The desert is less dramatic in the changing of the seasons but change it does. Of course, it is very hot in the summer and quite cool in the winter, but usually although the temperatures drop there isn't much moisture so we don't have to deal with snow or rain too much. It's never muddy. When we do have rain it can really pour and flash floods are very real, but then its gone again as the sand drains quickly. Sadly there are those that misjudge the intensity of the rain and flooding. It doesn't happen too often but when it does the vehicles, and often the bodies, can usually be found in the Salton Sea within a year or two. When I first heard that I thought there was some leg-pulling going on, but not so. It happens.
So far this year we've had very high winds, and colder than usual frosts. I found this snake skin attached to a creosote bush after last weekends windstorm. Isn't it eerie and beautiful?
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| Snake Skin |
The mockingbird in the picture below is feasting on the last of the prickly pear fruit of the season.
The juniper berries are ripe for the picking.
Last night we had this gorgeous sunset with amazing colors and the promise of a very chilly morning.
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| Joshua Tree and desert sunset. |
Yep, it was a cold one but today is a beautiful day.
Nature Notes this week. Visit
Rambling Woods for more postings.
11 comments:
Beautiful nature shots from your part of the world.
Great shots of your area. I love the desert country, hot days and freezing nights. I long to go out there again. My header photo is from an old sheep station on the verge of the Great Stony desert.
I'm surprised you have frosts!
I know how fast the water can accumulate on the desert. It's hard to believe until you actually see it happen.
So mockingbirds eat prickly pears? Interesting!
Its chilly here as well :-)
Love your photos, very atmospheric, makes me feel I am there in the wonderful crisp air of your desert.
Lovely shots - I especially love that sunset pic - the mocking bird looks very similar to our chaffinch - Jane UK
Beautiful!!
Beautiful shots. It's fascinating to see how the season changes in the desert. Having only seen desert once, this year in Albuquerque, it's like a window into an alien world for me. Thanks for sharing it!
Oh I love the snake skin..and the sunset is just beautiful...You asked about ravens being intelligent. Corvids of which crows, jays and ravens are part of are all intelligent. I found this bit about ravens..Michelle
'Ravens are considered the most intelligent birds, displaying high learning ability and use of logic for solving problems, in some tests bypassing the chimpanzees.
In one experiment, a raven had to reach a piece of meat dangling from strings bound to perches. To get to the food, a raven had to follow a series of actions: pull up a string stretch, hold a loop of it on the perch with a claw, then pull up another stretch and hold that loop. The birds had to repeat the action 6 times till getting the meat, while even after 30 trial crows did not succeed.
I love your desert photos. The snake skin on the creosote is cool!
My aunt used to make the most awesome prickly pear jelly when she lived in Arizona.
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