Year in Nature Photography – Day 128

Day 8 of Arizona backyard photography.

Final day, leaving Tucson. Captured a full moon behind a saguaro the night before. The prickly pear cacti looked rather wrinkly when we first arrived but after the rain the plumped up storing what water they could get. One last picture of the bird of paradise bush. It’s quite remarkable how much life there is in the desert, though in the high parts there is less diversity than in the lower parts and we were in a city. However, as you can see from the aerial pictures, farming is still possible, with lots of circular fields for easier irrigation. I hope to get the chance to head back sometime and maybe see other parts of the desert in this country or elsewhere in the world.

I hope people enjoy the expanded information I’ve provided with the posts from this trip. I’m quite backlogged at this point so the next bunch of posts will not have as much information to them in order to get caught up. I’ve also grouped this trip in a separate sub-category so they can be found again and edited if I learn more.

Year in Nature Photography – Day 127

Robber fly (family Asilidae)

Monsoon rainbow

Closer lightning

Distant lightning

Cellphone pic of what I think is an ornate tree lizard (Urosaurus ornatus)

Pretty sure it’s a spiny lizard just not sure which one (Sceloporus sp?)

Rain shaft

Last sunset

most likely round-tailed ground squirrel (Xerospermophilus tereticaudus)

Mediterranean house gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus)

Day 7 of Arizona backyard photography.

Last full day in Arizona. Technically the lightning pictures were form the night before but due to the camera being set to Eastern Standard time (three hours ahead) they ended up lumped with today’s. Talk about your fireworks, a long exposure and patience allowed me to capture these. My Uncle, David Allen Harvey (who is the reason I was out in Tucson) is a professional photographer and has fantastic nature pictures, lightning, astronomy, architecture, portraits, you name it, gave me some great pointers for future shots.

The word monsoon comes from an Arabic word “mausim” which means “season” or “wind-shift”. When one says monsoon one generally thinks of the torrential rains found in India, however according to Arizona State University: School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning Arizona does indeed have its very own Arizona Monsoon. The word monsoon actually describes a season of heavy rains that occur due to a shift in the winds from winter west/northwest to summer southerly/southeasterly direction. The summer shift brings in moisture from Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico and in combination with daytime heating allow for convective (rising warm air and sinking cold air) thunderstorms to form. Typically the rain comes July-September in a series of “bursts” and “breaks” where there are a few days of storms all over the region “burst” followed by a few days to a week of very few storms or “breaks”. Check out the ASU link and this “The Monsoon” from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Weather Service for better justice on the description. Also there is a picture of a rainbow at the tail end of the storm and a rain shaft before the storm.

For this post we have an non-native Mediterranean house gecko which eats insects and seems to be restricted to developed areas. They come out at night, particularly if you leave a light on to attract insects as well, but were extremely shy and so I was forced to use flash to get this picture.  Additionally we have another spiny lizard of an unknown species due to only catching it’s head and what I’m pretty sure is an ornate tree lizard. I have found the Reptiles and Amphibians of Arizona website to be useful in figuring out the various lizards. You can identify things with more surety if you can narrow down the region or local where things are found.

I thought I had snapped a picture of a prairie dog, turns out it is actually round-tailed ground squirrel. Like prairie dogs they tend to live in colonies with underground nests. They’re omnivores though they rely on succulent vegetation for water, they will also eat insects and apparently roadkill of their own species. The one pictured can be seen carrying a mesquite seed (Prosopis sp?).

Last is a robber fly on a piece of what looks like dryer sheet. Robber flies have piercing-sucking mouth parts and are insectivorous, meaning the eat other insects which they catch in the air. If handled wrong they can also inflict a painful bite to humans. They are generally considered beneficial insects except when they eat other beneficial insects such as bees.

Year in Nature Photography – Day 126

Unknown silhouetted bird

Incoming clouds

Desert panorama with the Catalina Mountains

Possibly a western red-tail hawk ‘rufous morph’ (Buteo jamaicensis) could also be a golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)

Unknown lizard poking its head over the wall

Unknown lizard on the wall

most likely a desert cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus audubonii)

Monsoon rains in the distance

Day 6 of Arizona backyard photography.

Today’s pictures are a good example of the fact that without a picture showing full markings or body, it is very difficult to identify a creature with any surety. There is a lot of diversity in the markings of the lizards found in Arizona, so I wasn’t able to give a definitive guess.

I was quite lucky with the hawk (or eagle), although not enough detail for me to identify for sure. In many species there exists much variation in markings, in some you have distinct “color morphs” as seen in the red-spotted purple butterfly, eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly, and several of the lizards found in Arizona. Red-tailed hawks in particular exhibit a fair amount of variation as you can see from the linked article.

Also caught a clear picture of what was likely a desert cottontail rabbit. Like most rabbits, they have few defenses against predators such as hawks, snakes, or coyote so they make up for it in excessive reproduction. They’re able breed at 3 months of age and have at least litters each year which include 2-4 baby rabbits.

