New Mexico – Page 6 – a curious nature

Bird with a Bellyache?

July 29, 2023

Do birds get bellyaches? I wonder?
This is a puzzling yet happy little story about an American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) who paid us a visit and stayed for hours.

We’ve gotten in the habit of placing a dish of cracked corn just over our courtyard wall within view of a few windows. The corn was intended as a supplemental food source for the mule deer that occasionally wander by our house. The deer really haven’t been showing up much and we almost decided to remove the dish, but …………… Something was obviously eating the corn.

So we readjusted our thinking and began to look for critters smaller than deer, like squirrels. Yep, the rock squirrels were gobbling up huge quantities, stashing as much corn as possible into both cheeks, and merrily running off to their cache with their stash! It was quite funny and always drove Luna crazy when they were around (that was our clue).

Some quick sketches of the crow as he “recovered” from some mysterious affliction.

But in addition to the hungry squirrels, there were regular visits from crows, lots of crows (aka “murders” of crows). As they feasted, there was much noisy squabbling amongst them, and definitely a pecking order would form where the older birds (?) would eat their fill, fly away, and then the younger birds would eat and leave. This had been going on for a few weeks, when yesterday Roy noticed a lone bird sitting on the wall long after all his friends had “eaten and run.”

The hummingbird perched over the crow, just watching with curiosity!

For a few hours he sat very still, hardly moving a feather, and didn’t appear well at all. Maybe he had eaten too much corn and couldn’t fly? Maybe he had come to blows with one of his friends and suffered some kind of injury? Maybe an opportunistic rattlesnake, lying in wait by the corn dish, struck and bit the unwary bird?

After a few hours, he jumped down to the ground about a foot away from the wall, and again remained stock still, except for slight reactions to an occasional jay or towhee flyby. He would open his eyes, cock his head, have a look, then resume his stoic stance. There was even a hummingbird that perched just over his head and watched the crow for a few minutes, curious perhaps about why this big black bird wasn’t with his clan?

Another 45 minutes went by where the crow spent most of this time with his head down and eyes closed; the rest of the time with head slightly raised while repeatedly “blinking” his nictitating eye membranes (the opaque eyelids). All of this behavior gave him an even more distressed, sorrowful look.

And then, with noticeable effort, he moved a foot across the ground, coming to rest for another 30+ minutes. We were discussing options to rescue this crow, when all of a sudden, he came to life and flew away! Poof! Just like that!

I think his friends must’ve given him a time out for hogging too much corn, and when he completed his banishment period, he was permitted to rejoin the murder? There haven’t been any crows around since.

I’d be interested in your thoughts!

Until next time ……. be curious

June “Littles” ….. a buzzy, buggy, snake-y month

June was hot, Hot, HOT

Two-page spread with 14 June Littles + Flambé

June was dry, Dry, DRY

June was the month of bugs (from the big tarantula hawk wasps, to the microscopic gnats), withering flowers, disappearing birds, and snakes! We seemed to encounter an extraordinary number of snakes this month, including gopher (bull) snakes, diamondback rattlesnakes, patch nose snakes, garter snakes, and one very scary prairie rattlesnake. Read on for that story.

Luna and the Prairie Rattler! Our scariest encounter was with a 3-foot prairie rattlesnake right in our front courtyard. One day he had crawled out from the shade of a blue spruce to warm up in the morning sun. It was Luna that had changed his demeanor from placid to pissed off. Prairie rattlers don’t typically alert trespassers; that’s the secret to their hunting success, and Luna didn’t recognize the danger. She began sniffing around and unintentionally violated his personal space. The snake responded by instantly coiling and violently rattling his tail. The noise seemed deafening and was definitely alarming. As I came running to Luna’s rescue, Roy noticed the commotion and quickly arrived with snake stick and bucket in hand. By this time the snake had backed into a corner, furiously rattling, but was relatively easy to capture. Snake temporarily out of the way, we then carefully checked Luna for signs of snake bite (none detected! Lucky Luna).

