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Sunday, November 24, 2013

Snowy Desert

A frosty Prickly Pear Cactus
Snow in the northern Chihuahuan Desert is not a rarity, and is often a welcome event.  It brings much-needed precipitation to an arid region, moisture that leaches into the underground aquifer after being slowly absorbed by native flora. Snow days also create a welcome aesthetic contrast to the generally sunny disposition of the desert landscape.  I must add, too, that it's great fun to get out into a snowy desert with a good dog who likes nothing better than to romp around in the white stuff.
Torrey Yuccas wearing a thin mantle of white

Yuccas and Tortugas Mountain

A promise of even more snow

Eager to reach the lower desert

A nose for snow

Soaptree Yuccas and Tortoise Mountain

Bishop Cap

The Organ Mountains

Under the snow a Barrel Cactus

Across the white expanse of Chihuahuan Desert

Soaptree Yucca

White-winged Dove on a snowy Ocotillo branch

4 comments:

Dr. K said...

It's amazing how beautiful snow can be in the desert. I can tell that Becca is having a blast.

Scott said...

Nice new diversity in your images, Packrat. I've been waiting for your local update on the severe weather we've been hearing about on the news, but it looks manageable in you images.

Kali and were returning from a dance performance on Saturday evening and ran into a squall that laid down, in 20 minutes, about as much snow as you got. It was all melted when I awoke on Sunday morning, but it was really cold, clear and windy here all day; it never got about 30 degrees. Brrr!

packrat said...

Windy and 30? Not a good combo, Scott. Where we live we got about 2". Very manageable for somebody originally from northeast Ohio.

:)

Caroline said...

Gorgeous photos! Kate's right. The desert is beautiful in the snow!

Late Trek

1st 2:  Tortugas and the Organs I took Willow for a brief walk in the arroyo beside our house this morning before heading over to the dentis...