I went hiking, with Peter and Jim, north of Cave Creek, Arizona last Sunday and one of the wonders we came across was an oak tree with oak galls on it. The ones pictured above are about a half inch in diameter. They were mostly empty and the shells weigh less than a gram. They appeared to be growing on leaves. Sometimes called oak apples they are formed by wasps and are related to their reproduction cycle. Until about 100 years ago they were a… Read More »Oak Galls
The riot of pollinator activity around the Saguaro bloom was a wonderful surprise for me in the last few weeks. I saw bees, other bugs, Hummingbirds and Threshers. It make you wonder what they all live on the rest of the year.
This flower was spotted just around the corner from our house in a very unlikely hedge. It is the flower of the Passion fruit vine. We sure live in a blessed place. What a great back yard scuba find.
In preparation for our hike in the Alps for my 65th birthday I have been doing some practice hikes in the San Gabriel Mountains. As you can imagine I take great pleasure in being able to write that I am going hiking in the Alps. Yes life is good. On these training hikes I’ve taken a few good photos of the spring wild flowers. Here are a few: Wild Mustard on a hillside a close up of the mustard Orange Flowers See lots more spring… Read More »Wild Flowers 2012
One of the ideas that I promote is not just looking at things but actually seeing them. I call it backyard scuba because it is what people are willing to do underwater but forget to do in the backyard unless reminded. The new small digital cameras allow us to see the wonders in our own back yards in details that even a few years ago weren’t possible. For instance here is a picture of a climbing rose by our backdoor. Note the bee on the… Read More »Backyard Scuba Reminder
