This male shows why all the Gila woodpeckers I see on my spring hikes have their faces painted in pollen …
Tag: Sonoran Desert
Tightrope Walker
You can tell by the way I use my walk …
Beauty in the Shadows
Cathedral Rock is awash in beauty, with massive boulders and sweeping views of the Sonoran desert, but its greatest beauty sleeps in its shadows, hidden in crevices below the monoliths. Despite its size, the desert spiny lizard is rather shy and often scurries out of sight long before I approach. Thankfully I was not only able to spend some time with this one and watch as he grew sleepy, but ease away and leave him to his slumber.
Hush
A quiet place to lay my head,
a soft space to make my bed.
Soon the sun will rise, soon so will I.
Until then quiet, hush, be still.
Let me lie.
Leaning Left
The lines in the rocks, the long flower stems, even the mourning dove, all leaning left as though I had planned the scene instead of just stumbling across it on the Rustler Trail back in May.
On Pins & Needles
No matter how many times I witness it I can’t quite wrap my head around how birds can fly in at full speed and land on a cactus with densely packed spines, such as this curve-billed thrasher on a chain fruit cholla. I adore this cholla (and the similar teddy bear cholla) but they are best appreciated at arm’s length, they are even more fearsome than they look.
You Have To Start Somewhere
The old ones may be covered in flowers come springtime but I was delighted to find this saguaro sending up a single bud this spring. We all have to start somewhere.
Big Saguaro, Little Falcon
In the spring every square inch of the tops of old saguaros might be covered in flower buds and blossoms, thick as thieves, such as these providing a softer-than-normal perch for an American kestrel. I saw our smallest falcon frequently in the Northwest but only a couple of times here so it was a pleasure to see her as she towered over me on the Granite Mountain Loop Trail.
Can You See Me?
They may be adept at hiding in trees but the ornate tree lizard can seemingly disappear into granite as well. Sometimes they are not so well matched and stick out like sore thumbs as both the lizards and the rocks vary in color.
A Surprise in the Familiar
While I enjoy exploring new trails I like to have a set of favorites I visit repeatedly, both because I find comfort in the familiar and because it makes it easier for me to see change from day-to-day and season-to-season, never more so than when we are in a new area like we are now. The Marcus Landslide Trail has been a favorite since I discovered it late last year but this morning in May had a surprise in store as these gorgeous little creatures clung to seemingly every blooming brittlebush. I had never seen them before (or since) so I did a little research when I got home to learn these jewels are master blister beetles. It was still pretty early, the sun still hiding below the mountains, when I found these two clinging to the same spent flower in the middle of the brittlebush.
Boolie 