Year in Nature Photography – Day 125

Bergaalwyn (Aloe marlothii)

Creosote bush (Larrea tridentata)

Prickly pear cactus fruit (Opuntia sp.?)

A whiptail of some sort can’t quite figure it out (Aspidoscelis (old genus Cnemidophorus) sp.?)

might be a Rawson’s metalmark (Calephelis rawsoni) Butterfly, definitely on desert ageratum (Ageratum corymbosum)

Day 5 of Arizona backyard photography.

We had lunch at a botanical park in Tucson today, unfortunately we didn’t have time to go through beyond the plants they had out front. I managed to catch some butterflies and a lizard and was remarkably able to at least hazard educated guesses about the butterflies. Thankfully the plants were labeled so no problem there.

I had a hard time figuring out which whiptail lizard I saw as there was no exact or near match picture that I could find. Interestingly enough, some whiptail species found in the southwest are all female. They reproduce via parthenogenesis (parthenos = Greek for virgin and genesis = Greek for birth) which means they do not need a mate in order to reproduce. One of the “benefits” of sexual reproduction is in the mixing of genes which allows for adaptation and protection from genetic diseases. However, asexual/clonal reproduction can allow for rapid population growth, among other “benefits”. I put benefits in quotes because there is some subjectivity as to what are considered benefits within the scientific community. The linked article has some interesting information about the topic as well as current research. Some of it is rather complex if you’ve not studied methods of reproductions, but it seems that these species are products of hybridization which has given them increased genetic diversity to begin with. I find biology to be absolutely fascinating in the myriad of ways there seem to be to overcome adversity in the environment and is why it’s important to maintain species diversity.

Year in Nature Photography – Day 124

Cicada (family Cicadidae, might be of the genus Diceroprocta)

Cicada (family Cicadidae, might be of the genus Diceroprocta)

Southwestern Yard

Southwestern Yard

Day 4 of Arizona backyard photography.

Today we have a couple of yard shots from a van and two shots of cicadas. Cicadas are at least one of the quite noisy insects you often hear during the summer. Sometimes they are called locusts however the over 3,000 species are unrelated to the true locust which is a type of grasshopper. Each species has it’s own distinct “song” that the males produce by a special vibrating membrane (much like a drum) on their abdomen called a tymbal, and in some species it can be heard over a mile away. Some cicadas emerge every years, but some species such as the 17-year cicada appear all of a sudden in large numbers at regular intervals. The young nymphs grow underground feeding on roots and eventually emerge to continue feeding on the sap of trees. When they crawl out of the ground they climb up a tree and have a final molt where they shed their skin and emerge as a winged adult. The molt can often be found still clinging to branches. It should also be noted that in some areas, cicadas are fried and eaten as a delicacy.

Since the two yard pictures are general shots, I’ve not named the plants. However, you can see examples of Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) and various agave family of plants which includes actual agave plants, yucca plants, among others. The agave link talks about agave genus/family and takes you to a project of the Sonoran Desert Museum which is a great place to visit, though I didn’t make it there this time. It’s interesting to see yards that contain these plants and sand, no mowing like we do back east. However, in some areas people missed the colors and green, so they have planted flowers and grass that traditionally grow in eastern and more northern climates. This is rather unfortunate as they require more water and maintenance than the desert natives as well as creating allergy problems that many people escaped to Arizona to avoid. All of this last bit anecdotal but I definitely prefer the native landscape.

Year in Nature Photography – Day 123

Ants (family Formicidae)

Body of what I believe is Red Yucca, Red Hesperaloe (Hesperaloe parviflora)

Ants (family Formicidae)

Flowers of what I believe is Red Yucca, Red Hesperaloe (Hesperaloe parviflora)

Creosote bush fruit (Larrea tridentata)

Mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) on a saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea)

Day 3 of Arizona backyard photography.

It occurs to me that when I write longer posts I might want to have the pictures first. First off we have a picture of a mourning dove on top of a saguaro. Mourning doves are one of the most abundant native birds in North America, as partly evidenced by finding them all over Tucson as well as back home in Delaware. They are native and popular prey for hunting but they continue to thrive despite hunting pressures and habitat change.

There were a couple of colonies of larger red ants than I’m used to back east. I thought they might be fire ants, due to their red color, but it turns out that Arizona is one of the states with greatest ant diversity with around 318 native species. There are native fire ants which sting but not as bad as the red imported fire ant. Either way I felt caution was in order and with the colony so active I was hesitant to get closer. To truly figure out what species I have here I’d need a microscope or true macro lens to see details. If you look at the link I have given and go to the species field guide you’ll see how remarkably different looking different species of ants look.

