Rainy Day Gems

A long soaking rain is rare in the desert so when it occurred a few weeks ago it stimulated a lot of growth of species we rarely get to see. One of which is this beautiful, delicate Desert Hyacinth Dichelostemma capitatum.

The bulbs of this species are deeply buried, dormant until stimulated by soaking rains. The bulbs were also eaten by Native Americans.

Rain! And Lots of It.

A couple of weekends ago we had almost two full days and nights of rain, a rare thing indeed in the desert. We expect the occasional rain shower at this time of year but it usually over in a matter of minutes so this was quite the talking point as you can imagine.

There is a fine line between good rains that set us up well for the coming hot season and too much rains that cause the various desert plants to start to rot! We will see if we managed to stay under that line in the coming months.
One thing is for sure there were some rather soggy looking characters around during this downpour.

Slime Mould - Who Knew!

We have had a pretty good monsoon season this year. Thanks in no small part to hurricanes Norbert and Odile. This has meant the desert is very green going into fall, there are lots of happy healthy birds, reptiles and mammals around and a profusion of bugs of every type. In addition there are some more unusual organisms appearing like this totally bizarre slime mould. They appeared over night and looked very similar to round scoops of vanilla ice cream, quite fascinating.

I Love The Monsoon Season

The skies are always so dramatic, it is a constantly changing show.

The Land of Extremes

I enjoy seeing which animals show up on our wildlife cameras but they are also interesting just for observing the seasons. The desert can be a very inhospitable place when it heats up.



But it isn't all blue skies and high temperatures. When it rains it doesn't tend to do things in half measures!

Cool Down!

You know I would never complain about having a home in such an amazing place and I figure if you choose to live in the desert then you have to sign-up for the sweltering heat as part of the package. But as the monsoon season seems to have (hopefully temporarily) abated and the mercury is rocketing I thought I would post a picture from the past, just to cool us all down a little. Proof that it can indeed snow (occasionally) in the desert.

Dramatic Skies

Goofy I know but over time we have ended up naming some of the Saguaros on our land. This is Madala which is a term of respect for an elderly man. Madala has many battle scars where numerous creatures have made their homes over the decades. On this particular morning he was a perfect foil for the storm clouds rolling off the mountains.

Monsoon!

The drama of the monsoon season needs very few words. Everything just seems brighter, fresher and more alive.

It's Behind You!

Hard to see it in this picture but there is a wall of rain falling behind this Pyrrhuloxia, it never actually got to us but it smelt wonderful! Such is the nature of the monsoons, one road is flooded and the next one bone dry.

Waiting.

This week the monsoon clouds have begun to roll in and we have started having some rain in the area but I have been away in Europe so I have some catching up to do before getting on to monsoon pictures. This is one of my favourite views from my sundown spot. I never tire of it and have endless versions taken at different times of the year.

Hot!

We managed to get all the way through May without a 100 degree day but as soon as June 1st clicked round the heat was on. Of course all the native species are more than capable of dealing with the desert environment but some are just a lot more expressive about it than others. None more so than the wonderful Antelope Ground Squirrel who sprawls as flat as possible against any remotely cool surface, in this instance, a shady spot of my patio. Maybe I should offer him a cocktail?

A Magical Moment

The moment is well past but unfortunately life does tend to put a crimp in my blogging time. In the spirit of 'better late than never' I just had to make sure that the moment of snow in the desert did not pass without a post.

 It was a brief thing. It began snowing on Wednesday, settled a gentle white blanket over the land which was still draped when I jumped out of bed before sunrise on Thursday morning to take these pictures, and an hour after the sun came up it was gone, as if a figment of an over active imagination.

We are used to seeing the mountains behind our land capped with white at this time of year but it is extremely rare for the snow to make it down to us.

It is amazing to see an area that is usually a dry, hot environment, briefly transformed into a winter wonderland.

This is definitely my type of snow, around just long enough to take a few photos and then gone!

These photo memories, along with the ones of the wonderful winter rains we have been having will soothe our heated souls when the desert summer heat takes hold.

Next post I am going back to basics to try and get my blog back on track.

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.