Tag: Saguaro Nest Trail

The Sonoran Squid

A dying cholla that looks (to me) like a squid sits in front of a landscape destroyed by fire on the Saguaro Nest Trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on September 29, 2023. Original: _Z729570.NEF

Normally I enjoy seeing new species but this one made me sad as the only reason I saw my first Sonoran squid was because a fire destroyed its habitat. It still has a little green, as does the barrel cactus and saguaro behind it, but they are the walking dead.

📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 105mm macro
🗓️: September 29, 2023

Where a Desert Once Stood

A look east towards Four Peaks after an earlier forest fire burned the area, including a dying saguaro. Taken on the Saguaro Nest Trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on September 29, 2023. Original: _Z729557.NEF.

This summer as I left work far in the distance I saw greenish smoke that usually means the desert is burning. The closer I got to home the closer the fire seemed to home and indeed as I cleared Troon Mountain I could see smoke billowing from the part of the preserve where Bear and I often walk. We prepared to evacuate but didn’t have to as the wind carried the fire away from us. I avoided the trails for a long while since burned areas are pretty sensitive but after seeing they were open, made a visit in the fall to see if I wanted to bring Bear back yet.

At first nothing was amiss but then I hit the burned part and there’s a wide swath of the desert that is completely charred. There are sandy areas with no plant life and exposed holes of the many small animals that once lived here. Some plants like this saguaro still had patches of green but they are the walking dead. We have enough other trails and enough time during my leave of absence that I’ll keep Bear away for now.

📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 105mm macro
🗓️: September 29, 2023