Friday Trio

Huge Soaptree Yucca with multiple flower stalks

66F when Dr. K, Willow and I hit the trail this morning.  It felt warm, but not as much as yesterday.  We're headed for a high of 91F this afternoon.  We followed our regular route today seeing some interesting desert denizens along the way:  a Gray Hairstreak butterly and a Crissal Thrasher.

This & next 2:  Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus)

This & next:  Crissal Thrasher (Toxostoma crissale)

Willow and Dr. K

Some ocotillo leaves are yellow already

Willow paying attention

Stinging Serpent plant (Cevallia sinuata)

Artsy house finch pic

 

Nobody, Nadie, Nessuno

Jackrabbit at the waterhole

Even though the temperature was in the high 60s when we started off this morning it felt warmer than yesterday when it was in the low 70s.  Dr. K and I wondered if the humidity was a bit higher; Willow couldn't care less about these kinds of meteorological questions.  We followed our regular route seeing no one else in our section of northern Chihuahuan Desert.

Parade of Soaptree Yuccas

Heading down LDR-A arroyo

Prickly Pear flower and friend

Willow in the right branch arroyo

Interesting clouds

A female Scott's Oriole with a grasshopper

Little-leaf Sumac berries

 

Almost Hot

Sky at start

Dr. K was comfortable on our hike this morning, but I was on the border of feeling too warm; Willow never revealed how she felt.  Did our regular route without seeing a soul; we did hear a dog barking once, but didn't spot it.  The morning outing was pleasant enough, but I'm not looking forward to the high temperatures that will be steaming in.  Afternoon high today is supposed to be 95F.

Dr. K and Willow heading down LDR-A

Soaptree Yuccas

Desert Cardinal and hummingbird

This & next 4:  same Desert Cardinal

Curve-billed Thrasher

 

Straight-billed heeler

Allthorn (Koeberlinia spinosa)

Sliding Towards Summer

1st 2:  fallen Soaptree Yucca flower on leaves

Even though it was in the low 70s when Dr. K, Willow and I started our morning hike it felt hotter.  We followed our regular route stopping many times for shade breaks.  After the hike we headed home and I took off for my weekly shopping stint at Albertsons.

This & next:  Soaptree Yucca flower stalk

One of many breaks for Willow

Ocotillo leafing out

 

Brisa Fresca

Panorama

About 60F when Dr. K, Willow and I started our daily trek, but a strong breeze kept conditions quite cool out there.  Dr. K thought it felt cold.  Willow was perfectly comfortable, so much so that she lay down in the shade approximately ten times during the hike.

Willow on lead

Soaptree Yuccas at the side of the trail

Pause for thought

Soaptree Yucca

This & next:  pencil cholla buds

Twin-leaf Senna flower and buds

 

Sunday Love

Willow in ocotillo shadow

A lot hotter this morning as Dr. K, Willow and I did our regular hike.  We followed the usual route happy that a persistent strong breeze kept the temperature down.  We took an extra-long drive after our outing, appreciating the desert from the comfort of Whitey the CR-V (aka the "dogmobile").

Dr. K and Willow in the middle branch arroyo

This & next 2:  prickly pear flowers

Surprised to find a claret cup cactus flowering

Swainson's Hawk

Odd-shaped Soaptree Yucca flower stalk

Prickly pear color experiment

Same prickly pear as above (phone pic)