Now back to the snake in bucket. It had taken less than 30 seconds for Roy to capture and slip him into the 5 gallon bucket. It was then that I was able to take my first photos, from a respectable distance just in case the snake decided to leap clear of the bucket!. If looks could kill, well ………….. About 15-20 photos later, the bucket lid was secured in place, and we took the snake for a little ride about a mile from home where he was carefully released in an uninhabited area, unharmed.

Again, a big shout-out to “Made by Fay” for the inspiring “Littles” idea! Stay tuned for the next installment of “Littles.”

July 27, 2023

Fading Flowers Reveal Leafy Greens ….. Cedro Creek

July 14, 2023

Learning the deciduous Trees and Shrubs shading Cedro Creek Nature Trail ….. Grab n Go Nature Journaling

The timing and location of our daily hikes are being influenced by the extreme summer temperatures we’re experiencing throughout central New Mexico, and throughout the desert southwest. Whew! Even at 7300-8300’ elevation, 95-100F has become the norm, with no relief (or moisture) in sight. I don’t even want to think about Albuquerque temperatures; over 100F before noon, and soaring.

Because hiking in the Albuquerque foothills, at any time of the day, is out of the question, we’ve begun revisiting some our favorite mountain trails. But even tho these areas are higher in elevation, and shadier, it’s still plenty hot. That means if we set out between 7-8am, we can still manage a few miles before our water, like all the creeks, runs dry.

A few mornings ago, we decided to hike Cedro Creek Nature Trail, a rocky but easy dirt path under the shade of big cottonwoods. Expecting to find some water in the creek (there was none), I was hoping to find some interesting wildflowers (which had all withered and dried). The further along the trail we hiked, my focus quickly changed from wildflowers to other natural elements.

Geology is always interesting in these mountain drainages, and Cedro Creek is no exception. The overlying shales and limestones have long ago eroded to reveal large granite boulders that showed signs of erosion from long ago flowing water. That’s a nice thought!

And then there were so many varieties of deciduous trees and shrubs; their leafy greens not only provided relief from the heat, but became a visual treat as we explored the riparian areas alongside the dry creek bed.

As my curiosity about the diversity of tree and shrub species began to grow, so did the air temperature. Not wanting to become reduced to a sweaty puddle in the middle of the trail, and sensing a swarm of drooling, biting gnats and flies giving me a hungry eye, I resorted to collecting leaf and branch samples using a Grab n Go technique. By the time we got back to the car, I had 3 large ziplocks stuffed with over a dozen species of tree and shrub leaves and some fruits.

Back at home, in the comfort of my cool studio, I began my detailed study of these leaves (and the few bugs that managed to hitch a ride). Three days and several gallons of iced tea later, I had completed the 5 journal pages in this post.

That iced tea was deliciously cool, but not as cool as learning what’s growing overhead along Cedro Creek!

Until next time ……. be curious

Cypsela! The Sunflower Seed

July 9, 2023

Buckle in ……

In my last blog post, Fascinating Fasciations, I shared my discovery of an extremely malformed Rush Skeletonplant. While researching this much branched and dainty member of the plant family, Asteraceae (which includes asters, sunflowers and daisies), I became entangled in the winding and seemingly never-ending number of rabbit trails on my journey, until finding myself on a surprising detour. Totally absorbed in the subject of plant malformations, and learning a lot of cool stuff about Rush Skeletonplant along the way …….

The weirdly wild fasciated Rush Skeletonplant

………. I tripped and fell flat on my face (only figuratively!). One of the published research papers appeared to be in error …… regarding the seed (aka fruit) name of this plant. Known to me for decades by the name “Achene,” the researchers had labeled the seed “Cypsela.” And not only did they call seed of Rush Skeletonplant a “Cypsela,” but they used this name when referring to all the seeds of the Aster family!

