AZ Nature In Focus

I was recently "organizing" my collection of sea glass which basically means that I was taking time to explore and admire my collection.  I began collecting sea glass many years ago when on South Padre Island in Texas and I found a piece of beach glass and pottery at the waterline.  I didn't even realize that pottery or glass became so weathered and smoothed by the ocean until that point and I was hooked.  On my many trips to a beach point since my first find, I am on the lookout for the gleaming piece of glass lying in the sand. After I began looking for glass, I would find one or two pieces on most trips to Southern California but on my last trip to the Monterey Bay area of California, I brought home almost four pounds of glass.   Most of my finds were common glass colors of green, white, and brown but there were several rarer finds of blue, milk glass, or pieces that have clearly been tumbling for close to 100 years.   If you are interested in finding or collecting sea

  The grackle is one of the larger birds that I see frequenting my backyard.  They do not tend to go to the feeder thankfully as I imagine that they would make quite a mess.  They will, however, peck in the grass and on occasion eat the jujube fruit dropped by the sparrows.  As I explained in an earlier post , the sparrows seem playful and happy in their fruit feast.  The grackles however become very territorial and if they find a fruit that they claim as their own, they will continue picking it up and flying here and there until they feel they are safe from thieves and then very quickly eat.   I will admit that the grackle was one of my most disliked birds in Arizona until my daughter began pointing out all the interesting things about this bird.  My dislike stemmed from a large ficus tree that we had in the backyard of a former home.  The grackles would nest in the tree in the evening and would make so much noise that I would need to close the door while having dinner just to hold a

  Life Among the Saguaro Cactus Last week, I shared my enthusiasm for the mighty saguaro cactus that towers over the Arizona desert.  As I was organizing photos I came across several that reminded me of the varied life that not only survives but thrives among the cactus needles.  During the early spring and well into the hot summer, a wide variety of birds can be seen making their nest in the many holes of the cactus.  The Gila woodpecker will peck away at the flesh and carve out an ample opening for their nest and then year after year a variety of birds claim these cavities as their temporary home.   These entrances are typically high in the air and are well guarded by the parent.  As you can see in the photo above, as the birds come in and out the needles can be worn away and the area directly around the entrance may be void of those prickly needles. At times, a rather large area of a saguaro has been carved away and doves tend to prefer these areas for their home.  They are protect

 Saguaro Cactus Towering Desert Giant Did you know that the saguaro cactus grows only in certain parts of Arizona, Mexico, and California?  I became instantly enthused with the saguaro cactus when I moved to Arizona 16 years ago.  In fact, my enthusiasm has become something of a household joke as my family is so accustomed to seeing saguaro cacti in our daily lives.  Neighbors have the towering saguaro standing like sentinels in the front yards though in reality, the cactus was likely there long before the home was built. Protected Desert Plant Saguaro cacti can live a very long time.  Over 150 years old is not at all uncommon and the arms you see growing out from the cactus usually don't start to appear until the cactus is 75-100 years old.  Like all cactus plants, they grow very slowly and are not easily replaced when one is lost.  They are actually a protected plant species in Arizona.  When a new road is being put in or a housing development starts wandering into what once was

Uses For Jujubes - Red Dates  Last week, I talked about the hungry sparrows feasting among my jujube trees.  Apparently many have not heard of a jujube or red date before and are curious what to do with them besides just eating them from the tree.  Just to recap in case you have not read my previous post, when mostly yellowish in color they taste a little like a dry apple.  They get sweeter as they turn a reddish color and as they turn completely red and start to wrinkle slightly, they are closer to a raisin or a date.   No matter how you eat them, don't forget that there is a pit in the center.  I find that cutting them close to the pit around each side is the easiest way to rid the fruit of the pit. The Varied Uses of Jujubes The light green to yellow jujubes are easily shredded and used any time apples are called for.  I have used them in breads, muffins, and mixed with pear or apples for a fruit crisp when shredded right from the tree.   I have mixed them in pancake batter in

Kayak Adventures in Prescott Arizona A few weeks ago my family and I ventured to Prescott, Arizona for a few days filled with kayak adventures.  I am sure many of you can commiserate with our travel experience this summer.  A trip to New Mexico was rescheduled from May to July but then needed to be canceled due to travel restrictions. We were left still wanting to do something but chose to stay in-state and settled on a few days on a lake.  What could be better than hours in a kayak exploring and relaxing?   Watson Lake We had been to Watson Lake on a kayak trip many years ago and decided to return.  For anyone who finds themselves with the opportunity to stop, Watson Lake is a beautiful and rather distinctive lake situated on the outskirts of Prescott, Arizona.  The granite dells are very unique and provide many little coves which allowed us to just float on calm water, enjoy the scenery, and the wildlife. My family and I rented kayaks through Prescott Outdoors .  For anyone curious a

Sparrows Foodies of the Bird World      Like many of you, I am spending more time around the house and in my backyard.  During the summer doves, pigeons, and sparrows make up the majority of birds that I see in my yard.  The small house sparrows however are the foodies in my yard.  They will peck away at the grass when there is nothing else.  They will happily help themselves to seeds from the feeder when it is full and when the fruit of my jujube trees ripen, they feast.      For anyone who has not heard of jujubes or red dates, they are a small fruit with a pit similar to a cherry or peach pit.  When they are a light green color, they taste a little like a dry apple.  They develop a reddish hue as they continue to ripen and taste like a sweeter apple.  As they turn the deeper red color they are more similar to a raisin in taste.  My most preferred is the green to slightly red jujube as raisins are not really my thing but don't expect a juicy bite of fruit no matter their level o

When I Grow Up     What do you want to be when you grow up?  This question is asked repeatedly to children and teens and they are expected to have an answer.  Perhaps not the complete and well thought out answer but a general type of answer.  The truth is that I never really liked this question because it seems so final.  It feels like we can only be one thing.  What do you want to be when you grow up?  A doctor?  A lawyer?  A business owner or artist?  Why just one when most of us have many interests and many talents?  Just to clarify, I do adulting well.  I am certainly a responsible adult but I don't think that you need to grow up to be an adult.  That childlike curiosity and enthusiasm for new discoveries are typically lost along the way as we grow up.  Being willing to try new things and put yourself out there is something that many people are hesitant to do because they don't want to look silly or be judged.    What I Learned From My Children      My children taught me t