This 'n that

Around the home and garden...

This year we're growing herbs in containers on the patio

sweet basil

and we fenced in the tomatoes and covered them with shade cloth

so far, so good!

The pomegranate and citrus trees are setting fruit for the first time since the big freeze of February 2011.

Hummingbirds share their nectar feeders with verdins and woodpeckers.

The kingsnake made a brief appearance before retiring to its home in the wall.

Plumbago

After a year and a half, I finally finished another patchwork quilt:

Vitex tree

oatmeal cookies

Have a great day!

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Crescents

On May 20, 2012, with a makeshift projector, we viewed the annular solar eclipse in Tucson, Arizona where it appeared as a partial eclipse.

Also during the eclipse, subtle crescent shapes appeared in leafy shadows on the ground and walls.

The tiny sun crescents were a little easier to see on smooth white posterboard.

Linking to Skywatch Friday and Shadow Shot Sunday 2

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Rattlesnakes

I saw two Western Diamondback rattlesnakes so far this year.  The first snake (observed April 9th) is hard to see as it blends in with the creosote bush it was under.

This snake was full grown, a good four feet long.

The black and white section of the tail is the easiest part of the snake to see.

Today I saw a much smaller rattlesnake slowly crossing the road.

Much easier to see!

I didn't hear any rattling.

A short video:

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Bobcat

On a nature walk last Thursday,

while viewing the pale moon low in the sky, 

I noticed something moving on a saguaro...a bobcat!

The cat leaped from one cactus to another,

and then settled into the crook of a saguaro's arm.

Although curious, I didn't hang around to see what the wildcat would do next.

Have a wonderful week!

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Spring Birds

Hello! While looking through my photos, I found these bird pics that hadn't made it into blog posts yet, probably because a few of them are blurry, but the encounters were sweet and I wanted to share them anyway.  From the last week of March and first week of April:

white-crowned sparrow

 

black-chinned hummingbird

brown-crested flycatcher

Gambel's quail

verdin

cactus wren

northern cardinal

ladder-backed woodpecker

northern mockingbird

vermilion flycatcher

Enjoy your day!

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Cinco de Mayo

Weekend snapshots:

pomegranate

blooming saguaro - supermoon rise

saguaro blossoms

Mexican palo verde

blooming desert fern (Lysiloma)

green tomatoes

Oleanders

Arizona Sycamore

burro pinata

pomegranate flower

Yucca elata

Have a great week!

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