Winter Skies

Even in the desert the seasons change. The days are still warm but as soon as the sun sets a chill settles over the land.

Sharp Focus

The beauty is in the details. The light catching the spines, the cobwebs shimmering and the seed head suspended, a piece of softness amongst the fierce sharpness.

Sunlit Spines

The Golden Barrel Cactus looking particularly resplendent in the afternoon sun.

It's The Little Things........

that make me smile. Like this tiny little cactus, significantly smaller than a golf ball putting forth three splendid flowers. Perfection.

Winter Sunlight

We get so used to the strong, full sun in the desert that when the angle of the sun shifts in the winter it sheds a whole new light (forgive the pun) onto things we see every day. Everything becomes a little more softly lit and because the sun is so low in the sky the shadows are all different. I love it.

How Do They Do That?

You can't follow this blog without realising I love cactii. I suppose in all honesty it is a bit of a love hate thing because it really doesn't matter how careful you are when doing yard work, sooner or later you will get spiked, stabbed or pierced. But hey, that is what tweezers were invented for right? One of the things I love most about these armoured beauties is their ability to grow in the most impossible of places. Like this one, a pile of rocks with a teaspoon of soil (and when I say soil, that is a pretty generous term, I am sure gardeners in most other places would consider our soil to be one step removed from building rubble!) and yet here is this Barrel Cactus flourishing.

As Busy As A ...........

Visiting the cholla.

Sunday Desert Blooms - Part Seven

The last one in the series as most of the blooms are gone now. This is the Chenille Prickly Pear, one of the most prodigious producers of blooms.

Sunday Desert Blooms - Part Six

Another variation of Cholla, this time with sunshine yellow blossoms lighting up an otherwise inconspicuous plant.

Sunday Desert Blooms - Part Five

Another Hedgehog Cacti, this one is more delicate than some of it's more brash neighbours but no less stunning.

Sunday Desert Blooms - Part Four

Staring deep into the cup of a Santa Rita Prickly Pear blossom, such vivid colours.

Sunday Desert Blooms - Part Two

Another week of colour, this Cholla is a magnet for the hummingbirds when it bursts into bloom.

Sunday Desert Blooms - Part One

I love cacti, always have so finally having a garden full of them is a constant delight. At this time of year the explosion of colour is simply dazzling. This is one of our Hedgehog Cacti.

Armoured

Everything has to defend itself, especially in the desert. I love looking at the cactus spines they are very photogenic, they hurt like crazy though!

The Best of 2013

Better late than never, here is my traditional 'Best of'' post for 2013. As usual I was completely incapable of selecting one critter for each category but I guess that just means we saw lots of cool stuff throughout the year which can't be a bad thing.

So first off, the wonderful plants that surround us. During April and May the desert bursts into bloom in an entirely flamboyant way. Each sub-species of Prickly Pear produces a different colour.

 

In August it is the turn of the Barrel Cactus to stun



And as if the blooms weren't beautiful enough, the fruit are not too shabby either.



In the Invertebrate section, an old favourite puts in another appearance, we seemed to have so many tarantulas this year, we love having them around.



From a slightly higher elevation, this outrageous Caterpillar made quite a dramatic appearance. It will eventually turn into a Hubbards Small Silkmoth but this is most definitely it's 'big moment,'



There was one particular amphibian who demanded to be acknowledged this year. The diminutive Red-spotted Toad has a HUGE voice and this individual set up shop by our pool this summer and made his presence known every night, very loudly. So it only seems fair that he should represent the amphibian group.



A group that I don't usually include but, lets face it, is hard to ignore, I will call 'scenery.' And my goodness, is it dramatic!



If you have a moonrise, it seems only logical that a sunset should be part of the deal too.



We have had some lovely mammals around this year. The Rock Squirrels decided to overcome their usual shyness and move into our back patio area to raise there babies.



And it is always a huge treat when a Bobcat drops by to say hello.



We have had a great reptile year with all kinds of firsts, not least of which was this magnificent Western Diamondback that curled up peacefully beside our house one evening



I had a long chat with this next reptilian visitor. How could I not when presented with such an expressive face? Another very relaxed encounter which allowed me to take numerous photos...



