Unprotected

     While walking in the pinyon-juniper woodland desert northeast of Walnut Canyon, I came upon this somewhat grisly scene. 

     I imagine that the tire might have held water and that this unlucky bovine was able to enjoy it for a short time before his untimely death at whatever hands. The carcass was completely empty, yet the stench of death lingered. Fortunately I was able to stand upwind to photograph the scene.

     Over the past year I've come to enjoy this strip of land, despite its having been ravaged by cattle and unethical wood cutters. It's obvious from aerial imagery, the difference between this exhausted land and the protected area within monument boundaries. 

     The lack of vegetation provides vista views and open off-trail hiking, but the large scale sacrifice of things like oxygen, food, and habitat is hard to reconcile with bare juniper stumps, spent bullet shells, clay pigeons, and beer bottles. Still, the flora and fauna there are worth a reverent look, even if it does mean staring into the eyes of human ignorance and irresponsibility for a while.

Summer Moths

     This week's Summer Solstice brought the excitement of moths. Yes, moths. On a short walk Wednesday morning I came across the largest moth I've ever seen. The wingspan was pushing 4 inches.

antheraea oculea - Oculea Silkmoth

     It was very exciting to see something so beautiful taking rest at my eye level in a short Ponderosa Pine. I felt like I was seeing something I shouldn't, a creature of the night caught sleeping in the open.

     After that experience I wanted to set up a sheet and light in the evening to try to attract more moths for close inspection and photographs. Last night the kids and I set up our potential viewing area. We snapped a few very mediocre shots of some moths that would have come just as readily to our porch light.

     Dejected and scheming to procure a more powerful light and a whiter sheet I settled in for the evening. A few minutes later my wife heard a rattling sound outside our bedroom window. I was, of course, dispatched to handle the disturbance. Amidst the toys, bikes, and art supplies on the porch was a struggling moth of decent size. I coaxed it gently from against the house and held it loosely in my hand as it fluttered wildly. My oldest daughter retrieved my camera and I took a few shots while holding the now calm moth as it stood content on my thumb. 

smerinthus cerisyi - One-eyed Sphinx

 

      After we had a long look I released our fat little friend into the air with a push. I felt a tug at my skin upon release. Fearing the worst, a leg segment left behind in a knuckle's crease perhaps, I examined my hand under the porch light. There I found three neatly laid eggs. Looking further I found two more on another finger.

     I was amazed and humbled to have been entrusted with these tiny pale green jewels containing future moth lives. I gently removed the eggs and deposited them neatly on the nearby vegetation in hopes that their mother's trust had not been misplaced.

More Mushrooms!

     Impatience and opportunity got the best of me yesterday and I weathered the lightning and rain to ascend the San Francisco Peaks in search of mushrooms. I was elated when I found more than eight different species in less than 100 yards of hiking. The rain had subsided but the dripping from the tree canopy was too plentiful for me to take out my camera, so I collected one of each species found and brought them home for study. In one spot I found three species withing two square feet. Here are a few photos of the specimens featuring a beautiful bowl by Candice Methe, decorated with Burrowing Owls (my favorite).

The Mushrooms Are In

     This morning I walked around my little corner of Coconino National Forest and was very pleased to find a pair of mushrooms growing in the footprint of a fallen ponderosa pine. I won't guess at the type of mushroom or whether it's edible but it was exciting to see just the same. There's something magical about the way mushrooms push their way out of the soil, seemingly overnight, and their variety is almost without bounds. I plan to spend considerable time photographing and learning to identify our local fungi this autumn in hopes of one day harvesting the little gems for consumption.

Harvest

     On the way back from Phoenix this past weekend I enjoyed a shin-scraping romp through the blackberry bushes along Oak Creek. The grocery bag I carried became wet with berry juice as the weight of the harvest began popping the berries at the bottom of the bag. I also sped along the path under the apple trees to pick a bag of small ripe apples. As I write the smell of cinnamon, apples, and blackberries is wafting from the oven as I am now baking an apple-blackberry crisp. A fitting reward for a few deep scratches and a sweaty brow. The apples are pictured here in a bowl by Kazu Oba and the berries on a plate by Takashi Nakazato.