From animals to plants, we have a native red yucca which isn’t actually a yucca. Additionally there is a yellow variety of the same species, so we have another example of a misleading common name. The red flowers are popular with humming birds. I also captured an image of the fruit of the creosote bush also called chaparral. Like the saguaro the creosote bush can live for up to 200 years. The plant produces a pungent but pleasant fragrance and has been used medicinally by Native Americans as well as being investigated by modern science for anti-cancer properties. It should be noted however that consumption is not recommended, due to the fact that when taken as an herbal supplement, it has been linked to liver and kidney problems.

Creosote bushes often form circular clonal colonies (all genetically the same) and even though they produce abundant seed, only a very few seeds are able to actually germinate. One of these clonal colonies is found in Joshua Tree National Park in California and is known as the “King clone” and using radiocarbon dating and known growth rates scientists have determined that this colony has been in continual existence for an estimated 11,700 years! Because the colonies are slow growing and have low seed viability, wiping out a colony can mean that it will take many years to become what it was. My own Master’s research on native bamboos indicated that bamboos are much like creosote bushes in that they form clonal stands and have low seed viability. When a stand of bamboo is wiped out, unless there’s a surviving few plants they often can’t recover.

Still more to come!

Year in Nature Photography – Day 122

Day 2 of Arizona backyard photography.

For today we have another silhouetted animal, this time a lizard. Caught another lizard feeding on some rotting watermelon. These lizards are quite skittish and even movement at this distance will scare them off so I had to do some long distance ID for this one. Based on the color of the head and some of the patterning I’m guessing it is a desert spiny lizard which can have some quite brilliant scale coloring. The linked source indicates that females will have reddish/orangish heads during breeding season. Also apparently they can change color from light to darker to aid in the absorption (dark color) or reflection of light (light color).

In the deserts of Arizona most of the little rainfall they receive comes during the monsoon season. I’ll post about this later but this season brings out the paloverde root borer which is a member of the longhorn family of beetles and one of the largest beetles in North America. As the common name suggests, the larvae (grubs) feed primarily on the Mexican palo verde trees but will feed on other non-native trees as well. Despite their rather fierce looking mandibles (jaw, mouth parts) they seem to be vegetarian.

Cacti can be as difficult to identify as most other plants. A lot of details such as the number of folds, number of needles, how the needles are clustered, etc. distinguish different species. If you manage to catch it in flower you’ll have an easier time, unfortunately I seemed to have missed that event. All that aside, I’m pretty confident that I have a picture of a saguaro cactus with a hole in it. Saguaro’s can live for up to 200 years and many reach over 40 feet in height. They start producing flowers around the age of 55, which are borne at the tops of the ‘arms’ and main stem. The flowers bloom at night and are pollinated by birds, bats, and other insects. Some may have holes in them that may have been created by birds such as Gila Woodpecker and the Gilded Flicker for nesting. I’ll have more on cacti in later posts, but you can also see a fruit of a prickly pear type cactus.

Difficult to know for sure but guessing a Female Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus magister)

Gambel’s Quail (Callipepla gambelii)

Prickly Pear Cactus bud (Opuntia sp?) Could be the cow’s tongue again

Lizard in silhouette

Paloverde Root Borer (Derobrachus geminatus)

Hole in a what I’m pretty sure is a Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea)

Year in Nature Photography – Day 121

Day 1 of Arizona backyard photography. It’s going to be a challenge to ID things I saw on my trip, but fortunately my aunt had a book of “Plants of Arizona” which I browsed through so I have some direction to head. I have several pictures of critters that I saw from their porch and due to the bright sun gave me just a silhouette, which makes for an interesting picture but virtually impossible to identify.

Today’s pictures include a bird of paradise bush (this is at least one of the colloquial names and what my aunt called it), which despite the name isn’t related to bird of paradise flower, familiar in floral arrangements. This is why local and regional names can be confusing and why we use scientific names. There are a lot of prickly pear type cacti in their yard but this particular one seems to be a cultivated variety and is named for the tongue shape of the pads. I’ll talk more about cacti in another post. Also their yard had families of gambel’s quail running around.

Stay tuned, there’s plenty more to come.

Bird in silhouette

Gambel’s Quail (Callipepla gambelii)

Bird of paradise bush (Caesalpinia gilliesii)

I’m going to go with Cow’s tongue cactus (Opuntia engelmannii var. linguiformis)

Bird in silhouette (sp?)

Bird of paradise bush (Caesalpinia gilliesii) bloom

Year in Nature Photography – Day 120

Quite the back log of postings 🙂 My trip to Tucson Arizona was quite fruitful even if we didn’t do much sight seeing (Main purpose of the trip was to visit family and support my Uncle who is a professional photographer). There will be some slight discrepancy with timing due to the fact that my camera was set for EST and not PST. For today, three cellphone pictures from the plane. One of these days they’ll have it set up so you can figure out what you’re flying over while you fly domestic but we’re not there yet. Not all flights have wifi and it’s unfortunately not complimentary, though I don’t know if you’d be able to follow in google maps/earth even with a wifi connection.

Evening sky up high

View from the sky, not sure where we were over

View from the sky, of a river, not sure where we were over