What! No Way! Who was responsible for this name change? When did this happen? Why oh Why

Fascinating Fasciations …… Malformations in the Plant World

July 2, 2023

It was early morning, but already a hot 85F as we hiked the dry, dusty trails of the Albuquerque foothills. With a few exceptions, late June’s wildflower display is all but gone, replaced by an abundance of seeds ready to drop, blow away, or feed hungry chicks. While the “stage” resets for the next Act, the Summer Monsoons, plants in the Sunflower-Daisy-Aster family (Asteraceae) still dot the quickly browning landscape with bright yellows, whites, and shades of purples. One of the most curious plants now making a showing is Rush Skeletonplant (Lygodesmia juncea).

Perfectly adapted to the desert environment with its chaotic tangle of blue-green mostly leafless stems, is Rush Skeletonplant. Spindly stems, standing up to 18” tall, are topped with 1-2 petite pale lavender-pink flowers. These tiny delicate beauties may not be as showy as your garden variety sunflower, but when closely examined you’ll find typical characteristics of the family, including 4-6 strap shaped ligulate florets each with a protruding hot pink anther tube surrounding a double lobed stigma. Short lived, the florets quickly transform into dandelion-like seed heads.

So there we were, hiking along, wishing for even the gentlest of breezes to keep the biting gnats from crawling into our ears and mouths, when out of the corner of my eye …… Weirdness Extreme! A wildly malformed Rush Skeletonplant.

May “Littles” ….. blooming, buzzing, flying, fleeing, stalking, slithering surprises!

April may have been amazing, but it was nothing compared to the explosion of life during May. My 2-page spread doesn’t even come close to representing all that we encountered throughout the month. And the 15 species I chose as “picks” aren’t even a third of those making an appearance …… enter stage left and right!

Noticeably missing was the black chinned hummingbird. They arrived mid-May, and began defending breeding territories. One of these years, I hope to find one of their miniature nests to see what building materials the hummers use. Until then, their aerial performance is always breathtaking!

Then there was the morning Luna nearly stepped right in the middle of a really upset, hissing and striking prairie rattlesnake, practically right out our front door! It was a scary few moments until we determined Luna did not get bit! Whew. Roy expertly wrangled up the guy, herding him into a 5-gallon bucket, and relocated him a safe distance away. (I may cheat and add him to my June “Littles,” if you don’t mind, along with the first rattlesnake encounter of the season! Gotta love the desert.)

Included in the long list of flowering plants, was prickly pear cactus. Several species began opening their buds to reveal 20-30 delicate waxy yellow to apricot colored petals per bloom. It didn’t take long for the pollinators to find these delicacies!

Blooming in the foothills (5,000’ up to 7300’ elevation), there was milkwort, fleabane, scarlet globemallow, banana yucca, sundrops, milkweed, paintbrush, golden weed, common hoptree, puccoon, several species of pink-flowered hedgehog cactus, blazingstars, bee blossom, tahoka daisy, NM thistle, ……. etc. I could go on and on! And even at nearly 9,000’ elevation, rock jasmine, valerian, creeping mahonia, prairie bluebells, pasque flower and dwarf lousewort were all in bloom.

All in all, a bountiful full-on Spring bloom!

A big shout-out to “Made by Fay” for the inspiring “Littles” idea! Stay tuned for the next installment of “Littles.”

June 22, 2023

April “Littles” ….. A Rush of Spring!

In the blink of an eye …… April! The dusty browns of late winter gave way to landscapes full of color! Movement was everywhere ….. Flower buds began opening as emerging insects smacked their lips in anticipation. Birds, flocking to their breeding grounds, had hungry eyes on the growing bug population. Hibernating reptiles began to stir as the earth warmed; lizards stretching sleepy legs in their underground burrows, that will help them flee slithering snakes; snakes wriggling and coiling and hissing, perhaps thinking about a breakfast of juicy lizard or a baby bird. Mule deer moved down from the surrounding hills to nibble fresh plant growth. Coyotes hunted desert cottontails as they snacked on prickly pear pads.

