February Heat

Becca about to descend into a deep gully

Even though it's restocking day at the hacienda Becca and I took a moderately-long hike west of Tortugas Mountain.  The weather has been so warm of late that some plants think it's spring and are beginning to bud.  It felt so hot once we'd done about half our trek I had to remove my hooded vest and roll up my long shirt sleeves.  The extended weather forecast predicts a high of 83F for Friday, but a cool-down begins next week with the promise of lowering temperatures to near normal for this time of year.

Hedgehog Cacti

Nipple Beehive Cactus (Coryphantha macromeris)

Prickly Pear Cactus pads

Becca on the Crosscut Trail

Vista west of Tortugas

Artsy shot with hound

Mormon Tea budding out in early February

Chihuahuan Desert near Tortugas Mountain

Pencil Cholla with fruit

Closer look at the fruit

Pyrrhuloxia in a yucca

Same Pyrrhuloxia in a Creosote Bush

Pyrrhuloxia is also called the Desert Cardinal

Pyrrhuloxias have parrot-like beaks

Desert Cardinals are related to Northern Cardinals

A profile that would make Alfred Hitchcock proud

Wispy clouds over the flank of Tortugas Mountain