Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum - June 2013

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum was already getting warm by the time we got there on a morning back in June. The barn owl (picture to left) held by a volunteer at the entrance was a popular for stop for everyone. Behind the volunteer was a display of plants - and lizards doing pushups.

There was a desert spoon (picture to right) in bloom as we made our way toward the animal exhibits. We got to the bear’s enclosure just as it was being released from its night quarters. It went to the waiting pile of food - gobbling the watermelon first and leaving the apple and peanuts for later snacking.

The saguaros were displaying their bright red fruit but several of the barrel type cacti were blooming. Butterflies were enjoying the bird-of-paradise flowers. The teddy bear cactus did not look at all cuddly. I only managed one good picture in the hummingbird house; they were moving too fast most of the time but the one with the iridescent purple throat stopped to pose.

This museum is an easy place to enjoy. There is always something that has changed since the last time - a new blossom, an animal or bird doing something different. Post from the same place back in March 2013: birds, plants, seahorses

Desert Collages - March 2013

Today is a savoring of the vacation I had back in March in Arizona. I’ve made some collages of desert images.

Barrel cactus, lizards, cholla fruit, the edges of aloe, lichen. The eye searches for anything that is not the color of sand. The very sparseness of the desert highlights the shapes and colors.

The sky seems bluer in the desert. The tall spires of the desert spoon are not colorful but their shapes are classics of the desert.

And what about the saguaros and aloes. All the shades of green are there. One even has leaves outlined in white.

So - hear I am more than a month after the vacation - still enjoying the time in this place very different from the lushness of Maryland.