Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

March 2015

Echinocereus (Hedgehog Cactus) Flower

Hedgehog Cactus Flower

Early this year, we had our landscape crew come around to remove some vegetation in anticipation of construction of a new wall and RV drive. While they were here, I asked them to bring a little hedgehog cactus from the outback down to where we could see it in the rocks below the courtyard.

The first flower on the little hedgehog opened today. I took this close-up photo of the delicate flower that will likely be with us only one day. But, there will be more as can be seen in this photo of numerous Echinocereus Flower Buds on the transplanted cactus. Click on the image or the link to view the full-sized photos.

12 Mar 2015 by Arizona Flowers Home & Garden Photography

And Now For OUR First Cactus Flower

Beavertail Cactus Flower

I sure hope you like flowers, ’cause I love them. Springtime, although not official yet, has come to our town. This is the first (of many) flowers to open on the beavertail cactus next to the RV drive. Click on the image to enlarge.

There are many other cacti spread around the landscaping in the yard and more up in the natural desert part of the lot on the hill and up in the wash, all of which will have flowers in the spring and summer months. As I said, I love flowers and will have many more photos of them as they open for the next few months.

11 Mar 2015 by Arizona Flowers Home & Garden Photography

Lurking in the Rosemary

Lurking in the Rosemary

After all those years of enjoying the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote Looney Tunes cartoons from Warner Brothers, it’s hard to think of the poor roadrunner as predator rather than prey (roadrunners are both, actually). You expect it to go ‘meep meep,” when actually the roadrunner has a slow and descending dove-like “coo”. It also makes a rapid, vocalized clattering sound with its beak.

Having watched our roadrunners (ours because living on or near our lot) for the past several years, it is clear that they are predators. They lurk near the finch feeders to try and catch an unwary goldfinch eating thistle seeds. We have not actually witnessed them catching a bird but we have seen them lie very still then leap and miss. We have seen them carrying prey in their beaks, probably small reptiles, as they scurry off to consume their catch.

I photographed this bird lurking in the rosemary ground cover near the feeders behind the RV drive in the late afternoon. Click on the image to enlarge.

10 Mar 2015 by Arizona Critters Environment Photography

First Spring Cactus Flower

First Cactus Bloom

I posted about this very cactus last March when we spotted the first flowers from an opuntia basilaris (beavertail cactus). Today, while walking the dogs up the road, we saw a single flower that had opened. The cactus is about thirty yards up the hill behind the fence along the roadway. Click on the image to enlarge.

Most of the neighbor’s yard is undeveloped desert property except for a small patch at the top of the hill from where this cactus lives. It’s about a two-acre spread with a medium-sized house and garage with a couple of storage sheds. The rest of the property is just plain Sonoran desert with natural vegetation, including the spot where this wild cactus can be found.

Our beavertails and hedgehogs (Echinocereus) are all showing flower buds that will potentially open in the days to come. One hedgehog cactus (a transplant from up on our hill) has buds two inches long and should open this week. I will post more pictures when that happens.

Update: Same beavertail with More Cactus Flowers.

08 Mar 2015 by Arizona Flowers Photography

Spring Poppy

Spring Poppy

The Town of Wickenburg posted on their social media page about all the spring wildflowers that are popping up after the recent rainfall. On our weekly trip to the supermarket today, we could see lots of flowers along the roadway as we drove. There were desert marigolds, orange mallow and lots of poppies. I got out of the truck just up the road from our house and took this photo of a poppy. Very pretty! Click on the image to enlarge.

05 Mar 2015 by Arizona Environment Flowers Photography

After the Rain

Thrasher Beavertail BudHedgehog BudsLots of Buds

I climbed up on the hill out back to replace the bird seed bell and block that would usually be up there; since the rain mostly abated today, I was able to go up and do the replacement. After I finished, the first customer impatiently waited on a cholla cactus about 20 feet away from where I was. I took this photo of the curve billed thrasher using the Canon SL1 and 300mm telephoto lens.

A little later, I went out front where Damsel has a few cacti growing in the landscape rock garden. It would seem that we’re going to have a lot of pink and purple flowers soon. Left to right in the lower panel above: beavertail cactus flower bud, several hedgehog flower buds and scores more beavertail buds on one very prolific plant. I took these photos also with the same camera, but with a shorter focal length for close-ups. Click on any image to enlarge.

03 Mar 2015 by Arizona Environment Home & Garden Photography

Where’s Waldo?

Where’s Waldo?

If you look very carefully, you may see a bird in Damsel’s plum tree.

Seriously, Damsel and I have a running joke of saying “Where’s Waldo?” whenever we see a male cardinal outside; the bright crimson color of these birds makes them easy to spot even in non-sunny conditions like this morning. I was on the courtyard patio with the intention of shooting some close-up photos of plum blossoms with raindrops, when this cardinal briefly lighted in the tree.

I got the photo of the bird OK but I’m still working on competing with Damsel when it comes to crisp close-ups (none of my raindrop/flower pictures were acceptable). Click on the image to enlarge.

01 Mar 2015 by Arizona Critters Home & Garden Photography

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