Of course, by far the largest group of photos belongs to our avian friends. I just couldn't decide which were my favourites. Well lets face it, they all are!
For imagery this Cardinal really got himself set up perfectly.

But not to be outdone, his close relative, the Pyrrhuloxia used the same technique to ensure inclusion in the year end review.



For sheer entertainment it is hard to beat the goofy Roadrunner with its crazy antics. This one sat in a tree next to me, chattering and scolding me while I took its picture.



This Great-horned Owl however seemed rather less engaged in his photo session!

Our resident Coopers Hawk, never fails to provide a little drama at the unfortunate expense of numerous quail and doves.



But the loss of life is balanced by the creation of new life and it was a delight to watch a pair of Thrashers raise this pair of chicks in a Cholla Cactus.



But before I finish the bird section, I couldn't possibly move on without including 'the boss.' Twigman continues to rule the land with a steely glare and a fearsome chatter. Ignore him at your peril!!



And so on to a new year. Lets hope it is filled with 'all creatures great and small.'
Happy New Year everyone.

Keep Off!

We have tried to keep our yard as natural as possible, allowing all the naturally occurring species to come and go as they please. This does lead to some trial and error when we want to plant new things though. Does it have enough weaponry to protect itself from hungry passers-by? Or will it have mysteriously disappeared the next time we look? Needless to say, nothing has tried to make a snack out of this fearsome little cactus!

A Fall Feast

The Barrel Cactii are a blaze of orange flowers in August, now they wear clusters of plump yellow fruit. If you have the technique to avoid the massive spines, they are a popular feast. The javalinas and the deer seem to have worked it out and these juicy snacks will be around for the next couple of months.

Little Pieces of Sunshine

Cacti are some of the most fantastic plants. They are fierce and armoured but when they flower, oh my! They go all out. Now is the time of year when they are all showing their true magnificence so indulge me if there are several more posts after this one of these splendid blooms.

Refreshment

Happy New Year everyone.
It is a rare thing indeed to fall asleep to the sound of steady rain falling on the roof when you live in the desert but this week that is exactly what happened. In the morning we woke up to a washed, refreshed, rejuvenated world. It was still raining and the mountains were swathed in mist.

Later as the mist cleared we could see just how close down the snow had come. Phew, that was close!

All the plants were draped in precious jewels of water. True wealth in the desert. Worth more than all the diamonds in the world and so much more beautiful.

You could almost imagine that you could see the cacti swelling as they absorbed all the delicious water. What a wonderful treat. Rest assured, when we hit the hottest part of the year I will be posting some more pictures from this morning just to cool myself down!

I Love Monsoon Season

When the rains come to the desert every living thing seems to celebrate. When the fearsome dark clouds finally offload their moisture there is a collective sigh of relief as the temperature briefly dips and everything is refreshed.

We become complacent about the endless days of clear, perfect blue skies so when the rain clouds roll in the novelty is much appreciated.



It also seems to be a time when the more reclusive inhabitants put in an appearance. This was the first time I had seen Ladder-backed Woodpeckers in my yard and a pair of them spent most of the morning outside my kitchen window.

The Cholla make the most of the rains to push out their delicate pink blossoms, quite out of keeping with the rest of their fearsomely spiny structure.

I always go amphibian hunting in the evening after the rain and this beautiful little Red-spotted Toad obligingly put in an appearance to ensure my efforts were not in vain.

 

I remember being so shocked to see a fungus sprouting quite vigorously in the Sahara Desert when I traveled there so I suppose I shouldn't have been so surprised to see this splendid specimen pop up in my yard.

There are always a vast array of lizard species scuttling around but it is unusual for the shy Zebra-tailed Lizard to stay still long enough for a photo. No prizes for guessing why it got it's name!

Of course with rains come numerous bugs of every shape and size and with them the appearance of their predators. This beautiful Arizona Blonde Tarantula lives in my back yard and always appears after rainfall to catch supper when darkness arrives.

And for those of you who prefer furry things that are warm blooded and have a skeleton, this Round-tailed Ground Squirrel sat in front of our office window and did some very thorough ablutions during a morning rain shower.

Yes, I think it would be true to say that I am not the only one who loves Monsoon Season.

Nature Notes hosted by Michelle at Rambling Woods.