Blooming in the Summer

A cute baby Verdin!

This flowering plant, called Red Bird of Paradise or Mexican Bird of Paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima), is commonly used in desert landscaping because it is drought tolerant and attracts hummingbirds and butterflies.  I think the red and orange flowers and ferny foliage look especially nice against blue sky.  Have a wonderful week!

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Bugs

Three tiny ants on a flower form a face.  ( Click image to enlarge if necessary.)

Ants on Yellow Bells flower (Tecoma stans)

Sweat Bee

Milkweed Bug nymph

Giant Mesquite Bug nymph

Giant Mesquite Bug adult

Bark Scorpion

Comparing this picture of neighbor kitty chasing a bug with the picture above it, doesn't he look like a scorpion?

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July

The trails (where I usually walk) reopened last week after being closed for a month. Here are some snapshots from the past week:

Ash-throated flycatcher

Chainfruit Cholla blossom

Black-tailed jackrabbit

Saguaro fruit rind

Round-tailed ground squirrel with mesquite bean

Verdin

Desert Spiny lizard

Pyrrhuloxia

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Cuteness

Lately, I've been noticing things in "my world" that are cute.

For example, I think this baby Harris' Antelope ground squirrel that I saw out in the desert is cute.

And these young Roundtail ground squirrels as well. To me it looks like they're playing pat-a-cake.

Almost everyday, the neighbors' cat drops by our backyard to visit while his family is at work.  Even though he temporarily scares the birds out of the yard, I still think he's cute.

Speaking of birds, the cute cardinal couple can be seen hopping and darting about the garden throughout the day. 

Every now and then I catch a glimpse of one of their young.

It's hard to see in these pictures, but it's interesting to note that the immature cardinals' beaks lack the orange color of adult beaks.

And, this little cutie, a Verdin juvenile maybe, whose yellow head feathers haven't come in yet.  I just  say, "aw" whenever I see it.

Lastly, the amigurumi. Amigurumi is the Japanese art of making crocheted or knitted animals.  According to Wikipedia, "Amigurumi have no practical use; they are created for aesthetic reasons. The pervading aesthetic of amigurumi is cuteness."

I hadn't crocheted in 30 years, but I picked up my old hook and yarn, and with the help of free patterns and tutorials online I made my first amigurumi, a gray monkey.

Next, with my cute grandson in mind, I made the little tan monkey...

and a Delft blue elephant pillow:

At the moment another amigurumi is taking shape here and I welcome it. With all the serious things happening in the world right now, embracing cuteness seems to balance it all out perfectly.

Linking to My World Tuesday.  Have a wonderful week!

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After the storm

Yesterday afternoon, unusually strong wind knocked down trees at the school.  Hopefully, no one was there at the time!

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