Lookin' for love

All photos by Angie Perryman, 7/5/2012

I'm here for you, Marge!

Portrait of  Loneliness

It's not easy being green.

Angie and Marge went to Sabino on Thursday morning (after the big rain on Wednesday) and found Sonoran Desert Toads looking for love. Don't kiss them, though. You'll likely bring on a psychotic episode, not a prince.

New word of the day

Photos by Ned Harris 6/19/2012

Although Tree Tobacco (Nicotiana glauca) is not native to this desert, it has naturalized and does well enough here, especially along the creek. The yellow tube flowers are interesting, and the fruits (stages of which you can see in the 2nd photo) are quite pretty (to me, anyway). I learned a new word when looking up info on this plant, namely: glaucous 1. Of a pale grayish or bluish green. 2. (Botany) Covered with a grayish, bluish, or whitish waxy coating or bloom that is easily rubbed off: glaucous leaves.

Could make you earless!

Photo by Nancy of AB Canada, 6/30/12

Mark writes: 

Nancy and Yvonne, two visitors from Alberta, saw this young lion just below the Bear Bridge on their way to the Phoneline trail on Sat. morning (6/30/12). They said it'd be ok for you to blog the image if you'd like.

Anne says: I like.

Photo by Ned Harris 7/3/12; Quarter for scale

Ned and I went on patrol Tuesday and ran into Granny, who gave us precise directions to mountain lion tracks that had been made that morning or the previous night. Thanks, Granny! (Linda P and I changed the hummingbird feeders on Monday and didn't see them.) There were two sets, one large (above) and one smaller. Be careful and aware out there!

Not an Earless

Photo by Ned Harris 6/29/12

Definitely not a White-tailed Earless!
Yesterday's boys: BBB1: Greater Earless lizard; BBB2: Zebra-tailed lizard. Do the dewlap!

And you thought you were hot!

All Photos by Ned Harris 6/29/12

Same as above, other side: BBB1

Not the same as above. BBB2

These males are showing their stuff! Specifically, both have distended their dewlap (that flirty flap of skin under the chin). The only studies I could find on this behavior involve lizards in the Anole family, but I think we can reasonably assume these males are also letting us know a) that we're in their territory, and b) that they are packin' heat for the females.
Since these photos very clearly show the bars, let's have a quiz. What kind of lizard is big, bad bachelor number 1 (top 2 photos) and what kind of lizard is big, bad bachelor number 2? Answers in tomorrow's post.

Whoo doo yoo see?

Photo by Mark Hengesbaugh, click for larger

Mark writes:

While the 4 dam Cooper's Hawks chicks grab most of our attention lately--and they are doing well, we saw all of them yesterday ( 6/30)--this morning (Sunday, 7/1) I came across another family of raptors on the Bear Creek side of the rec area. Two Great Horned Owl juveniles and mom.

Roadrunners

Photo by Ned Harris 6/29/12

(Honey-)Matt and Ellen.