Filed under: bees, hiking, insects, nature, photography | Tags: animals, bees, damselflies, hiking, insects, nature, photography, toads, wildlife
sunday afternoon the sky started getting moody and i started feeling desperate. “i need more bug photos for my upcoming show.”
braving the elements, (rain and thunder….not too frightening) i headed east to my favorite dragonfly hotbed.
first of all, it must be said, my new hiking boots are totally comfy and i’m so glad i didn’t let anyone talk me into returning them.
and yes, my feet ARE totally adorable when they’re…in shoes. moving on….
’twas a brilliant day. the light was diffused with clouds and the roll of thunder kept going on and on and on. (like a moody blues tune, only you actually like that it’s not stopping)
big surprise of the day? tiny toadkins. these little toads were hopping all over when i climbed down to the pond bed. and also, these little toadkins are why i smelled like dead fish for a wee bit.
but, how cute? they were worth it.
you’re wondering,….”how tiny IS that tiny toad?” well, he’s about the size of watch battery. maybe smaller. maybe the size of a micro sd card?
now, regarding the upper body strength….
damselflies.
they have some staggering upper body strength. …no?
sadly, the last visitor reminds me about how i’ve lost my bee friends.
agapostemon.
i miss my agapostemons.
eh. nice critters out there.
afterwards i hopped back in the honda. listened to van morrison, ray lamontagne, and…what?…mazzy star. ’twas a good day.
Filed under: flowers, hiking, insects, life, nature, photography, plants, wildlife | Tags: flowers, hiking, insects, life, nature, photography, tucson, wildlife
and so it came to pass…abacus and i fancied a hike in the catalinas.
we arrived at the trail head to see this:
a harbinger of pain? how tough was this hike going to be?
not too bad, actually! it was hot, but i think we sort of kicked ass! it was full sun, but we made good time.
now, i need to say, my hopes for nature viewing were low, but we were treated with views of ravens and a hunting red tail. also, scads of funnel spiders had set up shop:
one knoll was plastered with these. i like the funnel spiders. they’re efficient eaters…and their bodies remind me of sugar smacks!
we also had some lovely flora…
whatcha got right there is the Mirabilis linearis – Narrowleaf Four O’Clock.
the climb was steep so i noticed the plant life on the way up: moving slowly and all. on the way down, only critters caught my eye.
here is a punk ass grasshopper who i followed for a great while he would only turn his back to me.
grasshoppers are the biggest teases in sonoran nature. they know you want to take their picture…they leave, but they stay close enough for you to follow.
how high were we? this high:
we also saw the dainty sulfur and the claret cup hedgehog:
we were back down town by 11:15 for beers and clams at bob dobb’s!
Filed under: animals, border collies, dogs, hiking, life, nature, pets | Tags: animals, border collies, burros, dogs, donkeys, hiking, nature, pets, wildlife
so it was saturday and it was time to take the border collies hiking!
4 miles in the mountains. pickles had a great time and the 3 border collies that went all got along great! there was time for them to frolic in the pine needles before the trek began.
a good time to get away from the heat and enjoy the cool mountain air.
bailey enjoyed playing fetch with pine cones the entire way, pickles got to chase a bird and eight ball just was a good boy, pluggin away.
greenery, wildlife, wildflowers, fresh air.
and…
a burro? “who cares?” says pickles, “my border collie friends are leaving without me!”
….
“can we go again?”
Filed under: beetles, insects | Tags: animals, beetles, hiking, insects, nature
yes…he really IS called the “pleasing fungus beetle.”
sorry the picture is so crappy. i only had my point and shoot with me yesterday. these guys were all over when we went hiking in the mountains yesterday morning.
Filed under: bees, flowers, insects, nature, photography | Tags: animals, arizona, bees, cactus, hiking, insects, nature, photography
we took a day trip and i got up close and personal with these gigantic saguaro cacti.
as you can see, these are very tall. we were lucky they were all over, even beside the road. to get these shots i had to use my 75-300mm telephoto lens and stand on the back of the truck. this shot was from about ten feet away.
this one is from about 5 feet away. good thing because it is a much smaller bee! it was about the size of a large grain of rice.
see how tall they are?
the entire area was packed with bees, but we weren’t scared as they were all native bees. we didn’t see any honeybee swarms.
several varieties of bees were wallowing in the saguaro blossoms. other native bees were buzzing around about a foot above the ground. everywhere you looked you saw a bee flying around.
it was great!
Filed under: animals, dogs, nature, new mexico, pets, photography | Tags: cactus, dogs, hiking, life, nature, photography, pictures, travel, wildlife
if the day begins with hashbrowns…it’s gonna be good. but lets not dwell on breakfast…
the hike to the petroglyphs was easier than i expected, so we went a little farther. i have to say….i had a good time but i was sad i didn’t see more wildlife. not one single raptor. and no snakes.
but this was a fun surprise:
a cairn. i love these things. i tried to keep them up in my back yard…but certain fast moving cinnamon bears kept knocking them over.
and of course, the whole reason we went to this site:
.
ooh, yeah baby, petroglyphs.
ancient peoples. writing about the sun, mankind, eternity, and mammals. gotcha. scholars don’t really know for certain what the icons mean, but they are all over the world. sun sign. biped. random mammal.
that sounds about right. they were pretty much everywhere so many centuries ago.
but, there too, also… (that’s how alaska governors speak)
there, too, also,…were some pretty scenes.
it was a pretty and peaceful hike.
no dogs welcome here, but in retrospect…it would have been too dangerous. venomous snakes, lizards, scorpions, nasty-ass-boars, mountain lions, prickly-spiny things. it made me definitely consider moving home so the dogs can be safer on a saturday morning walk.
