got a mesh gap fix:
To complete this set I’d recommend getting my replacement for opuntia (Nopalito’s Prickly Pears) from the flowers replacement set here (you can pick only the prickly pears if you don’t want the rest).
Polycount:
Tropical plants replacement is here
Trees replacement is here
Shrubs replacement is here
Flowers replacement is here
Special thanks go to @balkopat, @episims and @beautifulnerdkitty without whom this set would not be possible 💚
Everything is separated so you can pick and choose what you’d like to have in your game.
Compressed, clearly labelled, picture included.
Download at SFS
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Pictured: Visitors, shown as black silhouettes, take in the free water show at the Bellagio resort on the Las Vegas Strip.
Fountains still shimmer opulently at casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, but lush carpets of grass are gradually disappearing along the streets of Sin City.
Despite its reputation for excess, the Mojave Desert metropolis has been factoring climate change into its water plans for years, declaring war on thirsty lawns, patrolling the streets for water wasters and preparing for worst-case scenarios on the Colorado River, which supplies 90% of the area’s water.
Las Vegas has emerged as a leader in water conservation, and some of its initiatives have spread to other cities and states that rely on the shrinking river. Its drive to get rid of grass in particular could reshape the look of landscapes in public and private spaces throughout the Southwest.
So how did Las Vegas become a water-saving model to emulate? It began with an initial phase of the Colorado River crisis two decades ago.
Lake Mead had been nearly full and lapping at the spillway gates of Hoover Dam in early 2000. Then extreme drought and heavy water use sent the reservoir into a rapid decline.
In 2002, as the reservoir level dropped, the Southern Nevada Water Authority used more than its allocation of Colorado River water. At that point, the agency’s leaders decided to pivot quickly toward conservation.
They focused on promoting cash rebates to help customers rip out lawns and put in landscaping with desert plants.
In 2003, the Las Vegas area’s consumption of Colorado River water shrank more than 16%. Those conservation gains continued as the area’s water suppliers strengthened their rules, targeting grass.
In 2004, frontyard lawns were prohibited for new subdivisions. Golf courses were given water budgets. The water authority adopted seasonal watering restrictions.
Pictured: The suburban community of Mountain’s Edge, which has rock- and shrub-based yards instead of lawns, cuts a square through the barren-looking desert. In 2004, frontyard lawns were prohibited for new subdivisions in the Las Vegas area.
Since 2002, southern Nevada’s use of Colorado River water has decreased about 26%, even as the area’s population has rapidly grown. Per capita water use has dropped 48%.
And Las Vegas is continuing to tighten its restrictions on grass.
The state Legislature in 2021 passed a law that bans watering all decorative “nonfunctional” grass along streets, on medians, at homeowners associations, apartment complexes, businesses and other properties starting in 2027.
“For Las Vegas to be sustainable, it’s imperative,” said Colby Pellegrino, the water authority’s deputy general manager of resources. “That’s the first time we’ve actually said existing turf should no longer be watered.”
Since 2002, homeowners and others in the Las Vegas area have already removed about 205 million square feet of lawn, or more than 4,700 acres. The drip-irrigated plants and trees that replaced the grass require less than one-fourth the amount of water, saving an estimated 11.4 billion gallons per year.
In the next four years, much more grass is about to be ripped out. And newly built homes can no longer have any lawns at all, including in the backyard.
Grass will still be permitted for new parks, schools and cemeteries.
Las Vegas’ eradication of grass offers a view of the sorts of changes that other cities have been starting to adopt and may soon be forced to pursue on a larger scale as the river continues to decline...
Las Vegas is one of many cities along the Colorado River that have made major progress in reducing water use over the last two decades. In a recent study, researcher Brian Richter surveyed 28 urban water utilities and found that total water use in the cities dropped by 18% between 2000 and 2020, even as their combined population grew by 24%...
“Las Vegas has become a water conservation rock star in recent decades,” Richter said. “Their leadership in reducing outdoor water use is of particular importance.”
He said the area’s “cash for grass” program has become a model for cities across the West.
“The fact that they’ve now adopted a goal of further reducing their water use by another 23% by 2035 is truly admirable,” Richter said.”
-via Los Angeles Times, 1/29/23
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