A Desert Path

 

This image illustrates the huge variety of plants that there are in the desert. The media often depicts the desert as barren of vegetation but I was always amazed at the huge number of plants, especially cactus, tht grow in the Arizona Sonora Desert. There are places where few plants grow, but you can always find a variety. Unfortunately, as in the case with the rest of the world, extreme drought will kill some of the cactus and other plants. A recent huge fire in Arizona killed thousands of mature saguaro plants, the desert icon. As this is posted, we have been suffering from smoke from fires in California. From my years of observing the desert and the mountains, it feels like we are at a tipping point in our climate and that the fall has already started and probably will not stop. 

A Mourning Dove

 

For most of my life, I woke up hearing the mournful cry of the mourning dove. It is one of the comforting sounds of the desert country and is unmistakable. Here is a short explanation of these lovely birds from Wikipedia: Mourning dove.

The mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) is a member of the dove family, Columbidae. The bird is also known as the American mourning dove, the rain dove, and colloquially as the turtle dove, and was once known as the Carolina pigeon and Carolina turtledove. It is one of the most abundant and widespread of all North American birds. It is also a leading gamebird, with more than 20 million birds (up to 70 million in some years) shot annually in the U.S., both for sport and for meat. Its ability to sustain its population under such pressure is due to its prolific breeding; in warm areas, one pair may raise up to six broods of two young each in a single year. The wings make an unusual whistling sound upon take-off and landing, a form of sonation. The bird is a strong flier, capable of speeds up to 88 km/h (55 mph). It is the national bird of the British Virgin Islands.

Extraordinary Flowers

 

Some cactus go way beyond the ordinary with large, beautifully colored flowers. As I have said in the past, one thing I miss about moving from the low desert to the high desert is cactus. 

Summer Sunflowers

 

Are sunflowers a wildflower, a weed, an annual, garden flowers, or a cash crop? It is obvious that they are all of these things. Of course, the plants that are grown in fields for their seeds are not the same as the ones growing by the side of the road but it is the diversity that makes the beautiful in all the locations where they grow. 

Yellow Flowers on an Agave

 

Some of my early childhood memories living in Phoenix, Arizona includes having a large, tangled stand of agaves between our house and the neighbor's house to the south. The yellow in this image are flowers that have fallen from a paloverde tree. This lovely plant is located in the Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior, Arizona. 

Beauty All Around

 

Succulent plants come in all sorts of lovely shapes. This image contains both agaves, which are not cactus, and some cactus. As always, the never ending variety of plants amazes me to no end. 

Green in the Desert

 

Deserts are usually depicted as barren. The Arizona Sonora Desert has quite a bit of vegetation especially along the washes where water accumulates during the infrequent storms. This is Picket Post Mountain from the Boyce Thompson Arboretum. 

Water in the Desert

 

Water always holds a fascination for those of us who have lived most of our lives in the low deserts of Arizona. This lovely tiny reservoir is in the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, just south of Superior, Arizona. 

Prickly Pear Bloom

 

Prickly Pear or Opuntia is a common cactus across the United States from California to Florida. They also grow as far north as Utah and other states. They are succulents but they can survive cold, heat, dry, and even grow in swamps. Because of the severe drought in the western United States, they are dying. 

A Horned Toad Bench

 

A visit to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum is always full of surprises. Horned toads or horned lizards are common in many parts of the western United States. Here is a short explanation about horned lizards from Wikipedia:

Horned lizards (Phrynosoma), also known as horny toads or horntoads, are a genus of North American lizards and the type genus of the family Phrynosomatidae. The common names refer directly to their horns or to their flattened, rounded bodies, and blunt snouts.

The generic name Phrynosoma means "toad-bodied". In common with true toads (amphibians of the family Bufonidae), horned lizards tend to move sluggishly, often remain motionless, and rely on their remarkable camouflage to avoid detection by predators. They are adapted to arid or semiarid areas. The spines on the lizard's back and sides are modified reptile scales, which prevent water loss through the skin, whereas the horns on the head are true horns (i.e., they have a bony core). Of the 22 species of horned lizards, 15 are native to the United States. The largest-bodied and most widely distributed of the US species is the Texas horned lizard.

Light in the Trees

 

We spend a lot of time on the Brigham Young University Campus because we volunteer at the Harold B. Lee Library Family History Library. That may sound complicated because it is. The campus is a lovely place. 

Red Sun in Smoke from the California and Oregon Fires

 

Although this seems almost surreal, this is a photo of the sun from Provo, Utah as it is filtered by the smoke from huge wildfires in California and Oregon. Visibility has been very bad and the affect of the pollution in the air is dramatic. 

A Visit from a Butterfly

 

Here is is visitor from the Thanksgiving Point Butterfly Biosphere. A very impressive place to visit here in Utah Valley. 

Shopping Carts

 

When you get to Costco early, before it is officially open, you can see something like this. Imagine when the store is full of people and there are almost no shopping carts left to use. We have seen that many times. The busiest Costco we ever visited was in Honolulu, Hawaii. 

Black and White Butterfly

 

This is a real butterfly, not a drawing. It is similar to Tree Nymph butterflies from Southeast Asia. This one is in an impressive butterfly collection at Thanksgiving Point, Lehi, Utah. 

Watermelon on the Vine

 

The watermelon this year have been much better than usual. We have also had seedless varieties that take all the work out of eating a piece or two or more. As summer progresses, the prices drop and we usually eat a lot more as a result. 

Butterflies in Utah Valley

 We live in Utah Valley, just south of Salt Lake City, Utah. We have been here for years but we are still exploring our surroundings and learning about the things to do and see. This short video comes from a visit to Thanksgiving Point's Butterfly Biosphere. This is quite an attraction.