May 23
I went searching for butterflies, skippers, etc, on Mingus Mountain near Jerome yesterday. Fabulous day but it was cloudy and windy so the species were few and far between. Here is one lucky shot for me since the tiny daisy was swaying back and forth. The one inch Sootywing was common to my fellow butterfly hunters but new to me (Common Sootywing). Of course, most of them are 🙂
May 22
I was lucky to capture two shots of my prize Bloody Net-winged Beetle as he was leaving. Canon 7D, 24-70mm lens with 500D close-up filter. ISO 400, 1/1000th sec at f/5.6
May 21
Yesterday was the last official day for the flora survey until after the hot weather. Although I did get some photos of flowers, my prize captures yesterday were a couple of butterflies and a gorgeous red beetle! At upper left is a Marine Blue Butterfly. Lower left is a Mormon Metalmark Butterfly. It took a lot of googling to ID the beetle but I finally found that it’s a Bloody Net-Winged Beetle. What a name!
May 20
According to Stephan Buchman, there might be as many as 1000 species of native bees in the Sonoran Desert. Many are very small and some are brilliantly colored but best of all, most are solitary which makes them not as threatening as the European honey bee. They are all fascinating to watch as they fly in and out of holes in the ground, trees, or even spaces between blocks. (Solitary Bee loading up on pollen from an Echinopsis)
May 19
Yesterday morning, I could hardly wait to check on my hybrid Echninopsis (aka Torch Cactus) and it did not disappoint! The color of this cactus is really incredible and an overcast morning made it really pop. There are more buds so I get to enjoy another round of blooms in a few days. Almost makes up for no wildflowers…..almost 🙂
May 18
I thought my cactus were through blooming but all my Echinopsis in Javelina Cafe are loaded with fat buds! The first bloom appeared yesterday morning on this Echinopsis candicans. There’s a good chance my two hybrids will be full of blooms next. I can hardly wait!
Converted to Black and White and a little color brought back.
May 17
I just installed a new bird feeder, put some sunflower seeds in one of the plates and voila! I’m guessing this is the same pair of Cardinals that comes here every year. They nest in the lower part of the wash on my property and, although I’ve never found the nest, I’ve been lucky to see fledglings. I hope to see babies again this year!
May 16
This tow truck on just one of Greasewood Flat’s wonderful collectibles. Shot in HDR.
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