Bird-o-Rama Week: Orange-Crowned Warbler

 

We have several varieties of small yellow and yellow-ish birds in the backyard at the moment: male and female goldfinches and yellow warblers. I have NEVER seen this fellow before, though (these are not uncommon birds, apparently, although they are migratory): an orange-crowned warbler! 

Adorable!

Dune It

The Algodones sand dunes, in Imperial Valley, are really really cool--and it is absolutely delightful to not see people on vehicles driving up and down them!

 

Aliens?

 These are always so very photogenic...

Saguaro, Sa-WOW-ro

 

When you are in Arizona visiting family and you notice that all of the saguaros around town are blooming, what do you do? You drive south to Saguaro National Park! Absolutely astonishingly beautiful! It was magical!

The flowers open at night and are pollinated by bats, and they close the next day (they are also pollinated during that time by bees and other insects). They only exist for 24 hours!

This is, I think, an ironwood tree? So pretty, so ephemeral.

And other lovely blooms...

I'm not sure what this is...

Ocotillo loveliness.

Cactus Flower

So lovely...

 Even the bees think so!

Random Heart: Cactus Edition

 

Delicata

 Lovely!