Red Consolation

     This morning I set out to find and photograph mushrooms. The monsoon rains and cooler temperatures bring a good variety of fungi to the ponderosa forest. I think, however, that I am a bit early this year and will have to try again in a week or so. As a consolation I was rewarded with the discovery of a small patch of delicately beautiful Western Red Columbine.

Our Reviving Little Overnight Getaway

     Today, Michele and I returned from a relaxing overnight stay in Prescott at one of the most pleasant bed and breakfasts we have visited. Prescott Log Cabin Bed and Breakfast had everything we needed for a peaceful retreat. This place is just around the corner from Watson Lake, my absolute favorite birding spot in the Prescott area. The environment outside our Suite Solitude was perfect for close encounters with the flora and fauna of the Granite Dells. I had forgotten my binoculars but, to my pleasant surprise, the birds were most accommodating and moved fearlessly through the surrounding trees and bushes so that I enjoyed excellent unaided views of Western Tanagers (Michele's favorite), Black-headed Grosbeaks, Orange-crowned Warblers, American Robins and their young, mated pairs of Gambel's Quail, and an assortment of hummingbirds. There were also chipmunks, rock squirrels and a multitude of lizards in assorted sizes and colors. Our host, Gary and his beautiful golden retriever, Alex made us feel like we were family. By the way, Gary makes a fantastic breakfast!

     Our itinerary included lunch on the way down from Flagstaff in Sedona at Coffee Pot Restaurant on their gorgeous shaded back patio, dinner in Prescott at Murphy's, the leisurely perusal of Prescott's shops and antique stores, and a shady hike along the West Fork of Oak Creek on the way back to Flagstaff.

     Here are a few photos that highlight our little vacation:

     The front drive is adorned with a montage of authentic mining tools that speak to the living history of the Prescott area.

     An interior and exterior panoramic view of our room show its comfortable softer side and natural charm.

     While relaxing before dinner I had the pleasure of losing myself in the mind of the Lizard King sunning himself on the back porch. I lay on the floor inside the opened glass patio door and we regarded each other from our respective environs for the better part of an hour.

     Our last stop, before dragging ourselves back to our routine life, afforded a cooling of the feet in the flowing snow-melt of Oak Creek. Michele tried her hand at an environmental portrait of yours truly and succeeded easily.

     We were so relaxed, I never even thought about the iPod, Facebook, or what we'd do next. We just lived every moment as it unfolded. Next time we're staying two nights!

Death and Life in the Ponderosa Forest

     Early this morning I set out to hike in the the nearby forest. The ground still wet from recent weather was drying quickly. I stepped across a fence line broken by a giant fallen snag. A few yards past the fence was an ominously placed elk hide hanging in the branches of a tree. It must have been there for a long while as the smell of death was barely present.

     Shaking off the heebee jeebees, I left the scene to explore the recent slash and burn areas nearby. There at the edge of the blackened earth I found a fallen bird nest. I have always loved collecting nests. they represent a connection with another world for me, a world of flight. They also signify an intimate relationship with the environment that is stripped to its bare essentials.

     As I made my way back along the fence line, I was stopped in my tracks by a dark lizard lying still in the grass. Unwilling to break his solar trance, he sat for a long while as I examined him, photographed him, and stroked his back. I thought I could lift him briefly, so as to photograph his blue belly.

     I was wrong. He squirmed through my fingers and ran up my arm onto my back where I couldn't see or touch him. With some creative reaching I managed to guide him down my other arm for one last photo and comfortable release to the grass, where he promptly resumed his sunny repose.

     After all, home again, happy and hungry.

Petrified Forest... Part Two

A few more selections from our recent trip into the deep prehistory of the Southwest

Alien 'Glyph

Sugar-coated Sprout

Tree Hugger

Shadowplay

Camp

Skies Aflame

Skies Aflame 2

Fossil Found

Risen

Hand to Hand

Petrified Forest and Parts East of the Continental Divide

Somewhere between here and the deep prehistory of the Southwest lie these images.

Behold

Sunset

Temple Luna

Stone and Zen

Hand and Shaman

Skull