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Posts from the ‘Sonoran Desert’ Category

Apr 19

High Hopes

This marks the first year I’ve been able to fully enjoy my non-native cactus blooms thanks to Javelina Cafe. The first blooms were great! Up next and full of fat buds are the Echinopsis huascha (upper right – red), Echinopsis Hybrid (lower left – much larger salmon) and a couple of non-native Prickly Pears. One funky purple (bottom right) with extra long purple spines has yellow flowers. The other (upper left) has gorgeous rose-like pink flowers. I’ve only seen it bloom once! So far the (less than ideal height) fence has held off the Javelina but all these juicy buds will be a real test 🙂

Apr 18

Wildflower-Photography Walk

Yesterday, along with botanical expert Steve Jones, I led a Photography/Wildflower walk to Brown’s Ranch. Not many flowers to see this year so this Desert Holly (Acourtia nana) was a real treat. My wide angle lens was almost touching the plant which makes it look larger than it is but in reality, they’re so tiny, they are almost impossible to spot unless you know what you’re looking for.

Apr 17

The Preserve at the Cave

Yesterday, I finally saw the cave that Cave Creek (both town and creek) were probably named after. It’s located on private land and is now protected and watched over by the Desert Foothills Land Trust. They lead a hike to the cave about four times a year and it’s worthwhile. The cave has been home to the Hohokam and the Apache tribes as well as early settlers. In 1873, the US Calvary fought an Apache tribe and then scratched their names inside the cave alongside the petroglyphs and pictographs. Unfortunately, there has been a lot of vandalism over the years 🙁

Apr 16

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Rackensack Canyon Butterflies

I went bird and butterfly watching in Rackensack Canyon with 3 friends yesterday. A 300mm lens wasn’t much use for bird photos but it was great for butterflies. It’s rare to see a Two-tailed Swallowtail sitting still so encountering this one was a real treat. It is Arizona’s state butterfly, by the way.

Apr 14

Desert Holly

Lots of Desert Holly (Acourtia nana) is surfacing on the Brown’s Ranch trail. This photo makes them look to be easy to find but they are TINY! Although they can reach 8 inches tall, they are typically much smaller in our area. The leaves we’re seeing are only a couple of inches tall. The flowers are especially difficult to see so…if you hike the trail in the next few days, look very closely on the sides of the trail….especially beneath Creosote or trees.

Apr 13

More Camp Creek

Another from the Camp Creek hike. This time more toward black and white.

Apr 12

Camp Creek Infrared

I led two photographers to Camp Creek Falls yesterday. No flowers to speak of but the creek was flowing which is always wonderfully refreshing to encounter in the desert! (Infrared capture of the creek and photographer friend Ed Y.)

Apr 10

Boyce Thompson

Long day! I was asked to assist Cass Blodgett on a Wildflower hike at Boyce Thompson Arboretum today. This area is very different from the McDowells and very interesting! In the foreground you can see my greeting cards and flora guide. Thanks Lynnea and Paul for letting me set up the table!

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