The Fascinating Sonoran Desert

I'm really enjoying hangin' out in the Sonoran

desert, though it would be nice if I was in a little better shape for my walks. Hydration is also a problem; it's always an adjustment coming from cold, damp Monterey to the hot, arid southwest. I liked this shot of cholla silhouetted against the morning light in Anza-Borrego.

This is a birds nest, built right in the middle of a cholla cactus. The birds are apparently oblivious to the spines, which of course give them protection from predators.

A nice bunch of tidy tips in Saguaro National Park.

This wierd topped cactus is known as a cristate saguaro. Nobody knows why the cactus grows such a gnarly head; only about one in 200,000 saguaros do. Blow the pic up for more detail. In this case, the rest of the cactus appears normal, with ordinary looking arms. This plant is near the Javelina picnic ground in the eastern part of Saguaro NP.

And at the end of the day, a gorgeous sunset! This pic was taken from my deck at the Westward Look in Tucson. The desert southwest is sunset central...they have beautiful ones almost every evening.