Archives

Blooming Joshuas~

May15

This is the first time I have ever seen Joshua Trees in bloom!

These trees were recently designated an endangered species by The California Fish & Game Commission.

They are vulnerable because they exist in a limited area in The Southwestern US and Baja California. Their range is mostly contained by the boundaries of the Mojave Desert. This habitat is under pressure from development and climate change.

Joshua Trees are pollinated by Yucca Moths. Desert habitat is sensitive and species are interdependent.

Interestingly, in the distant past, Joshua’s were pollinated by Giant Sloths!

Humans have lived in The Mojave Desert for about 12,000 years.

Pictographs, cryptic messages from the past, can be found throughout this region.

Cheers to you from the fascinating Mojave~

Southwest Desert~

Mar27

Flamingos?

Apparently.

Because here they are!

Hanging out with their very outgoing chicks.

There were Australian swans,

snoozing with Canadian Geese.

in ponds,

in Nevada and California.

Cheers to you from the happy birdies~

Fish Tales~

Mar21

Arizona Koi,

are friendly fish.

They aren’t afraid of getting hooked,

but do expect some tasty treats!

I had no fishy food,

but still they followed me,

around the ponds,

like swimming puppy dogs!

Cheers to you from Arizona’s friendly koi~

Red Rock & Sand~

Mar17

Imbued by light,

and shadow.

Water reflects pastel hues.

Faces form in the rocks,

and vanish in the shadows.

Light is fleeting here,

defined by shadow.

Cheers to you from Sedona Arizona~

The Cardinal Rule~

Mar14

Is that I have seen only one cardinal,

ever.

The first was in Buenos Aires.

Meet Cardinal number two!

I met him at The Superstition Mountains in Arizona.

He was a rare finding and was quite sociable.

Of course I didn’t have my good bird zoom lens, but he’s so handsome, it almost doesn’t matter.

Cheers to you from my second Cardinal in Arizona~

Wild Iris & Lily~

Mar5

We all need images of peaceful natural beauty these violent and cruel days.

Native California White Iris grow along The Rhododendron Trail in Redwood National Park in Northern California.

Douglas Iris bloom in profusion here as well.

The trail is named for the wild rhododendron that are everywhere.

Asiatic Lilies thrive in abundance.

Since these are wild flowers growing in the forest, there are lots of bugs. These are the eggs of spittlebugs, which seem quite accurately named!

Icelandic poppies are not native,

but were planted by our Innkeeper, north of Klamath California.

Do you see the face on the ancient redwood tree, of the old man in the forest, telling us peace is the only way?

“Love is the flower you’ve got to let grow.” John Lennon

Cheers to you from the wise and peaceful forest~

For info on the Rhododendron Trail See: http://www.redwoodhikes.com/PrairieCreek/Foothill.html

Squiggly Ice~

Feb20

on Convict Lake,

in the Sierra Nevada Mountains,

in California. (Tap to enlarge).

These fascinating patterns of both straight lines/angles,

and wiggly-squiggles, are created by ice layers melting, moving, cracking and refreezing, over and over again.

They remind me of the patterns on Scribbly Gum trees in Australia.

Tap to enlarge and see if you can spot the distant skaters.

These learners were closer.

Cheers to you from the Sierras in winter~

Tufas~

Feb12

These strange formations called tufas (click to enlarge),

are in Mono Lake at the eastern edge,

of The Sierrra Nevada Mountain Range in California.

They are made of calcium carbonate and formed by the interaction of fresh water with the saline/alkaline lake.

Mono Lake is 2-3 times more salty than the ocean.

It is one of the oldest lakes in North America.

Trillions of brine shrimp live in the lake,

supporting 1-2 million migratory birds annually.

On this winter day, the lake was mirror still and silent.

Cheers to you from Mono Lake ~

For more on Tufas see: https://www.monolake.org/learn/aboutmonolake/naturalhistory/tufa/