It can change, it can stay the same...
On the phone again with Docken, thank you Docken. I took the flat route walking the nearby campus today. There was a lot of bending over digging holes and planting seedlings yesterday at home, making a gallant effort to get some plants for summer blooms happening despite the efforts of voracious insects and unseasonable temps. Yesterday made for some physical struggling today but the mental medication of getting out and taking photos more than made up for it.
Here are some pictures.
Echinopsis candicans, still blooming.
Invitation, calling all pollinators.
This is the same female Calypte anna hummingbird that was on this same Cephalocereus senilis cactus last week collecting the hairs which are modified spines protecting the cactus from frost and sun. Nests take around a week to build and are 1" tall by 1.5" in diameter. She's probably making some finishing touches.
The palo verde trees still in bloom but not quite as brillant as they were last week. The past five days, with temperatures in the low to upper 90ºs, really took a toll on a lot of flora. However, today is quite pleasant. As I type the temperature is a comfortable 70ºf, midday.
Male Calypte anna hummingbird, Dusty at one of his regular perches. You'd think he could go help with that nest building but nope.
The flowering spire on this century plant (Agave americana) apparently shot up in the past week. I certainly didn't notice it last week and it's pretty hard to miss.
The goats were out doing what goats do best--eating.
From a distance I thought this red-tailed hawk looked to be fully adult but then Docken and I heard it make the weaker kee-eeeee-arr call of a juvenile. When I looked at the images I could clearly see its adult plumage wasn't quite there yet.
I extended the walk a little and picked up the pace just for the sake of walking. I know where the mile mark is and ended up walking just over two miles. My back nagged at me for the return mile and I swore a lot (right, Docken?) but I'm glad I got out and made the effort.
Flowery language aside, the pictures are perfectly pretty as per usual. Gotta love the goats and their way cool acronym. Dusty kinda looks like he partied hardy over the weekend; although adorable, still. And, yeah, the hawk's probably young. Either that or he was hangin' with hummingbird "D" last night. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYay! I think I fixed my settings ! I’m thinking Dusty might be a tad chauvinistic 😎 Still waiting for a hummingbird sighting in my yard. The up close hummingbird pics are fantastic. Pollinator has me wanting to sneeze !
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