in Castle Valley, Utah. Nature’s fireworks on the 4th of July. Gotta love those crepuscular rays!
Click on image to enlarginate.
A napping sparrow...
catching a siesta in the shade on another hot afternoon.
A long shadow accompanies me...
on both my early morning and evening rides. It’s a wonderful time to be out on both ends of the day.
Self portrait early this morning during the cool, calm and quiet dawn.
Casting a long shadow as sunset approaches.
One overheated bunny...
trying to cool off on a hot, 97° F, afternoon. This little one has scratched a patch in the soil on the shaded side of the house.
Desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii).
Stem tips ablaze...
from the summer heat, well, maybe that’s an exaggeration. The only splash of bright color in the high desert in early summer is provided by the vibrant broom snakeweed seen below.
Broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae).
The heat is coming...
next week, with triple digits in the forecast, triggering my migratory instincts to head north. Not many days left in Castle Valley so I’m grabbing an early morning ride.
A complex cloudscape...
slowly drifting across Porcupine Rim today.
Warming in the early sunshine...
this small, non-venomous bullsnake was extended across the trail this morning. It’s even smiling for this snapshot.
Bullsnake (Pituophis catenifer sayi).
These beautiful blue birds...
continue to hang out at the feeding stations, much to my delight.
Breeding male Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena).
A quick re-shoot...
was necessary for the final edit of a video volume of original narrative poetry by local Rory Tyler. We got out early this morning in the cool soft light of dawn in Castle Valley.
This dapper Spotted Sandpiper...
is keeping a watchful eye on junior, as the fledging juvenile explores along the banks of the Colorado River early this evening.
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius).
Alfalfa is on the menu...
this evening for Bugs Buddy. Constantly entertaining.
Desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii).
The Pace homestead in Castle Valley, Utah...
was settled circa 1920 by John and Ann Pace.
A napping Flammulated Owl...
no larger than a soda can. Caught catching a little shuteye on my neighbor’s patio chair on a shaded porch. Quite tiny. And enormously cute.
Flammulated Owl (Psiloscops flammeolus).
The best view in the canyon lands...
in the greater Moab area is at Dead Horse Point State Park. Change my mind.
A low-cost solar mini-fountain...
is the latest gadget I’ve acquired in service of my feathered friends. If the Sun is up, the fountain is spouting!
Forests of stamens...
topped with millions of anthers producing trillions of pollen particles in countless wildflowers during this season’s super bloom in the high desert is really hammering my allergies. It’s been quite miserable this year, especially if one likes to breathe freely.
Macro image of prickly pear cactus blossom showing the stigma (green bulb in center) surrounded by hundreds of stamens consisting of anthers at the tips of each filament. Amazing micro universe when one gets small.
Subterranean bee hive under construction...
by the engineering globe mallow bee (Diadasia diminuta) that collects pollen from the globemallow flower that is presently at peak bloom in Castle Valley. It’s quite fascinating to watch their activities, if one has the time and patience.
Vertical tubular “turrets” serve as entrances to the underground hive. The tallest seen here on the right is 1.25 inches (3.2 cm) high.
The inside diameter of the turrets is about 4 mm, but it appears that the subterranean part of the entrance to the hive is slightly larger in size.
Early stages of turret construction after the initial burrow entrance has been excavated. The bees gather finer-grained particles from the ejected material from their diggings and cement the turret with their saliva.
Bee applying saliva to the upper rim of the turret to cement small particles as the turret rises.
Part of the neighborhood still under construction. Note the freshly dug shallow burrow at the far left without a turret.
Fully loaded pollen bags on the hind legs of the globe mallow bee returning to a fully completed part of the hive.
Down the hatch with a heavy load.
Wide view of a portion of the hive.
It's a bee's world...
in the blossoming cacti, and they sure are busy.
Iridescent flashes of color on hummingbirds...
are structurally controlled by layers of tiny air bubbles on the feather’s surface, refracting and reflecting various wavelengths of light. The brightness and intensity of the iridescence is also dependent on the viewer’s angle relative to the Sun, and is demonstrated by the Black-chinned Hummingbird shown below.
