Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

New Life for Arizona Queen of the Night Cacti

New Growth on the Hill

Yesterday, I took the short hike up to the back of the lot to check things out. I was interested in whether the Arizona Queen of the Night cactus would be showing signs of new life. I was not disappointed when I saw these small buds on the shaft of the Peniocereus greggii that had been nearly destroyed by a fallen palo verde branch up there. There are also two more four-inch branches growing along another part of the cactus.

In addition, the branch that we cut off last February in order to try and rescue the cactus is showing signs of having taken root (image). It may be too soon to tell if this is a flower bud or a new branch developing on the cutting.

With some luck, we may be able to see the gorgeous flowers from one of the Arizona Queen of the Nights this summer. Click on the image to enlarge.

Hat tip to Crotalus for setting us straight on the binomial designation for this species.

27 May 2015 by Arizona Home & Garden

Pumpkin Flowers and the Veggie Garden

Pumpkin Flowers

It’s springtime and the seeds planted in the courtyard pots are starting to produce. These are typical squash blossoms and are on the pumpkin vines I planted. Click on the image to enlarge.

I also have planted (from a store-bought starter kit) radishes, carrots and several other veggies that I hope to harvest later in the summer, if we can keep the ground squirrels and rabbits away, that is. I also have tomato vines with several new flowers.

We shall see how the garden projects will do. We are still learning about how to deal with the higher temperatures in the desert.

26 May 2015 by Arizona Flowers Home & Garden

Never Forget Our Freedom Enablers

never-forget.jpg

Memorial Day is the time for us to stop and remember those brave men and women of the armed services who gave their lives in the ultimate sacrifice for America. Sure, we’ll be grilling up some holiday treats and celebrating the beginning of the patriotic summer season, but we’ll also have our American flag flying at half-staff until noon in accordance with the Memorial Day protocol.

I liked the sentiment in the Ramirez cartoon above with the symbolic spirit of a disabled veteran giving a hand to the next generation of free Americans. Just as we Never Forget the Islamic Terrorism events of 9-11 and other times, we also will Never Forget the honored dead in all the wars from the American Revolution to the War on Terror still raging today. God Bless ’em All!

24 May 2015 by Military Never Forget Patriotism

Curve Billed Thrasher Fledgeling in the Nest

Thrasher Fledgeling

I was out in the courtyard on this beautiful morning, camera in hand, hoping for any photo opportunities that might arise. I was alerted by one of the thrasher parents to some activity in their nest in the little cholla cactus just outside of the courtyard.

Sure enough, when the parent bird left the nest, I could see some movement in the nest. From about 20 feet away, I pointed and shot several frames hoping that I could get a close-up of one of the nest’s occupants.

I didn’t see it until downloading the images to the computer, but this is a pretty good image of a thrasher fledgeling that looks as if it’s about ready to come out of the nest. Canon SL1 settings: 1/320sec, ISO 125, F5.6, 220mm focal length. Click on the image to enlarge.

We have given the birds their space since seeing eggs and then several hatchlings in the nest. There could be up to six of the little birds since we observed that many eggs a few weeks ago.

23 May 2015 by Arizona Critters Photography

Spring Quail Chicks Now Showing

Quail Brood

Although we have spotted quail with juveniles during the past few weeks, this is the first time we have seen a brood in our yard. The mama quail is at the right, the papa toward the bottom center and the seven chicks can be seen scurrying toward the left. This isn’t the best image due to late afternoon shadows, but you can on it to enlarge for more detail.

These juveniles must be several weeks old since most of their permanent markings and topknots are visible. Each chick is about two-thirds as large as the adults.

Wikipedia has an extensive article on Gambel’s Quail:

The Gambel’s quail (Callipepla gambelii) is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. It inhabits the desert regions of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Texas, and Sonora; also New Mexico-border Chihuahua and the Colorado River region of Baja California. The Gambel’s quail is named in honor of William Gambel, a 19th-century naturalist and explorer of the Southwestern United States.

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21 May 2015 by Arizona Critters Home & Garden Photography

Desert Gopher Ground Squirrel (See Comments & Update)

Pocket Gopher

I’m told that these are rarely seen and I believe that since this is the first time in four years that I have seen one. We think it’s a pocket gopher or similar critter according to a wildlife pamphlet we consulted after I took this photo.

I went up on the hill behind the RV drive to refill the bird feeders and saw the gopher near the base of the garden poles where the feeders hang. It went back into its hole and disappeared, so I went about my business with the birdseed block and bell I brought up with me. When I opened the packages, there were a few loose seeds that I threw down close to the hole where I saw it a few minutes before.

After I finished, I retreated down the hill a bit where I could see the hole. By and by, the birds started to come back to the feeders and shortly after that, the gopher stuck its nose out of the hole and started eating some of the seeds I had tossed its way. Eventually, it came all of the way out of the hole and I was able to get this photo of it.

At present, I don’t consider the gopher a varmint, but just another of the wildlife critters in our desert. I reserve the right to reconsider its varmint status if it starts to devour some of Damsel’s cacti and veggies. Click on the image to enlarge.

UPDATE: Thanks to the keen observation skills of reader and friend Crotalus, we have determined that this is not a gopher at all, but rather, a Round Tailed Ground Squirrel.

19 May 2015 by Arizona Critters Environment Photography

Meet Alex

Alex

This is Alex, our eight-month old great grandson, playing in a baby playset on the RV drive. He and his Mommy (our granddaughter) flew from California to visit us for the weekend. It was the first time that we got to see and hold him in person, rather than on the FecesBook™ thing.

Alex (Alexander David) is a delightful little guy, who is also gregarious, wanting to interact with people. He was not afraid of his great grandparents one bit and exhibited his coy little smiles and attempts at talking with us more often than not. Like all babies, he has his less cheerful moments with teething and other discomforts, but all in all, he was great to have around for a few days.

The both of them have gone back home, but I’m sure that they had a nice time visiting us. We hope to take a trip out west to see them and many of our friends and relatives real soon.

18 May 2015 by Arizona People Photography Travel

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