Apr 30
Javelina LOVE non-native cactus so in years past, this poor Prickly Pear has not been allowed to fully bloom. But Javelina Cafe is now closed so all my non-natives finally have a chance to show off and they are making up for lost time. Besides what you see here, there are at least 25 more buds waiting to open on this Prickly Pear! I had fun photographing the blooms with various lenses yesterday. I couldn’t decide on just one image so here is a collage.
Apr 28
In gardening and botanical terminology, a volunteer is a plant that grows on its own rather than being deliberately planted. This volunteer is called Sweetbush (Bebbia juncea) and it’s one of my favorites. First because it’s a very drought tolerant native but mostly because it has curly stamens 🙂 I used Photoshop to convert to Black and White.
Mar 31
An infrared capture from the Spring of 2008. What caught my eye first in this scene was the huge Chainfruit Cholla Skeleton (fire). I positioned myself low in order to include Poppies in the foreground and a nice Saguaro specimen in the background.(False color introduced by swapping channels.)
Mar 30
So what do you do when you have to lead a wildflower hike (this past Sunday) and there are no flowers? You wing it! Lucky for me, I had two great assistants. Botanist Steve Jones entertained everyone with flora trivia and Chris Rutz filled us in on the ranching history of this area and gave us a climbing lesson. In this photo, he’s pointing out anchors embedded in the rock to which a rope is connected. Before Chris started climbing, I always thought climbers used the rope to pull themselves up but it is there strictly for safety in case they fall. All in all, a really fun morning! Thanks again, Steve and Chris 🙂
Mar 29
This Side-blotched Lizard was the smallest reptile we found on Saturday.
Mar 23
Infrared capture of Poppies ( 2008). Only memories this year……darn it. (Converted Canon 5D and 15mm lens).
Mar 20
My 3 friends had never been to Camp Creek and later confessed they thought I was exaggerating about the amount of water. Now it’s their favorite place too 🙂
CLICK HERE for photos of the falls from two years ago.
Mar 18
Yesterday, I led fellow wanna-be botanists Judi and Joyce and our birder friend Phil on a hike to Camp Creek Falls. What a day! Wildflowers were few and very far between but having Phil along, we were able to further our bird education. Thanks Phil! Besides the flowers, birds and waterfall, another highlight was coming across a Canyon Tree Frog. It jumped just as Phil walked by or we wouldn’t have seen the little 2 1/2 inch guy. Click here for my last sighting of this tiny creature. L-R: Joyce, Canyon Tree Frog, Judi
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