Cactus Monday - Desert Dome

Hi there. I'm a little late for Cactus Monday this week. Chris and I were visiting family in Wisconsin for a few days. While we were exploring Milwaukee, we went inside Mitchell Park Conservatory, also known as "The Domes."
The three beehive-shaped glasshouses are The Arid Dome, The Tropical Dome and the Floral Show Dome. The Arid Dome features cacti from North and South America as well as Africa.
It was hot, bright and sunny inside the Desert Dome. Strolling along the paths felt similar to walking around at home in the Sonoran Desert. Perhaps all that was missing were cactus wren songs, buzzing cicadas and glimpses of lizards darting here and there.






I hope everyone is having a happy Cactus Week. We were without internet on our trip, so it'll probably take me a few days to catch up on visiting all your great blogs.

For more Cactus Monday posts, visit Teri's Painted Daisies.

Along the Creek in June

Chris and I followed Sabino Creek* from Upper Sabino Canyon, past the dam, to Lower Sabino Canyon. The creek bed was dry except for an occasional shallow pool of water. There is more water at higher elevations. Kevin saw a large bird wading by the 9th bridge yesterday. It was probably a Great Blue Heron.

Instead of the usual babbling brook sounds, we heard birds chirping and cicadas buzzing.

Desert Cicada

Greater Earless Lizards were scampering left and right.

This small pool of water provided relief from the glaring white sand.

This Hooker's Evening Primrose along the creek caught my eye. As the petals age, they change color from yellow to peach.

We found no surface water left in Sabino Lake.

And, no water was spilling over the top of the dam.

But, water was seeping through the dam from the underground stream.

I wondered what kind of plant this was growing in the shade. Some kind of loco melon or a gourd perhaps?

This little guy looked curious. Harris' Antelope Ground Squirrels are similar to chipmunks except that they have no stripes on their faces. They hold their tails curved over their backs for shade like a little parasol.

The skeletal remains of a saguaro cactus stood beside the dry creek. It almost looked like a Wild West scene. Perhaps if a buzzard had perched on it...

Although we could hear lots of birds, we didn't see many. Chris did manage to get this close-up of a roadrunner. If you click to enlarge the photo, you can see the bird's eyelashes.
*Sabino Creek is a perennial canyon stream that can be observed flowing above ground most of the year. But during foresummer, water levels drop to below the surface in some areas. Monsoon rains in July and August will replenish the stream briefly. Then, the creek recedes again during September and October until refilled with fall and winter rainwater.

Cactus Monday - Pink

Each of these pictures features something pink. And, since this is for Cactus Monday, you will find some sort of succulents as well.

Pincushion Cactus at Sabino Canyon ( June)

Prickly Pear on Sunrise Drive (March), Aloe in our yard (April)
Hedgehog Cactus (April), Chainfruit Cholla at Sabino (June)

left: Prickly Pear fruit ripening at Sabino Canyon (June)
right: my neighbor's Red Yucca blooming (June)

Tucson, Arizona Summer 1994

Christmas Cactus (January)

Do the rabbit's ears qualify for something pink?

The range of hues that can be considered pink is wide and includes some corals as well as magenta. Here is Wikipedia's Shades of Pink link.

If you like prickly plants or art, check out Cactus Monday posts at Teri's Painted Daisies. Happy Cactus Monday!

Cycling at the Canyon

I'm not sure why I don't own a bike. Perhaps I enjoy the simplicity and slow pace of walking so much that it just hasn't occurred to me to get a bike yet. I sure do enjoy watching cyclists though, and find it similar to observing wildlife in nature.

People of all ages and walks of life ride bikes in harmony with the desert, each other and pedestrians.
Like wildlife, cyclists sometimes travel in packs. There is a collective name for a bunch of cyclists. A 'peloton' from a French term means "rolled up in a ball."

This sign offers a reminder:

The nine bridges are just wide enough for the trams which might be why bikes and shuttles run at different times.*

Here comes another group, quietly coasting along, effortlessly in single file.

The line of cyclists gracefully follows the curves of the path. Bike parts glimmer in the sunlight like reptile scales. I love it.

The riders' athletic abilities, the colors and patterns of their clothing and bicycles all fascinate me. As with birds, I try to capture their shapes, colors and movements with my camera.
After riding in Sabino Canyon, many people load their bikes onto their own vehicles. Resorts and tour companies like this one also organize cycling trips.
And, many locals just keep on riding, right out of the recreation area. I wholeheartedly embrace the idea of people commuting to work, school or errands by bike rather than car when possible, or just cycling for fun or fitness.
It shouldn't surprise me anymore when I go to the canyon to observe plants and animals and I find myself watching people with great interest. After all, people are a part of nature.

*Current cycling hours at Sabino Canyon Recreation Area: Bicycles are allowed on the paved roads before 9:00AM and after 5:00PM. No bikes are permitted on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Cactus Monday - More Saguaro Fruit

In the summertime, walks in the desert are most enjoyable early morning or in the evening. Chris and I looked at Sabino Canyon after sundown to see if any bats were feeding on saguaro fruit. The only bats we saw were little brown bats, the common little insect eaters that come out at dusk. Sorry, we didn't get any photos of bats, just the fruit.
But if you like bats, you might enjoy this short 21 second National Geographic video of a fruit bat eating from a saguaro. Click here for video.

Sometimes I bring my camera early in the morning when I go to the nearby track. I like to watch for birds in the natural desert vegetation that surrounds the school. There are no birds in the photo below, but I like how you can see the moon above the building.
There's a hummingbird feeding on the saguaro fruit in the photo below. Hummers in the wild are usually too fast for me to catch in a picture.
One of these house finches is orange colored. The hue looks slightly different from the orange house finch that visits our backyard feeder.
This cute little yellow headed bird is a verdin. It's not much bigger than a hummingbird. Verdins are abundant at the canyon, but they are usually camera shy, preferring to keep hidden among mesquite branches.
I'm not sure what this plain colored bird is that's eating the saguaro fruit. I'm guessing it's a juvenile verdin.
And here's the same bird holding onto the leaf of a desert spoon plant (sotol). Birders, please let me know if this is not a verdin.

Happy Cactus Monday!

For more cactus fun, head on over to Teri's Painted Daisies.

Cute Ground Squirrels

Here are some of the round-tailed ground squirrels observed at Sabino Canyon over the last two months.

I hope you enjoy looking at the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them.

"Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of
compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of
nature and its beauty."
~Albert Einstein