Chomp!

Photo by Bill Kaufman 5/1/2015

Bill caught this Coachwhip chomping a caterpillar. Click photo for a closer look.

Photo by Mark "The King" Hengesbaugh 5/6/2015

If we had a Coachwhip pattern scanner, we could tell if this is the same individual. Let's get to work on that.

The Blossoms and the Bees

Photos by Daniel Manrique 5/3/2015

Saguaros are blooming all over and bees are loading up the pollen.

Greater Earless Lizards

All photos by Ned Harris 5/6/2015

Greater Earless Lizards - female on the left, male on the right. Click on the photo for a closer look. You'll note that the male is more colorful, in general; has much more prominent bars near the groin, and has blue around the bars.

Another look at the female. Note the orange near her front legs. That means she's of breeding age and readiness. She'll lay the fertilized eggs in the summer.

I think the male has that look in his eye... Father's day is coming soon!

Ground Squirrely

Photo by Ned Harris 5/6/2015

Round-tailed Ground Squirrels are not prairie dogs, but they are in the same family. This one is certainly a mom.

Photo by Marty Horowitz 4/22/2015

Not always found on the ground! This little guy climbed high (relative to his/her height) in a mesquite to get the tasty flowers. Later, these ground squirrels will collect - and eat - mesquite pods. Yum.

Photo by Daniel Manrique 5/3/2015

They live in colonies underground. You'll often see them scurrying into one of their many holes. This one came out for a photo op!

Still Blooming

Photo by Ned Harris 5/7/2015

Several large Fendler Globe Mallow (Sphaeralcea fendleri) plants are in bloom in the area above the dam along the creek. The Forest Service moved the bee hive that was in the area. Hooray!

Builders

Photo by Ned Harris 4/26/2015

Paper Wasps are amazing builders. This nest is in a Hop Bush.

Photo by Ned Harris 4/26/2015

This group of paper paper wasps appears to be building in formation.

Photo by Ned Harris 4/11/2015

Potter Wasps are smaller than Paper Wasps and build with mud. This nest is also located in a Hop Bush.

For more on arthropods as builders, check out Margarethe's blog post here.

Acanthus for all of us

Guest blogger Fred Heath presents the plants of the Acanthus Family. 

The word that comes to mind for the flowers in the Acanthus Family (Acanthaceae) found in Sabino Canyon is "elegant." Of the four species found in Sabino, three are relatively small and without looking closely their beauty is easily missed.

Photo by Ned Harris 4/25/2012

Photo by Fred Heath 4/4/2015

The most common species is the Twin Seed (Dicliptera resupinata) which is found throughout the area. People generally notice the purple flowers, but a closer look reveals its graceful form. Note in the side view the green bract with encloses the base of the flower. These dry to a papery white and protect the seeds. This plant is used as host plant (what the caterpillars eat) by the Texan Crescent (no wonder there are so many in Sabino) and the Tiny Checkerspot.

Photo by Matt Ball

Photo by Fred Heath 4/4/2015

The largest flower and plant in the family in Sabino is the scrub-like Desert Honeysuckle (Anisacanthus thurberi), a favorite of our local hummingbirds. Although it is called a honeysuckle, it not a true honeysuckle (Caprifoliiaceae family). (A number of species in the Honeysuckle family are found higher in our local mountains.) Desert Honeysuckle is a host plant for the Elada Checkerspot, which can easily be confused with the similar Tiny Checkerspot.

Photo by Ned Harris 3/29/2015

The last two Acanthus have small white flowers and are easily overlooked. The Carlowrightia (Carlowrightia arizonica) doesn’t have a common name probably in part because it is not generally noticed by the average person. The genus name comes from a 19th century botanist, Charles (Carlos) Wright. When I see them they remind me of tiny angels.

Photo by Matt Ball

Photo by Fred Heath 4/4/2015

The final Acanthus is White Needle-Flower (Justicia longii). I really don't like the common name for this plant and use the genus name because it sounds as elegant as the flower looks. The genus name is for a botanist, this time from the 18th century named James Justice (OK, but not so elegant). Looking at the flower straight on is neat, but the side view with its long tube gives a good idea where the "needle-flower" in the common name comes from and probably also the species name "longii" in the scientific name (although there is an early 20th century botanist named Bayard Long, so who knows)

Anne says: A few years ago, we saw all four Acanthus species on one of the spring plant walks. There was much rejoicing!
Thanks, Fred, for a wonderful post!