Bumper Crop

Hairy-Seed Bahia (?) and Range Ratany

Becca and I started off fairly early for our morning hike west of Tortugas Mountain, and there were already six or seven vehicles in the Sunset Area parking lot when we got there.  We didn't see anybody, though, until we were about a half mile into our trek, and then a guy with a dog on lead approached.  We stood off the trail as they were about to pass, and the guy said to me, "Beautiful morning."  "It is," I said.  Then Becca snarled at the guy's dog, something she hardly ever does.  The other dog seemed docile enough, so I don't know why it called out that behavior in Becca.  I chastised her, though, reminding her that she's not to act that way.  She looked only slightly remorseful at being gently scolded.  We saw other outdoor enthusiasts during our exploration, but we had no direct encounter with any.

The weather was perfect for a morning in the desert, 52F when we started off, but warming rapidly; we're supposed to hit 87F this afternoon.  I wouldn't mind it if we had a cool spell or two before slipping into the hot days of summer.

Prickly Pear and Ocotillo

Strawberry Hedgehog

She loves me not

Strawberry Hedgehog

Becca taking a break

Could this be Fineleaf Hymenopappus?

Looking south to the Franklin Mountains

Ocotillo

Closeup of some of the Ocotillo flowers

Typical Chihuahuan Desert scene

Desert dog

Not peppers, but yucca fruit

Prickly Pear flowers

Strawberry Hedgehog

Desert Marigold

Another sandy desert scene

Different-colored flowers on the same Prickly Pear pad

Secreting oneself

There she is

Ocotillo and observatory

Three views of the flower girl

Soaptree Yucca flower stalks

To the southwest

More Prickly Pear blossoms

More Strawberry Hedgehog flowers

Experiment

Closer to the mountain

Soaptree Yucca flowers