Tag: Phoenix

Snipe hunt. Wilson’s snipe (Gallinago delicata), at the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area, in Phoenix, Arizona. 

Anyone tricked into a late-night snipe hunt at summer camp (with a gunny sack and flashlight to flush the dangerous animals from their cover) might be surprised to learn that snipe are real animals. The snipe in this photo (just out of the shadow, at right center) is almost invisible in the tangle of vegetation at water’s edge. Snipe have lent their name to snipers – marksmen with sharp enough vision to hit such a challenging target. 

Bee glue: Honey bee (Apis mellifera), using its hind leg to collect the dark resinous sap oozing from a scarred mesquite tree. At the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area, in Phoenix Arizona. 

The sticky goo, called propolis, is used by bees to patch hives or seal off unused entrances. It is used by people (who steal collect it from domesticated bees) in a variety of folk remedies, and in varnishes for string musical instruments. 

Bonus etymology: Propolis is a transliteration of the Ancient Greek πρόπολις, meaning suburb. It was applied to the bees’ gooey glue because of their apparent use of the material to extend their hives. 

Bee glue: Honey bee (Apis mellifera), using its hind leg to collect the dark resinous sap oozing from a scarred mesquite tree. At the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area, in Phoenix Arizona. 

The sticky goo, called propolis, is used by bees to patch hives or seal off unused entrances. It is used by people (who steal collect it from domesticated bees) in a variety of folk remedies, and in varnishes for string musical instruments. 

Bonus etymology: Propolis is a transliteration of the Ancient Greek πρόπολις, meaning suburb. It was applied to the bees’ gooey glue because of their apparent use of the material to extend their hives. 

Willow baccharis (Baccharis salicina), at the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area, Phoenix, Arizona. 

As the species name suggests, this plant thrives in mildly saline soils. Finding it on the banks of the Salt River is almost absurdly apt – a wonderful conflux of name and type, habitat and habitué. 

In addition to the honey bee in the second photo, there are three tiny bugs hiding in the third photo from top. Can you find them?