Monday, March 31, 2008

a few 'firsts' from this weekend...

The day before yesterday--out of the city, hiking in the foothills of the Tucson Mountains by the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum...

My wife saw her first rattlesnake-in-the-wild; it warned her as she walked by:


...later in the day we spotted our first blooming cactus of the season--a hedgehog cactus:
...and the first Ocotillos are sending out their 'matchsticks' on fire:
...at the Desert Museum itself, my wife saw her first javelina--not a wild pig, but a closely related 'collared peccary:'
...and we saw a Harris' Hawk in flight--amazing birds; they hunt in packs, 'wolves of the air:'
...such intense eyes--can spot a cottontail rabbit from a mile away:

...these small wild lilies are actually wild onions:


...and this is a Mariposa Lily...

...in June, this Saguaro's 'hand' will be covered in creamy blossoms; bats used to pollinate them, but now bees do the job:
...and I can never resist taking pictures of the unusual poses of these prickly giants:


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