About a mile into our hike this morning Becca and I got spit upon by a stray, dark cloud. In the middle of a severe and long-lasting drought that kind of mockery from the rain gods really hurts. Fortunately we've lived in this "Land of Little Rain" (Mary Austin) long enough to recognize an ersatz precipitation event when we see one--or feel one, as the case may be. I felt a few drops before the overhead cloud dissipated. We never even had the chance to smell rain-moistened Creosote Bush, which is an alluring aroma specific to desert environments where
Larrea tridentata grows.
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| Rain drops |
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| Blooming Acacia smelled like fine French perfume |
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| Ocotillo thicket |
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| Syrphid family? |
4 comments:
The photo of the ocotillo remind me why people sometimes make fences out of ocotillo limbs.
Packrat: Do the acacia blossoms attract bees? Are there domesticated honeybees in your neck of the desert, or only native bees?
I'm no expert on terrestrial flies, but the insect in the last image struck me as a robber fly (Family Asilidae). As my field guide states, "Robber flies are common insects with a relatively large thorax and long legs. Most are relatively bare, with a long abdomen that tapers posteriorly; some, however, are robust and hairy, and resemble bumble bees...They are predaceous and larger species can inflict a painful bite if handled carelessly." Hands off (even if you're so tempted)!
Packrat: Oh, and by the way (I forgot to add this to my last comment), we've been "suffering" through thick clouds, drizzle, rain, and dense fog for four straight days, with a forecast for at least one more such day. As Carolyn in south-central Pennsylvania says over at her "Roundtop Ruminations" blog, we feel like wet dish rags that need to be wrung out. I guess that if we were only experiencing a spatter or two on bone-dry rocks like you, we wouldn't be complaining, though.
Scott: The Acacia flowers do attract bees, and, yes, we do have domesticated honeybees here.
I think you're right about the robber fly; I appreciate the info. I see these guys all the time, but have never IDd them.
I'm not sure we'd know how to react if we got a string of cloudy, rainy days such as those you describe. Too bad we can't exchange a few days every now and then.
:)
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