Cactus Monday - Warholized

After weeks of warm, sunshiny weather and lots of visitors and activity at the recreation area, Sabino Canyon became cold, dreary and quiet.

On Tuesday, I saw something unusual. A rat came running out from under some dead prickly pear cactus and bit this innocent looking rabbit. The cottontail looked surprised and jumped in the air, which seemed to alarm the rat, who also leaped high before returning to its den. I don't know what that commotion was all about.
On Thursday, we saw a group of deer eating leaves from shrubs. It was the first time we observed them since March. In the picture, this deer looks like it was eating the cactus. It wasn't, but it did have cactus needles stuck in its face and ears. Some of the deer looked like they had encountered things other than cacti.
On Friday it was windy and dusty. And on Saturday it rained. Birds were avoiding my feeder, and a tortoise came out of its hiding place in our backyard to get a drink of rainwater from a puddle.
While it was raining, I didn't go outside with my camera. Instead, I looked on my computer and found a Staghorn cholla blossom image from earlier in the week...
and turned it into to a little Warhol-style poster.
This morning things seem back to normal here. The sun is shining, birds are singing and visiting the backyard feeder again. For more Cactus Monday posts visit Teri's Painted Daisies.