Filed under: nature, photography, travel, trees | Tags: conservation, finger lakes trail, forestry, hiking, moss, nature, photography, trees
today my brother and i hiked a length of the finger lakes trail.
we didn’t go very far because i still am a snot head. (meaning i have a cold, not that i’m lacking manners)
it had rained all morning, so the ground was covered with soggy leaves and puddles. cold damp air is foreign to my lungs; it was a nice change of pace. fresh mossy smells, not the dusty trails of home.
we only saw squirrels and one bird. no exciting wildlife, but there was a variety of mosses and lichens which i won’t see for a while.
our walk was through a pine forest. the rows were so orderly, i had to ask who planted them. a product of president roosevelt’s ccc, these pine forests were planted all over as a reforestation project meant to employ americans and conserve the forests. 3 billion trees were planted in 9 years.
it is a gloomy evening, but soon company will arive so we had better get a second wind. i napped after our trek, so that will help….
later taters.
Filed under: animals, beetles, dogs, insects, life, nature, pets | Tags: animals, beetles, burying beetles, dogs, environmental, hiking, insects, life, nature
we did a sunday morning hike again, but this time cody brought his friend hannah. here they are after the hike. as you can see, cody bear is happiest when he has spent time in nature.
and i met this cool guy. v. brought her dad along. as soon as cody bear saw him he melted. “that man has to cuddle meeee!” he loved this man. and he was a really nice guy and he volunteers for the center for american burying beetle conservation! in a nutshell, it sounds like loss of habitat and insecticides are playing a big part in the diminishing numbers.
wish i could blog more, but i have so much to do. just wanted to pop on and let you all know that cody had a great morning. going to take him and pickles shopping now!
Filed under: animals, dogs, pets | Tags: animals, dogs, hiking, life, music, pets, pictures
just got back from a lovely hike with the dogs, and where i thought it would tire them out….it’s only got them restless and wanting more. it must be the wind. i got out of work a little early, grabbed the kiddos and headed to a park in the foothills. i’ve been there many times before and didn’t even know they had a trail behind the picnic area that went to a riparian area with trails and crazy birdlife! i think the dogs could sense that i was excited for the find because they got even bouncier and smilier while walking through the dunes.
but…the wind that has got me sneezing!
ok, here’s my anti-play list. my 4 least favorite songs of all times:
1. the song i hate the most: “we built this city on rock and roll” by jefferson starship. this song makes me want to chuck bricks at ewoks. i hate it….with the white hot intensity of 1000 suns.
2. “your body is a wonderland” by john mayer. shut up…i hate your song.
3. “you’re beautiful” by james blunt. creepy stalker song. it’s not music to me, it’s audible flotsam.
4. “human” by the killers. stupid stupid irritating.
speaking of crap….look at all the shit hanging from my trees:
bird cage, one of 7 bee nests, oil lantern, oak leaf wind chime, terra cotta pot. oh there’s more people. there’s more.
Filed under: animals, dogs, gastroparesis, mutts, nature, pets, wildlife | Tags: animals, cheese, dog training, dogs, gastroparesis, hiking, nature, pets, wildlife
(no wildlife was harmed in the preparation of this blog post)
previously on hiking with cody bear….i nearly lost my arm when cody “flushed” out a rabbit. but today’s post isn’t so much about wildlife as it is the drunk guy in the white pick up truck.
let me begin.
we live in a topographically diverse part of the country. the wildlife is abundant, and the bees…oh the bees. so here you have your up hikes and your down hikes. if you go up into one of the mountain ranges within an hour of town you get cooler temperatures, mountain vistas and rugged rocky paths that lead to waterfalls and remote pools. the down hikes are canyons and river beds. the hikes are winding and the ground is soft and sandy and it heats up quickly.
we went down this morning. it was me and cody bear, p. and her mom and her two dogs sam and jack; my friend d. and her friend v. and her border collie. so, since cody bear has turned into such a fan of nature (i mean this in regards to his new culinary wants) i upped the stakes and took chunks of gouda with me to entice him to better….”leave it.”
i know i know i know. who takes 11.99 per pound cheese hiking with them? i do, damn it!
at a trail head:
this peeves me. i'm just sayin'...
so we’re trekkin’ along and d. says “hold up. turn around and go back.” it’s a guy, driving his truck along the river bed with his labs running behind.
she says “i know this guy. this is how he exercises his dogs.” and she takes off towards him. next thing we know, he’s turning into the flippin river. so j. pulls out her mobile and says, “i think i have the sheriff’s number he can NOT drive in that river.” (our rivers are VERY protected. very very sensitive wildlife area here.) so i freeze, right. who has the county sheriff’s dept on their mobile? probably someone who hikes with a gal that takes 11.99 per pound cheese to use for dog treats on a hike? perhaps?
so d. comes back and starts telling us, that yep, he’s drunk again. she sees him here all the time as early as 8, wasted. one time he was running his dog at an agility trial….and…while he was running the course…his pants fell down. and, you guessed it, he was running commando. (for mom and grandmother…that’s sans underwear. ya follow?)
we continued on. cody bear was euphoric. (meanwhile, in case you’re wondering, pickles was home with peanut butter stuffed mini kongs.)
we headed back and encountered the white truck. parked. “he’s probably sleeping it off now.”
so that was our morning. the hike was hot, but easy. i have to take pickles on her adventure now, but first….
here is a picture of my very happy cody bear on our way home after his hike:
please note, if you’re visiting this site because your dog has gastroparesis:
i do not recommend you feed your dog cheese if they are currently taking the medication reglan(metaclopromide) without consulting your vet first.
cody bear's friends 