Palo Verdes bloom big in 2012

The Palo Verde bloom this spring is spectacular. As I look across the valley, I can see ribbons of yellow blossoms. This year has been an exceptional bloom season for our state tree. For those whose mental picture of the desert resembles something from a Roadrunner cartoon, it might come as a surprise to know that the Sonoran desert does have trees. And Tucson has lots of them.

This is a CARTOON desert!
Desert trees are short in stature with small leaves to help conserve water. The Palo Verde, which means "green stick" in Spanish, earns its name from its green trunk and branches. It doesn't even require leaves for photosynthesis. In those years when rain is extremely scarce, Palo Verdes don't die. Instead, they just shed their leaves to conserve their water stores until the rains return.

Foothills Palo Verde
View looking back at the house.

Plentiful spring rain made this a great bloom season.
View from the bottom of the driveway.

View from the catio.
Yellow from the Palo Verde blossoms dot the landscape...

...all the way to the horizon!
View from the catio.

Gambel's Quail in a Mesquite tree

Quail usually scurry along on the ground, but occasionally they will perch in trees or atop a cactus. While strolling through the neighborhood today, I first heard, and then spotted this male Gambel's quail.

Male Gambel's Quail in a Mesquite Tree

Prickly Pear blossoms 2012

A sampling of the Prickly Pear cactus blossoms in the yard. No pinks or purples around here, but still pretty.

Londo wearing the Cone of Shame

Vets say cats are wizards at hiding their ailments, and Londo hid his pain well. It wasn't until his grooming started to suffer that I knew something was wrong. His back two teeth had become infected. My poor boy must have been in miserable pain, and whatever he feels now can't be anything compared to what he was feeling. :-(

Londo after dental surgery wearing the Cone of Shame.

The vet tech said he looked like a flower.

While he was under anesthesia, I also had them remove a small growth from his left ear.
Cats base almost all of their recognition on smell, and a trip to the vet means you come home smelling "funny." Galen thinks we've brought in a new cat, and he's not very happy about it. After the trip last week, he growled at Londo for three days!

Galen growling at this "unfamiliar" cat.

Canyon Towhee

The Canyon Towhee gets added to my life list today. Ironically, he wasn't listed in the edition of the National Audubon Society's field guide that I usually use to identify birds. Using web sites to help identify birds can be hit or miss sometimes, but Whatbird.com did the trick this time.

White-winged doves arrive on schedule (Tax time)

Stevie Nicks, an Arizona native, crooned about the white-winged dove in her song Edge of Seventeen, the third hit from her 1981 solo debut album Bella Donna.

Although these doves were made famous by her song, they are pigs and bullies at the feeders. They usually arrive right around tax day, and this year was no different. I spotted the first one today. That gives them yet another reason to earn their "Mafia bird" standing.