AZ Nature In Focus

  I have very recently learned that countries outside the United States also observe Daylight Savings time though they might call it summer time or some other variation or combination of the two.  I have to say that I was surprised and asked for clarification as I thought I heard wrong.  I grew up on the east coast of the United States and never figured out exactly why we needed to change the clocks though I had always done it and didn't give it much thought.  In the fall we turned clocks back to presumably get some daylight in the earlier morning hours but that also meant that it was dark around 5:00 pm for a few weeks.  Spring called for turning the clock ahead, giving up an hour of sleep, and suddenly making it darker in the morning.  I don't know why I never thought about other countries adjusting their clocks.  I guess I just assumed that it was some strange tradition in the U.S. dating back to our more agricultural days.  It was the way thin...

I am someone who has a need to travel.  I need to escape my everyday life and recharge in different surroundings.  I have a drive to explore the world and gain a new appreciation for other landscapes, lifestyles, and people.     I know that I am not alone in saying that 2020 has knocked me around a little.  Plenty of great things have happened this year but by and large, it is a year that I am ready to put behind me.  I have had a few painful losses recently and as luck would have it, my family and I had plans to take a weekend escape to Payson, Arizona just when I needed it most.  For anyone unfamiliar with this area, Payson is a small town immersed in high desert wilderness of Arizona.  We rented a house that backed Tonto National Forest and I was able to spend the weekend seeing virtually no one and enjoy the solitude of nature.   Coming from the desert region around Phoenix, the sights, smells, and sounds of the forest transpo...

 I am fortunate enough to live in an area of the United States that is home to plenty of winter birds.  Our very mild winter climate in the deserts of Arizona creates a perfect environment for Canadian geese, shovelers, hummingbirds, and many other birds that leave us at the end of each spring.  I am not a bird expert and don't even know the formal names of many of the birds that I see but I get no less enjoyment from watching them play in their new surroundings. It is currently closing in on the end of October and for those unfamiliar with the Arizona desert climate, that means that we begin to leave 100 degree days behind and the evenings dip into the lower 70's at night.  These cool temperatures signal the return of hummingbirds which are usually the first of the migratory birds to return.  About two weeks ago my daughter and I were taking a walk and she spotted a hummingbird zipping along.  It is difficult to sense when we are still experiencing 115 deg...

  I am a naturally curious person.  I think all people are born that way.  Certainly much to a parent's frustration toddlers ask an awful lot of why questions.  Wanting to know something just for the sake of knowing the answer is something we embrace as small children but see far less frequently in adults.  I enjoy learning new things though I have never been big on book learning.  Knowledge just for the curiosity of finding an answer is appealing to me though sadly I probably only remember a fraction of the things I learn each day. In my last post , I talked about asking someone if they could identify a tree because I was admiring the flowers and received an elaborate answer as the gentleman enjoyed sharing his knowledge with me.  There have been many times that I will wonder aloud about something to a companion and might be overheard.  Several years ago I was visiting an area where lightning storms were very common and I verified with my daughte...

  No matter where I travel, I always make at least a little time to explore nature.  Plants, flowers, and animals are so varied and provide endless interest to me as I roam outside of my desert home.  Often when encountering an animal or plant that I have never seen before, I will snap several photos just to be able to figure out later exactly what I discovered.  There have been times when someone is close by and I will ask if they are familiar with what I am admiring. This is usually the point when I am reminded just how for granted we tend to take the nature found in our own backyards. I adore the sparrows of my yard, the doves in the grass, or my lantana alive with color but that initial sense of discovery and awe that accompanied my move to the deserts of Arizona has disappeared after 16 years. When I first moved to Arizona from Pennsylvania, I was enamored by the soaring saguaro, the hummingbirds, woodpeckers, and the multitude of other plants and animals that ...