3 Free eBooks - October 2013

It’s time again for the monthly post about eBooks that are freely available on the Internet. The three below are my favorites for October 2013.

Mollhausen, Balduin. Reisen in die Felsengebirge Nord-Amerikas Bd. 1. Leipzig: H. Constenoble. 1861. Available from the Internet Archive here. The images of the desert southwest that were published in 1861 are full of plants that are (mostly) realistically portrayed. 

 Macbeth-Evans Glass Company. Shades and Globes. Pittsburgh: Bartlett-Orr Press. 1912. Available from the Internet Archive here. This catalog from the early 1900s has some appealing ‘shades and globes’ for light fixtures that would not look out of place in a home today. I like the iridescent glass and the pattern of the one I clipped for this post.

Wittmack, L. Gartenflora Bd. 42. Berlin: Verlag von Paul Parey. 1893. Available from Internet Archive here. I am still savoring the volumes of Gartenflora ---- going through a few more each month. The chrysanthemum was one of my favorite images from October.

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum - June 2013

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum was already getting warm by the time we got there on a morning back in June. The barn owl (picture to left) held by a volunteer at the entrance was a popular for stop for everyone. Behind the volunteer was a display of plants - and lizards doing pushups.

There was a desert spoon (picture to right) in bloom as we made our way toward the animal exhibits. We got to the bear’s enclosure just as it was being released from its night quarters. It went to the waiting pile of food - gobbling the watermelon first and leaving the apple and peanuts for later snacking.

The saguaros were displaying their bright red fruit but several of the barrel type cacti were blooming. Butterflies were enjoying the bird-of-paradise flowers. The teddy bear cactus did not look at all cuddly. I only managed one good picture in the hummingbird house; they were moving too fast most of the time but the one with the iridescent purple throat stopped to pose.

This museum is an easy place to enjoy. There is always something that has changed since the last time - a new blossom, an animal or bird doing something different. Post from the same place back in March 2013: birds, plants, seahorses

Saguaro National Park - East

The eastern section of Saguaro National Park was not far from our rental house when we were in Tucson in June. We got up early and headed over before the day got too hot. There is a loop to drive around that climbs a little ways into the Rincon Mountains.

The nature trail and lookout from some rocks were along the drive but we stopped at most of the turnout points as well. The high point of the nature trail was finding the cicada that was singing in the tree beside the trail. The saguaros were past the peak flowering but that made it even better because we were able to see the fruits in various stages of ripeness. Looking down into the canyon from one of the higher turnout points showed the deep erosion from the water pouring down from the mountains although it was very dry when we were there since the monsoons had not started. The bright green of the lichen on some of the rocks was starting; most of the other desert plants are a duller shade.

Enjoy the slide show of the park below! 

Doves of Tucson

This time of year the doves (clade Columbidae) are enjoying the ripening fruit of the Saguaro cactus. Their muted colors contrast with the cactus - providing a desert color scheme with the white of the blooms, the red of the fruits and the dull green of the accordion folds of the trunk. When they are not perched on a Saguaro, they are on a roof ridgeline or getting a drink at some water source (the rocks at the edge of the swimming pool that the quail enjoyed were also favorites with the doves). The birds are so numerous that they are probably the most easily photographed of all the birds in the area.

Enjoy the slide show featuring the doves of Tucson below.

Arizona Sunrise - June 2013

Getting up for an Arizona sunrise in June is for early risers. We did it twice the week we were in Tucson. The first morning was the best because there were a few clouds to provide the canvas for the colors of the sunrise. The saguaro cactus that looks that a Gumby with a wild headdress and round nose provides a sync point for the sequence of photographs below. There is a cactus wren - in silhouette - on top of the tallest branch in the last picture.

I’ll post some morning light photos in a few days. The first hour after sunrise is the best for outdoor photography. 

Desert Collages - March 2013

Today is a savoring of the vacation I had back in March in Arizona. I’ve made some collages of desert images.

Barrel cactus, lizards, cholla fruit, the edges of aloe, lichen. The eye searches for anything that is not the color of sand. The very sparseness of the desert highlights the shapes and colors.

The sky seems bluer in the desert. The tall spires of the desert spoon are not colorful but their shapes are classics of the desert.

And what about the saguaros and aloes. All the shades of green are there. One even has leaves outlined in white.

So - hear I am more than a month after the vacation - still enjoying the time in this place very different from the lushness of Maryland.

Tohono Chul Gardens

The gardens at Tohono Chul in Tucson are one of my favorite places. I notice something different every time I go. This time was in the early spring. The desert poppies that I posted about a few days ago were one of the few flowers already blooming. The cactus spines added some color.

But the odd saguaros were what caught my attention. My mind jumps to name them: the one on the left is ‘crying Pinocchio’ and the one on the right is ‘Gumby (with lots of extra arms).’ What do they look like to you?

Last but not least - the sculpture of the horned toad caught my attention. It is many times larger than the actual animal but quite realistic looking. I remember seeing them frequently when I was a child in Texas.

Some Birds at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

The raptor presentation at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum was something I had missed in an earlier visit. I was reminded of it by a volunteer holding an American kestrel near the entrance of the museum.

I snapped a few pictures of other birds on the saguaro and mesquite as we wondered around the displays waiting for the time for the presentation.

I didn’t get a picture of the raven or the red tailed hawk. The great horned owl was very photogenic before it spotted a bunny and went off in pursuit. And the prairie falcon was protogenic as well. I noticed the gear on the back in the bird when I looked at my images on a larger screen.