Some new pics from the wildlife camera. Love seeing these deer.
Friend Raising Event!
Thank you so much to all of those who participated in our Breakfast Friend Raising event on Saturday. We were so pleased and appreciative. Here are a few photos!
Bobcat!
Over the past few days we captured a bobcat with our wildlife camera, plus more skunks, more coyotes, more roadrunners, and some jack rabbits! The skunk seems to come every night.;-)
Amazing Items for the Auction!
Here are some of the amazing items that will be up for auction this coming Saturday! Thanks to all our wonderful artists!
Print by Bobby Long - Our first Artist in Residence.
Solid Cherry and Maple Table hand crafted by Jim Hilbert.
Detail of patio table. Welded of solid metal found objects, completely recycled.
Garden Bench, solid recycled metal.
Desert Cotton!
Look at this beauty planted by the Sky Island Alliance on Genius Loci! So pretty and doing well!
Gossypium Thurberi!
Yippee!!!
We finally Really got our wild life camera to work! Look who passed through over the past couple of days!
DAVE...
A couple of super cute havalina!
A coyote!
A skunk!
And...Another coyote, who appears to like mornings! Welcome!
Classes Begin....
Our first art class to be taught at Genius Loci. 50% of the proceeds will go to the Genius Loci Foundation, so learn something fun and help a great cause.
Monsoons?
We have had some time away and returned to news of the monsoons. One neighbor reported up to 4 inches with one storm. However, since our return on July 2, we have had only one really drenching rain storm here at Genius Loci. There have been clouds, thunder, lightening, some drops of rain, even a rainbow as you can see, but nothing substantial. Now we have a wild fire in Catalina State Park just to the south of us. Many plants are coming up but are struggling a bit now without a good shower. Maybe if we leave again, we'll get the rain back?????
BEES!!
Did you know there are as many as 1000 species of bees in the state of Arizona alone? And I mean native bees! Not honey bees or Africanized bees. The area around Tucson may have the largest selection of bees in the world except possibly Israel. Bees are also herbivorous and like to make their homes in the ground, dead trees, where they take over holes already burrowed. The latter are often mason or leaf-cutter bees. Let us also not forget the Bee Fly, below, another helpful pollinator! source: Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
Lions, and Tigers, and Bugs - Oh My
There seems to be a lot of bug and spider questions these days so just thought I'd throw this in here. First of all Green Spiders! What we have here is the Green Lynx Spider. He may be a bit hard to see in the first photo! Lynx spiders can jump a wide distance to catch their insect pray.
We Need Help With Watering!
We are in desperate need of people to help water in June. Please e-mail me if you can help and I will sign you up. kristieatwood@aol.com
Thirsty Ash Tree!
Soaking It In
May is a month when the Sonoran Desert starts to dry out. The riot of early spring blossoms gives way to a new round of amazingly fragrant catkins on the acacia and mesquite. The desert willows on Genius Loci preserve are just beginning bloom.
Water!
After another big day of watering our new 90 plants (well, actually only 89 since a gopher snatched one) I was lulled to sleep by that beautiful sound of thunder rolling over the mountains. This morning, the air was damp, the clouds low, and I think I saw the Northern Beardless Tyrannulet that Bryon, from Sky Island Alliance, heard yesterday morning.
Let's Do This!!!
Watering from last weekend! Yeah, we did it...
At Last!!!
Holy Cow! We finally caught something on the wildlife cam after many failures, including 1500 pics of a branch blowing in the wind. So see here! A roadrunner with a lizard in its mouth!
Big Weekend Coming UP!
This coming weekend will be a big one at Genius Loci! We have Christopher from SIA and volunteers coming on Saturday to start the rock work and then Sunday more volunteers coming back to continue rock work and to water plants. If you would like to help, register with Sky Island Alliance at:
https://skyislandalliance.givezooks.com/events/wildlife-corridor-habitat-restoration-at-sutherland-was Hope to see you here!
The Nasty Native!!!!
Here is a native plant I hate. It is rare for me to hate any plant but this one is down right nasty! The Lapulla Redowski. It wouldn't be so bad except for it has horrible burrs that stick in everything and they are nearly impossible to get out. They are very prolific and sturdy. Have a look.
Still green.
When dry.
Sacred Datura
The Lovely Sacred Datura or Thorn-apple blooming at sunset.
Gopher Snake.....:-)
After a successful day of watering yesterday, we came back to find this gal in the old pig pen. Yes, I think it's a girl... We have had a rattle snake in this same spot recently and so after seeing it several times we figured it was setting up a home, so when Dave saw this snake, he said, "The rattler is out!" I had to have a look. So while Dave took Mazzy in, I got closer and noticed how large it was.. I was thinking, "This is not that same rattle snake. Way too large." So I sneaked around to its tail, which was about 6ft, yes I said FEET, from its head and low an behold, no rattles. Took another look and the head and was excited to realize this was a Gopher Snake, and a very old one to be this size! I was so excited to tell Dave. I gave her the Namaste welcome and invited her to stay as long as she liked. The light in me honors the light in her. Wonderful!
Notice the head at left and tail at far right. Big girl!!!
Notice her head lifted at left and tail at far right. Her body is stretching under the posts! Not great photos but hey, it was almost dark.
She's checking me out! Namaste big girl!
