Greening Out Despite Drought

Wide view of Tortugas and the Organ Mountains

Hot again in the early morning hours when Willow, Frio and I headed out for our daily hike.  We trekked up to Second Arroyo, stopped in for a shade and water break, and then headed back.

Despite the severe ongoing drought we're experiencing in the American Southwest the Mesquite Trees are greening out nicely in the northern Chihuahuan Desert.  Many other of our arid-land plants look as dry as bones, though, and they seem really to be taking a beating now even though we had some minor precipitation the past few days.

This & the next:  inside Tellbrook Arroyo

Distant Mesquites

Up close and personal with a Mesquite

Hot Heelers

This & the next 2:  Frio and Willow

East in Second Arroyo

This & the next:  shadow of the Mesquite Tree

This & the next:  more green Mesquites

Two butts, one tail

 

Already Hot

This and the next:  views from LDR-A

It was already hot when Frio, Willow and I set off on our morning hike today.  As soon as we crossed the Tellbrook Arroyo from LDR-A we made a detour west because a runner was heading in our direction.

We followed the single-track trail looking for the new arroyo, but we must have been distracted because we missed it.  The next section of our trek was a meandering bushwhack back to LDR where we turned north and went up to First Arroyo.  We stopped in the arroyo for a shade and water break before heading back into the upper flatland.

Although there were several vehicles parked at the Tellbrook/Sonoma Ranch corner lot--both before and after our hike--we saw none of the occupants.  Only human we spotted this morning was the desert runner.

Prickly Pear

Angry Hummer

This and the next 2:  Mesquite Trees

Dead tree?

This and the next 2:  Willow and Frio

Looking toward the mountain in First Arroyo

Soaptree Yucca stalk

LDR

Darker green foliage where the arroyo runs

This and the next:  Fishhook Barrel Cactus

Shade enough for one

This and the next 2:  Carpenter Bees on Ocotillo flowers

Ocotillo flower

This and the next 2:  Desert Willow and flowers

Mesquite Tree on our property

 

After the Bloom

Crissal Thrasher (Toxostoma crissale)

Willow, Frio and I hiked up to Second Arroyo this morning.  On the way back I searched for and found the Night-blooming Cereus that had flowered the night before.  As you can see in the image below it looks like an old stick without the flowers; when the flower remnants disappear the plant will be next to impossible to find.

Heelers earned a solid A grade for their behavior out there today, both on the trail and in the arroyo.  They also got an A for their demeanor on the ride home; even though we saw another loose dog walking with its owners neither Willow nor Frio went haywire.  They received an abundance of praise from me.

Honey Mesquite

Heelers

This & the next 3:  Frio and Willow

Second Arroyo

Night-blooming Cereus the day after the bloom

Organ Mountains

Last 2:  Cholla blooming in a yard off Tellbrook