Buggy With a Chance of Rain

Dead yucca posing as Anglo-Saxon warrior?

During the hot months in the Chihuahuan Desert after the kind of heavy rain we got last night swarms of insects often appear.  To the unsuspecting hiker (me) who might be watching out for rattlers (which also come out after downpours) or simply daydreaming while trekking it's an amazingly unpleasant experience to walk into a cloud of bugs.  If you're lucky you might inhale only a few.  Becca had them all over her coat, and I had to brush them off before letting her back into the car.  We ran into our buddy Jimmy on our way in, and had the pleasure of walking and talking with him for a while.

Looking to the high country

Flank of Tortugas and the Organ Mountains

From the high foothills we spotted this guy hiking with his two dogs

This is the way it looked most of the morning

A hazy Chihuahuan Desert

More rain is in the forecast

Soaptree Yuccas still blooming

Long road to the mountains

Old Ocotillo still has no leaves

This might be Cochineal infestation, but it looks different than mealy bugs