All posts by Marianne Skov Jensen

beneficial insects

2 Comments

The best part of spending as much time as I do working in my yard is that I end up being very
close to nature and thus I see a lot of things we normally would never notice . Yesterday, as
I was arranging boulders on a bank, something backlit by the rising sun caught my eye.

How COOL!

The eggs are on silk threads attached to a Christmas Cholla spine.
2009_09_18

I knew they were insect eggs but didn’t know which insect. What a wonderful surprise to find
out that they were the eggs of a very beneficial insect called a Lacewing. They are so beneficial
that, like Lady Bugs, they are sold as natural pest control.


Click here for info on the Lacewing.

Shot with a Canon SX10. Having the tilting viewing screen allowed me to get close.

host to a queen

2 Comments

My first caterpillar! I have my landscaping course to thank for it. I learned that you need
two types of plants to attract butterflies. A nectar plant and a host plant. I, like most people,
had lots of nectar plants but who knew that they don’t lay their eggs on them? So I planted
several native Desert Milkweed as food for hungry caterpillars.

2009_09_17

I had seen several Queens in the past few weeks and after consulting a book and google,
I’m pretty sure this is a Queen caterpillar. Whatever it is, I can hardly contain my excitement
at the thought of being able to document the life cycle!

(I used Photoshop to take the color out of the background. It was almost dark when I spotted the
caterpillar and I’m no good with flash so the image was really blue. I shot it with a Canon G10).

long lens drama

2 Comments

A couple of days ago, I saw this cloud with saguaros on the horizon and I knew that
shooting with a long lens would make it an even more dramatic scene. I should have
taken the time to get my SLR and big lens but I’m a grab shot photographer, as you
know, so I reached for my SX10 and zoomed waaay in.

I then converted the image to black and white for even more drama.

2009_09_16

Canon SX10, ISO 100, 1/30th sec, minimum aperture

dendrite crystals

I first have to thank Alice Dimetra again for enlightening me about Dendrites. Thanks Alice 🙂
As it turns out, I think I’ve had a Dendrite specimen on a shelf for about 3 years. I found it
partially buried near a wash in our neighborhood and had to have it. I took some quick
hand held shots with my G10 to show you but like the other rock, it deserves some time
with a good macro lens and some extension tubes. I’d love to see the crystals magnified.

2009_09_15

closer view of Dendrite Crystals
2009_09_15_2

dendrite

3 Comments

I had a visit this morning from fellow Preserve Steward, Alice Dimetra. She had come hoping to find
some Prickly Pear fruit to use in her presentations but we didn’t have much luck. I lucked out, though!
I always learn something from Alice and this morning was no exception. She had read my post this
morning and thanks to her, I now know about the pattern in the rock. It’s called Dendrite.
Click here to learn about it.

She also brought me some of her homemade desert treats! Prickly pear marmalade and jelly and two kinds
of Mesquite cookies. Yum! All were tucked in a little Bear Grass basket. Loved it. Thanks again, Alice 🙂

2009_09_14_3

Alice has a wealth of knowledge regarding the food and medicine that come from the plants and trees in the desert.
Be sure to check the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy hike schedule for her Ethnobotany and Medicine plants walks!
(website seems to be down this morning so please try again)

looking for photo ops

I try to keep an eye out for future photo ops for this blog and then write them down so I don’t forget.
Yesterday as I was spreading the rip rap in the washes, I found several beautifully colored rocks and
one that had an impression etched in it of what was probably roots.

2009_09_14

To me, the impression looked like a Chinese drawing of a Bonsai tree and the rock looked like pottery.
Definitely worthy of another photo session so I’ll put it my other treasured rocks. It’s a big pile 🙂

2009_09_14_2

salvador

2 Comments

In my landscaping project, I’m getting to the point where things are starting to get very heavy.
Could it be that maybe I’m getting really tired?! Nah 🙂 Either way, this week, I hired Salvador.
He’s the son-in-law of someone I know really well and wow…he works as hard as I do!
His first job was to move 6 tons of rip rap. I helped a little but my job is to spread it out.

2009_09_12
2009_09_12_2
2009_09_12_3

He’s also built a small concrete wall and then put stone caps on all the walls which involved
cutting some of the caps to fit. How handy is it to get a guy with all his own construction tools!
Salvador is an out of work construction worker who knows how to do everything so I have
plans for him to be doing a lot more than just moving rocks. If you haven’t figured it out,
I’m very impressed by him. Here’s someone who’s used to making a lot of money yet
you can tell he takes pride in his work whether it’s shoveling dirt, moving rocks or building
a house. I’m sure it won’t be long before someone snaps him up. Me first, though 🙂

ready…set….fall!

3 Comments

I’m so excited to be going to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon later this month in search
of fall color. I don’t do much landscape photography so although I’ll have a few conventional
fall color shots, much of my stuff will be “different” from the other photographers 🙂

Speaking of conventional, here’s one of my favorite photos taken at the West Fork of Oak Creek.
2009_09_10

Carol Leigh has been thinking about fall color too and yesterday she sent out her excellent
60-Second Photo Lesson with 20 tips on getting the best fall photos you can this year.

Click the following picture to download the tips. If you enjoy it, I hope you’ll let Carol know!
60-second-tip

Thanks Carol!