Really Bad Air

This & next:  large Torrey Yucca far west of LDR-A

It was chilly out there for Willow and me on the morning trek, but not as cold as yesterday due to the absence of wind.  The air, however, was incredibly bad.  We had strong winds overnight, but it looked to be more than just dust from gusts; perhaps more controlled burns?  Except for the bushwhacking we did right at the beginning of the hike in order to photograph the large Torrey Yucca (images 1 and 2), we followed our regular route.  On leaving--just as we were about to turn onto Tellbrook from the upper flatland road--we saw Mrs. Basset and her five hounds on the south side of the street waiting for us to turn.  They crossed over to our side as we were driving down the road.

Lots of buds, one claret cup

This & next:  Faxon Yuccas on a ridge

Little Willow

Desert Evening-primrose

 

Very Windy, Very Cold

Weather conditions at start of hike

The weather was pretty awful when Willow and I began our morning hike:  windy, cold, little sun; it literally felt like late fall heading into winter.  Conditions improved slightly during our outing, but I didn't remove my gloves nor earband until we were about to climb the steep hill out of the right branch arroyo.  After lunch when I took Willow out for her noon constitutional we weren't able to sit out at the front of the house as we normally do because it was only 52F with a stiff wind.

Looking south back up LDR-A

White-winged Dove

Distant blooming yucca

Wils

This & next:  male Ladder-backed Woodpecker on ocotillo

Evening Desert-primrose

Claret Cup Cactus

 

Long Bushwhack with Willow

Blooming Faxon Yucca

Willow and I got an early start this morning and almost immediately got off trail to photograph the yucca in the first image here.  We then followed LDR-A arroyo down to the cross trail, but headed north past the Tellbrook Arroyo to do some extensive bushwhacking in the many side arroyos there.  Fortunately we came across a few blossoming yuccas that made for good images.  We spotted both Mrs. Basset and her hounds as well as three hikers in the northwest desert, perhaps Two-White-Dogs-Lady +2.  The Wilster and I were out in the desert for nearly two hours today.

Desert Marigold

Willow staring down an arroyo

Phacelia, prickly pear, spectaclepod, barrel and hedgehog

Poor photo of a Desert Cardinal

Hedgehog cactus

Yucca flowering west of Tortugas

Looks to be a Say's Phoebe

This & next:  blooming yucca

 

Barrel cacti and blooming yucca

Wright's Deervetch(?)

Artsy kestrel

Sans One Saturday

Early morning mountains

Just Willow and me on the morning trek; Dr. K's in Arizona.  51F when we started out today, warming to 82F.  We followed our regular route, hearing and then seeing Mrs. Basset and her hounds when we just started up the right branch on the final third of the hike.  Nothing spectacular out there to photograph today, but the scenery was beautiful nonetheless.

Sky over ocotillos

Desert light

LDR-A arroyo

Claret Cups

This & next:  Wils in the right branch

View of Tortugas and the Organs from the right branch

Last 2:  ocotillos budding out

 

Flowering

Waning Crescent moon, 28% illumination

Willow and me on the morning hike today.  It was still a bit chilly out there so I wore my gloves for two-thirds of the trek.  Most notable thing about the outing was the Claret Cup Cactus that was blooming in the middle branch arroyo; this specimen is often the first we discover flowering in our section of northern Chihuahuan Desert.

Headed down LDR-A arroyo

Spectacle Pod in sunlight

Long view across the desert floor

This & next:  blooming Faxon Yucca

Willow the noble heeler

This & next:  Claret Cup Hedgehog Cactus

Desert Evening-primrose (Oenothera primiveris)

 

Terrible Air

Spectacle Pod

The air this morning was the worst that Dr. K and I have ever seen; we couldn't tell if it was smoke from a fire (we didn't smell burning wood), a temperature inversion or haze from overnight winds.  Whatever it was it was bad.  We followed our regular route seeing no other human nature enthusiasts out and about.  We did spot plenty of birds, the most notable of which were a male and female Ladder-backed Woodpeckers both of whom were sampling flowers atop a Faxon Yucca.

Spectacle Pod and Soaptree Yucca

Three amigos (house finches)

Faxon Yucca blooming

Wils

This & next:  male Ladder-backed Woodpecker on yucca

This & next: male (left) & female Ladder-backed Woodpeckers

Blooming Faxon Yucca sans woodpeckers