Tag: Phoenix

Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), seen on my morning walk in in Phoenix, Arizona. 

These sheep are actually denizens of the Phoenix Zoo, in Papago Park. Geologically, the park comprises a grouping of sandstone monadnocks – isolated hills of red rock that rise abruptly from the surrounding terrain. The zoo has built its bighorn enclosure on the side of the southernmost hill – visible from the park’s trails, and a pleasant surprise for the urban hiker. 

Suddenly Green.

A few days ago the Phoenix area got an unexpected soaking: a winter-like storm moved through, dropping 0.9 inches of rain (2.4 cm), the highest total ever seen for the date since measurements were first recorded. Little low-growing things responded immediately to the moisture. Papery, desiccated ferns unfurled, parched lichens plumped up, and shriveled mosses grew soft and lush, and all overnight – a temporary desert miracle. 

The fern (top photo) is a Standley’s cloak fern (Notholaena standleyi). The Seri people of Sonoran Mexico carried cloth bags filled with the fern as a good luck charm. I have made no attempt to identify the lichens or moss. 

At South Mountain Preserve, Phoenix, Arizona. 

Suddenly Green.

A few days ago the Phoenix area got an unexpected soaking: a winter-like storm moved through, dropping 0.9 inches of rain (2.4 cm), the highest total ever seen for the date since measurements were first recorded. Little low-growing things responded immediately to the moisture. Papery, desiccated ferns unfurled, parched lichens plumped up, and shriveled mosses grew soft and lush, and all overnight – a temporary desert miracle. 

The fern (top photo) is a Standley’s cloak fern (Notholaena standleyi). The Seri people of Sonoran Mexico carried cloth bags filled with the fern as a good luck charm. I have made no attempt to identify the lichens or moss. 

At South Mountain Preserve, Phoenix, Arizona. 

I went at dusk tonight to the Phoenix Bat Cave to watch the nightly emergence of the bats. The cave is actually a flood control tunnel, located next to the Arizona Canal at Camelback and 40th (click here for directions). The structure is home to a maternity colony of over 5000 Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis), along with a smaller colony of chubby little western pipistrelle bats (Parastrellus hesperus). Tonight a small group of about twenty human beings (Homo sapiens sapiens) gathered at the site. I was delighted by the hush that came over the crowd when the first bats started leaving their roost – a shared moment of quiet wonder and awe. The show runs nightly at sunset from May through October, with bat populations peaking in July and August. 

I looked without success for a source to credit for the Random Internet Image of free-tailed bats I pasted here.  

I went at dusk tonight to the Phoenix Bat Cave to watch the nightly emergence of the bats. The cave is actually a flood control tunnel, located next to the Arizona Canal at Camelback and 40th (click here for directions). The structure is home to a maternity colony of over 5000 Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis), along with a smaller colony of chubby little western pipistrelle bats (Parastrellus hesperus). Tonight a small group of about twenty human beings (Homo sapiens sapiens) gathered at the site. I was delighted by the hush that came over the crowd when the first bats started leaving their roost – a shared moment of quiet wonder and awe. The show runs nightly at sunset from May through October, with bat populations peaking in July and August. 

I looked without success for a source to credit for the Random Internet Image of free-tailed bats I pasted here.  

Desert millipede (Orthoperus ornatus).

Like all arthropods, millipedes periodically shed their confining exoskeletons as they grow. New segments are added with each successive molt, and each segment comes equipped with legs. If you want to know how many legs a millipede has you have to count. This specimen was about 6 inches long (150 cm). 

At the South Mountain Preserve in Phoenix, Arizona. 

Desert millipede (Orthoperus ornatus).

Like all arthropods, millipedes periodically shed their confining exoskeletons as they grow. New segments are added with each successive molt, and each segment comes equipped with legs. If you want to know how many legs a millipede has you have to count. This specimen was about 6 inches long (150 cm). 

At the South Mountain Preserve in Phoenix, Arizona. 

Desert millipede (Orthoperus ornatus), in the South Mountain Preserve, Phoenix, Arizona.

These burrowing animals are sometimes called rainworms, because they emerge after soaking storms. I observed dozens of millipedes on the trail after heavy rains the night before my hike. 

Desert millipede (Orthoperus ornatus), in the South Mountain Preserve, Phoenix, Arizona.

These burrowing animals are sometimes called rainworms, because they emerge after soaking storms. I observed dozens of millipedes on the trail after heavy rains the night before my hike.