April was amazing! There was so much happening, that it was all I could do to take in so many changes. It was such a challenge just to slow hike the hills every day, observing and taking photos, that keeping up with my “Littles” pages seemed impossible!

So here it is mid-June, and I’ve finally put the finishing touches on my April “Littles.” While creating my tiny framed discoveries, I questioned my desire and/or the need to continue with this project. But then I quickly dismissed those thoughts. After seeing these pages finished, I realized it was not only great fun, but an important reminder of what happens in nature during April.

Again, many thanks to “Made by Fay” for the inspiring “Littles” idea!

June 17, 2023

Geeking Out …… Total Bliss ….. Sunflowers!

June 12, 2023

David Lukas, naturalist, presented an amazing 2 hour video workshop on the largest family of flowering plants, the family Asteraceae¹, commonly called Sunflowers, Daisies, and Asters. Not only are they the largest family, they are also the most successful …. from a botanical and evolutionary perspective. That was the hook! I needed to know more!

Disclaimer! The following post is lengthy and covers many botanical things about sunflower “flowers” I wished to remember. If you decide to take this deep dive with me, prepare to be amazed. And if you make it all the way to the end, congratulations! But beware ….. you’ll develop an irresistible urge to stop and investigate every roadside sunflower on your next trip to town! Are you ready ……?

“The Felix” 2023: Escapito #1

Come on along with us for 5 days of camping fun in the Land of Enchantment, where we had some weird and close encounters with botanical beauties, a bare-butted gopher, a swarm of bees, and voracious leaf-footed beetles! All this, and more while exploring a National Conservation Area, a Desert National Monument, and a New Mexico State Park, all within the Chihuahuan desert ecosystem.

March “Littles” ….. Looking for Spring Amidst March Madness

April 3, 2023

March came in like a passive lion, allowing a few signs of Spring to peek through. My collection of nature snippets and decorative trail rocks was going well, until ……. Before long we were once again shoveling drifts and piles of snow, dumped on New Mexico thanks to California’s 13 atmospheric rivers that flowed from coast to coast. This was looking like the winter that would never end.

It was truly and literally “March Madness” out there. So, in the spirit of the crazy seasonal weather, an emergency road trip became necessary to search for some “Littles” filler. And I knew the perfect route to take …..

The Turquoise Trail Scenic Byway winds around the Ortiz Mountains and Cerrillos Hills, while passing through the historic mining towns of Golden, Madrid (MAH-drid) and Cerrillos (sir-REE-yoose). Today, there’s minimal mining taking place in them there hills. Today it’s all about art, and there’s some really weird stuff on display out there.

From Golden to just north of Cerrillos, the hillsides are adorned with metal sculptures like a Trojan horse, three boned fish on sticks, a scuba diver fleeing a curious dolphin, two-story tall origami made of folded metal, butterflies as big as pterodactyls, a squadron of green parrots, and a fleet of racing bicycles. You have to look around every bend in the road ….. they’re all there, and more!

It was fun “collecting” these images for my March “Littles” collection, but I needed one more. We had heard the story of Ethyl the Whale somehow living out of water, somewhere in Santa Fe. Sounded like the perfect weird addition to that blank spot on my page.

And there she was! Around the back side of the Santa Fe Community College, in a large, flat field was Ethyl, the 82-foot long blue whale sculpted out of single use plastics. Ethyl is HUGE! She not only holds the Guinness Book of Records for the World’s largest recycled plastic sculpture, she also delivers an important message about the health of our oceans.

Well, there you have it; my eclectic assortment of “Littles” to remember this March of 2023. Let me know what you think! I’m already looking forward to true Spring in April. Wildflowers should be popping up everywhere and maybe a few more bugs will make an appearance for my April “Littles.”

Thanks again to “Made by Fay” for the “Littles” inspiration!