Swarming Gnats

Soaptree Yucca flower stalk west of Tortugas

Often one of the annoying things to be dealt with after a desert rain is swarming insects.  This morning it was clouds of swarming gnats that Becca and I were walking into every minute or so until the wind picked up and gave us relief.  Several times I had to stop and swipe gnats off of her fur.  The Boat-tailed Grackles pictured below have been making a racket in our yard for the past few days because it's mating season, and the males are out and about putting their beautiful blue-black bodies on display.

On the single-track

Desert Cottontail on the move

Why are bunnies so darned cute?

A little hazy in the southern Organ Mountains

Prickly Pear Cactus flower

Different colored blossoms on the same Prickly Pear

Black-throated Sparrow

Torrey Yucca husband and wife

Tortugas Mountain (left) and the Organ Mountains

Soaptree Yucca and a long expanse of Chihuahuan Desert

Mesquite Tree near an arroyo

Said arroya (dry water course)

Ocotillos (aka "Buggy Whips") leafing out

Desert Marigolds

Another late-blooming Claret Cup Cactus

Two male Boat-tailed Grackles in a Creosote Bush in our yard

Black-tailed Jackrabbit munching on Creosote in our yard

Boat-tailed Grackle (male) in one of our trees

Preparing for flight

Prickly Pear on our property